Imported mesh options

[RT-Visualization]

Hi all,

I was trying some things with the editor, and I found a little problem...
I have all my geometry already set and ready to import, so I exported everything from XSI in .ase, create my package in the browser and import all the meshes, so now I have like 50 different meshes...the main problem is that I want all the parts to stay in the exact same position as I exported from my 3d app, so when I drag them into the engine they keep the same position...
Is it possible to do somethign like that or I need to place them manually?

[Xendance]

How did you import them? Are they listed as static meshes in the content browser?

[Henrik]

You can export all the meshes together as one ASE, so long as the poly count doesn't crash the editor and so long as you don't need to be able to remove/move any of them later using only UDK. This will preserve their positions. Even if you do need to alter any positions you can do that within XSI and then re-export your ASE and update the model in UDK.

Then simply add new UV channels in the mesh's properties and assign them the correct textures, this might take some experimenting to figure out the correct order but shouldn't be a problem...

[RT-Visualization]

You can export all the meshes together as one ASE, so long as the poly count doesn't crash the editor and so long as you don't need to be able to remove/move any of them later using only UDK. This will preserve their positions. Even if you do need to alter any positions you can do that within XSI and then re-export your ASE and update the model in UDK.

Then simply add new UV channels in the mesh's properties and assign them the correct textures, this might take some experimenting to figure out the correct order but shouldn't be a problem...

@Xendance: All the meshes are listed as Static meshes.

@Bersy: I got some crashes, if I recall correctly the max polycount for a object is 60, but I already got previous meshes already exported as .ase, so I just select all of them and import, but still got the same problem ( position ).
So I just tried to export all the meshes in one single .ase, no crash at all, they keep the UV that I setup in XSI, but the main problem is that is a single mesh!
Take a look at the picture, there are 40 different objects in the scene ( main house body, pool, grass... ) so I need to be able to select each one of them and give them a separate material...any suggestion?



I tried to export collada as well, but same problem as the .ase files, lots of files that if you try to drag them into the editor, they don't keep the original position from XSI.

Thanks for the answer

[Xendance]

Weird, as I can export from max without the origin of the model changing.

[RT-Visualization]

Weird, as I can export from max without the origin of the model changing.

I noticed that some meshes are working properly if I just right click on the perspective viewport and choose add actor>first on the list ( previously selected in the browser ), but some of them are totally different ( different scale and position ).
Do you drag and drop your static meshes or what else?

[Norman3D]

In that case, you need to make sure, before you export your meshes, that they all share the same pivot point location. You should not be doing this anyway. The texture mipmapping takes the pivot point as a position to determine how close it is to the camera. Pivot points should be as near as possible to the actor.

[Henrik]

RT, you don't need to select the different pieces to assign their textures, but you will need to figure out what order the UV's go in... most likely through trial and error.

Enter the properties dialogue of the single mesh, and under the Rendering subheading you can add new Material slots, these will automatically correspond with one of your UV sets, maybe you could look to see how XSI has your objects ordered if there is some way to do so, the Material slots in UnrealEd ought to follow the same order.

[RT-Visualization]

RT, you don't need to select the different pieces to assign their textures, but you will need to figure out what order the UV's go in... most likely through trial and error.

Enter the properties dialogue of the single mesh, and under the Rendering subheading you can add new Material slots, these will automatically correspond with one of your UV sets, maybe you could look to see how XSI has your objects ordered if there is some way to do so, the Material slots in UnrealEd ought to follow the same order.

Sounds a bit tricky....anyway I found a nice tutorial about exporting from XSI to Unreal, and I saw some tricks there that I can use....but, unfortunately, every time I try to import a .psk mesh Unreal crash...don't know why yet, but I'll keep trying, so, right now, I'm just saving .ase, and keep the axis origin in the center of the world.
Thanks for the answer

[meri]

I do not think that exporting entire level at once would be a good idea?
Lets say you create a restaurant, full of identical tables, exporting all at once would require creating all the tables separatly, when you could simply use instance of one.

[RT-Visualization]

I do not think that exporting entire level at once would be a good idea?
Lets say you create a restaurant, full of identical tables, exporting all at once would require creating all the tables separatly, when you could simply use instance of one.

That is right, but since, once I have the scene done, I will probably istance just a couple of objects, I'm just trying to see the most efficient way to import my meshes into the editor without any problems...so I'm still trying

[Henrik]

Well there are plenty of reasons why making it a single mesh isn't optimal, but it is one solution nonetheless.