FBX export from DAZ Studio causes exploded parts

cain-x

I am working on FBX exports so I may use SketchFab to preview my work or use Blender eevee/cycles rendering.

Exporting a scene via FBX causes parts to "explode" out when imported into another 3D program outside of DAZ Studio. Is there a way to apply transforms/rotation/location before exporting the FBX?

Here's an example scene in DAZ:

Then FBX import into Blender:

It does not matter if using 2012 or 2014 FBX. The settings I use are below:

Any tips and tricks appreciated.

Matt_Castle

Which FBX importer are you using for Blender? The default one is something of a reverse engineering of the format, so it can often have difficulties importing posed files.

(Not that I'm not blaming Daz, which also seems to have a pretty poor FBX implementation. Most rigged FBX files import as a complete mess).

cain-x

I am using Autodesk FBX viewer and 3DS Max and I get similar results of parts not keeping their positions. I have tried Blender 2.79 and 2.80. Along with SketchFab, they all import the FBX from DAZ similarly (in a bad way), so I believe it is something within DAZ Studio where the transforms are not applied before export.

juve_satriani

ffzero58 said:

I am working on FBX exports so I may use SketchFab to preview my work or use Blender eevee/cycles rendering.

Exporting a scene via FBX causes parts to "explode" out when imported into another 3D program outside of DAZ Studio. Is there a way to apply transforms/rotation/location before exporting the FBX?

Here's an example scene in DAZ:

Then FBX import into Blender:

It does not matter if using 2012 or 2014 FBX. The settings I use are below:

Any tips and tricks appreciated.

I`m also have same problem especially if there are props . Try Collada format. it seem doing OK in all other 3D apps . Maybe you just need to fix XYZ orientation in Blender

Doc Acme

Oh, those aren't 'sploded parts.  Those are just out of place.

I'm not familiar with Blender, but the same issue is there with Lightwave as well, and I suspect nearly any other package.  It's gotten much better, but the export process always adds extra nulls in the hierarchy depending on the Parent in the Daz scene (forget about retaining Camera names), but I haven't quite figured figure out the rhyme or reason to it,assuming ther is one. You shoud have your Root item at 0,0,0 of course.

As such, it's usually just a reparenting task.  In Lightwave, I've the option to toggle Parenting in Place On or Off so look for a similar function. Usually by selecting the out of place item, you can work your way up the heirarchy to find the null that is correctly placed, then reparent to that with Parenting in Place Off & it'll jump to correct postion & rotation.  Should amyway.

 

cain-x

Yes, the parts are parented to nulls that are used by helper scripts. It is rather annoying to do this in a scene where I have close to 50+ parts. Figures seem to do much better and export alright. Only when you have parts parented to nulls where things go haywire.

Collada does seem to do better in this regard but it is not perfect and has its own issues.

cain-x

Sorry to revive this but I would love to start uploading DAZ animations to SketchFab and this is still an issue. Is there some way to fix this?

WendyLuvsCatz

I get this some scenes, not others

it used to be with many more

it is a parenting thing in DAZ studio if things are not parented in place and it is not happening in every target software

as an example Twinmotion tosses stuff everywhere, iClone 3DXchange 6 doesn't

cain-x

It is a shame we can't have a WYSIWYG when it comes to 3D format exchange :(

Any tips or tricks are appreciated!

Padone

As I understand it, the fbx implementation in daz studio is very limited. You can export and import back a single character created in daz studio quite fine. You can't import anything created in another software. You can't export complex scenes with animation. Then tips and tricks as requested:

1) you may try the diffeomorphic plugin to see if it works

2) you may try exporting fbx WITHOUT morphs, also use the official autodesk viewer to check if the problem is from daz

3) as already suggested you may try the collada exporter instead of fbx

4) you may try adding a null as a parent of the scene you want to export, to see if it gets things in place

Former DAZ Customer

Try using this Blender add-on to directly import DAZ files.  There is a script included that you need to add to DAZ Studio.

https://diffeomorphic.blogspot.com/p/daz-importer-version-14.html

 

cain-x

The diffeo plugin still seems to move parts slightly - I've tested this at random times to see if anything changed in newer versions of DAZ but still without post fixing.

The null as a parent is interesting, I will see if that may help - thanks.

WendyLuvsCatz

otherwise if there is a way to unparent in place that would solve it

maybe someone could write a script

cain-x

mcasual (bless this guy) had attemtped to write a script for this but it required a receiving script in Blender to get it all right. It looked promising but it did not work in all instances. It's like trying to put a watery turd through a water filter and hoping something drinkable comes out. /rant

I can only assume DAZ is not putting much weight on this one as they don't want their paid content to be stolen...

Richard Haseltine

WendyLuvsCatz said:

otherwise if there is a way to unparent in place that would solve it

maybe someone could write a script

Unparenting is just parenting to nothing/the universe - the settings for in place or not remain the same.

WendyLuvsCatz

Richard Haseltine said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

otherwise if there is a way to unparent in place that would solve it

maybe someone could write a script

Unparenting is just parenting to nothing/the universe - the settings for in place or not remain the same.

yes but if was not in place when parented it goes back to that position which is what is happening, 

it is not how I would assemble a set myself but apparently popular 

Richard Haseltine

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Richard Haseltine said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

otherwise if there is a way to unparent in place that would solve it

maybe someone could write a script

Unparenting is just parenting to nothing/the universe - the settings for in place or not remain the same.

yes but if was not in place when parented it goes back to that position which is what is happening, 

it is not how I would assemble a set myself but apparently popular 

I'm not sure what yu are saying - if Parent In Place is on then unparenting will leave the item in place, just not parented; if not it will go to its zero position.

WendyLuvsCatz

Richard Haseltine said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Richard Haseltine said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

otherwise if there is a way to unparent in place that would solve it

maybe someone could write a script

Unparenting is just parenting to nothing/the universe - the settings for in place or not remain the same.

yes but if was not in place when parented it goes back to that position which is what is happening, 

it is not how I would assemble a set myself but apparently popular 

I'm not sure what yu are saying - if Parent In Place is on then unparenting will leave the item in place, just not parented; if not it will go to its zero position.

I know and it is what I do parenting stuff

but the sets made by PA's that have these issues are not parented in place

I know because I tried selecting and unparenting things and they explode like the FBX exports do in some softwares 

my own solution is just to use obj export instead or re-export from another software usually Carrara

cain-x

Collada has the same issues. I'll open another ticket with DAZ support but of the couple of times I have tried they have told me they would look into it then black hole.

Richard Haseltine

Can you give some examples? Parent in Place has no memory, what happens when you unparent is dependent solely on the current settings, it has nothing to do with the setting used when the item was initially parented (to the best of my knowledge and understanding).

WendyLuvsCatz

Richard Haseltine said:

Can you give some examples? Parent in Place has no memory, what happens when you unparent is dependent solely on the current settings, it has nothing to do with the setting used when the item was initially parented (to the best of my knowledge and understanding).

when I eventually get on my computer I will try and find a recent one

but an old example that came to mind that is the Dreamhome and all its separate rooms and furniture which I was recently playing with in a still free ArchVis program I mentioned before, there are certainly a multitude of new releases that do it too. 

TM and Unreal engine which it is built with are the least tolerant of such FBX exports in my workflow

some of this could also be fixed if a one click centre hotpoint/pivot position in local space was easily done on individual props like I can in Carrara and iClone.

bringing up tool setting windows and moving those joint editor arrows manually is very unfun and why I do just use obj myself do it elsewhere and be done with it.

I actually am not complaining just giving reasons why it happens

its because FBX is not supported using  local space in every program including imports into DAZ studio

Padone

@Wendy What Richard is saying is that you can change the parent in place property as you like before unparenting. Then it does not matter how the PA parented the objects.

cain-x

I do script using DAZ but I'll need some help on what exactly I need to affect in order to keep objects in place after FBX export. Is this something that can be resolvable via DAZ script?

WendyLuvsCatz

it is really a moving target

here is one example that loads exploded into Twinmotion but prefectly fine in iClone 3DXchange 6

the NYC shops

in this case it is not DAZ studio but the receiving program and that I have no ideas for 

this varies a lot, some load exploded into everything and there it is the parenting issue which might be fixable, I will try unparenting in place

in this case I don't think there is a fix in DS and no idea what causes it

Padone

@Wendy I guess a good reference to test fbx exporting is the official and free fbx viewer from autodesk. This way you can tell if it's daz or the other app having issues.

cain-x

100% DAZ - I use FBX Viewer from Autodesk as it can play animations as well... never works on DAZ FBX exports :(

WendyLuvsCatz

well in my example it is Twinmotion and Unreal Engine which it is based on so not blaming DAZ

when I come across one again that explodes in iClone 3Dxchange I shall investigate more as those are the ones that do odd stuff unparenting in DAZ studio

I am continually exporting stuff so it will happen again eventually but I am not deliberately looking at everything done again as don't keep my FBX files afterwards

WendyLuvsCatz

Windows10 3D viewer explodes it

cain-x

Thanks for this. I'll keep at it and continue researching.

falkonar

cain-x said:

Thanks for this. I'll keep at it and continue researching. 

Tell please! Do you find solution?

bishbosch

falkonar said:

cain-x said:

Thanks for this. I'll keep at it and continue researching. 

Tell please! Do you find solution?

I too would like to know, since I have work to get done...