Thread: Blender 2.57 ASE export

ASE Export Script
MCampagnini (http://code.google.com/p/ase-export-vmc/)
Version 2.00

Installation

• Download and extract the ASE Export Script.
• In Blender, File / User Preferences.
• Go to the Add-On Tab.
• Install Add-On, select the extracted python script.
• Click Save as Default to enable the script every time Blender loads (optional).

You will find a new export option in File / Export called Ascii Scene Export (.ase). If you do not see the script in the export menu after following the installation instructions, open the Add-On tab and find the script under Import-Export: ASCII Scene Exporter. Be sure that it is enabled by checking the box next to the add-on name. Contact me on my website if you still have problems exporting.

Mesh Requirements

• All non-collision meshes must be UV unwrapped.
• All non-collision meshes must have a material applied.
• Mesh should have two UV textures, one for lighting and one for textures.
• Mesh should be modelled correctly.

Optional

• Mesh may have more than one material.
• Mesh may have more than one UV texture.
• Mesh may be assigned as a collision object.
• Mesh may have more than one collision object to determine collision borders.
• Mesh may be assigned smoothing groups.
• Smart people will watch the demonstration video on my website.

Collision Objects
Assign a mesh as a collision object by prefixing each object name with UCX_NAME, where NAME can be anything you would like (case-insensitive).

Smoothing Groups
Assign smoothing groups by edge selecting the border of the faces you want assigned to a smoothing group, press ctrl+e and mark sharp. Any face group separated with sharp edges will be assigned a smoothing group.

Vertex Painting
Apply vertex painting in Blender as normal, be sure that you have at least two uv texture slots. This is not a technical limitation, but due to time constraints I left the vertex painting code inside of a conditional that requires two uv textures. In order to view your vertex painting in UDK you will have to import and set up your materials correctly within UDK.

Change Log

Version 1.41 to 2.00

• Upgraded for Blender 2.63a.
• Fixed smoothing groups (broken in 2.62).
• Extra options in the export window.
• Removed origin recentering.

Version 1.4 to 1.41

• Added an export option to recalculate normals.

Version 1.35 to 1.4

• Added vertex painting support. Requires two uv textures.

Version 1.3 to 1.35

• Fixed a bug causing ugly output when over 32 smoothing groups were assigned
• Recoded a small portion of the script to remove complications when assigning more than 150 smoothing groups.
• Fixed a crash by adding in a bpy.ops.mesh.reveal before calculating mesh data. Any hidden parts of your mesh will be made visible before performing the export.

Download at http://code.google.com/p/ase-export-vmc/

While I currently making levels with the UT 3 editor, I would like to say "thank you very much" for taking the time to update this script!

I was happy when 2.57 was released, but sort of bummed because there was no .ASE exporter that worked with it. Now that's changed and I can charge forward knowing my time won't be wasted making models that couldn't be exported.

I am constructing a Blender to Unreal tutorial page and I updated my current Exporting To Unreal page with your script.

In my testing (and limited experience), it seems like you have to enter the file extension ".ase" in order for it to properly work?

It will be great when you can implement multiple UVs for light mapping.

Since I am a beta tester at heart, I wonder if the following is possible, some time in the future?

• Not requiring a material/image/UV to be assigned. I only say this for collision models (though it's reasonably easy to add these since they don't have to be precise).
• To not triangulate the mesh (assuming the editor will triangulate it for you)? I ask this so the model can still retain it's original quads.

I also tested to see if Vertex Painting works and it does, so that's nice. The only thing I am not familiar with is "smoothing" groups, but I will test that some more tonight.

Thanks again for your time and effort. Sorry for the long-winded post, but I am excited that I can now get to "work" with Blender and the Unreal editor.

I just updated the script about 20 minutes ago so that any material not assigned to a face will not be added - in addition it requires a unique texture image for each material. The reason for this was to make sure people only export out ASE's without extra & unused materials/textures. Updates will keep rolling out, we have to get Blender deeper into the game development pipeline!

In a future update i'll make it detect the UCX_Collision mesh name and void the material / texture requirements.

As far as mesh triangulation goes, ill see about setting a toggle when exporting.

Smoothing groups might be a time sink, i've talked with some people about it...maybe there is a workaround. Besides, exporting multiple uv maps correctly is more important!

--edit: and yes it needs a *.ase name, if you save your .blend it should have [project_name].ase already filled out.

Glad I helped out someone,

MC

Originally Posted by MCampagnini

I just updated the script about 20 minutes ago so that any material not assigned to a face will not be added - in addition it requires a unique texture image for each material. The reason for this was to make sure people only export out ASE's without extra & unused materials/textures. Updates will keep rolling out, we have to get Blender deeper into the game development pipeline!

In a future update i'll make it detect the UCX_Collision mesh name and void the material / texture requirements.

Makes sense and sounds great.

Smoothing groups might be a time sink, i've talked with some people about it...maybe there is a workaround. Besides, exporting multiple uv maps correctly is more important!

Aren't smoothing groups suppose to help determine if the shading will be either smooth or hard for the edges? Agreed that multiple UVs are very important.

--edit: and yes it needs a *.ase name, if you save your .blend it should have [project_name].ase already filled out.

This works as you just mentioned. I thought by the wording on your site that if you didn't have the ".ase" part, it would automatically add it. Not a big issue either way.

Glad I helped out someone,

Indeed

Keep in mind that more people will appreciate your work than what is commented. The same is true with with my tutorial sections.

hey, great work !

Yeah the lack of udk friendly smoothing groups is really a pain in the ass with blender. For now I use fbx exporter tweaked to get smoothing groups from material channels of another object prefixed "SG_". It's not awesome but better than nothing.

Hmm, I just tried again the edge split method, I can't make it work, udk seems to merge vertex in the same smoothing group.

Here is what I have on a cylinder.
The left is real smoothing groups like in 3ds max, the right is the edge split method with edge split modifier aplied. I verified that the vertex was really separated.


Maybe i'm doing something wrong... If anybody manage to have the left cylinder with an edge split, please let me know.