[Bf-committers] Collada import support

[Campbell Barton]

Hello Peter,
One of the first things to check if you're files are not loading in
blender, is to check if the files load anywhere (and not just back
into 3DS MAX).
Find another program which has support for collada, or a collada model viewer.

It would also be good to check if the models load in any non-autodesk products.

If they do, then try make a very simple test case which fails to load
in blender, think cube, empty, 1-3-object scenes and report it to our
bug tracker.

After that you can iterate, increasing complexity each time, this way
bugs can be solved 1 by 1 rather then being handed a complex scene
which is too hard to debug and `doesn't work`.

On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 1:14 PM, Peter Amstutz <tetron at interreality.org> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> My development team wants to transition from 3DS Max 2011 to Blender
> for character modeling.  In order to do so, we need two pieces: the
> ability to get our data out of 3DS Max and into Blender, and the
> ability to export from Blender to Cal3D.  I've already found a Blender
> addon that exports to Cal3D.  It needs work, but that is something I
> can handle and doesn't involve Blender C++ code.
>
> I have been trying to use Collada to transfer our characters from 3DS
> Max to Blender, using the Autodesk-provided Collada exporter on the
> Max side.  The data consists of meshes, materials, bones, bone weights
> and animations.  From a cursory examination of the Collada XML file it
> appears that all the necessary data is present in the DAE file.
>
> Unfortunately, the Blender import of Collada doesn't work.  The errors
> range from "Image not found" (caused by missing paths to textures,
> surely not a fatal import error but nevertheless stops import in its
> tracks) to corrupted geometry.
>
> I am in a position that I can devote some time to testing / debugging
> / development on the Blender Collada importer to handle our import
> needs.  I also noticed there is a Google Summer of Code project to
> improve Collada animation import.  I would like to get in touch with
> Blender developers who can tell me about the state of Collada support
> in Blender to find our where I should focus my attention and avoid
> duplicate effort.  I've already checked out Blender trunk and
> successfully compiled and run a debug build, so I am ready to go, I
> just need some pointers on where to start.
>
> - Pete
>
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-- 
- Campbell