Geometry "disappearing"
I'm creating a few jewelry pieces for the G8F. I've exported the G8F figure (Collada), imported it on Blender, created and positioned the pieces (one by one) on Blender around the G8f geometry. Then, I exported the object I created as Collada, opened Daz, imported the Collada and reexported as an OBJ file (I know I could export as an OBJ from Blender, but there are so many problems like scaling, positioning, etc, that this is simply easier to do). Finally, with the OBJ of the new object saved, I open a new scene, load a G8F, import the OBJ (it lands perfectly positioned), use the "bake joint rotations" on the G8F, use the Transfer Utility, and finally save my new object as a Support Asset (figure/prop asset).
I've already created a bracelet, a ring and two earrings, with one LEFT and one RIGHT version for each. Everything worked fine, and after saving them as "support assets" I could open a new scene, load a G8F and double click each of the DUF files to load them. They landed perfectly, had their textures applied, followed the G8F movements, and I was a very happy person.
But now, after testing everything (all was working), when I loaded one of the earrings (the left one for one of the two models I created) it was loaded as a "brick" (see the attached image please). I've opened the Geometry Editor, and there was NOTHING there (no geometry, surfaces, nothing)... After trying to load it again a few times, I deleted the DUF and repeated the process, exporting it again from Blender, doing everything I had done inside Daz and finally recreating the DUF. Once again it worked fine, but soon the OTHER model (that loaded PERFECTLY before) had the same problem out of nowhere (coincidence or not, in the same left ear).
And, after it happens ONCE with that specific DUF file, it will ALWAYS happen (I'm not able to load that specific object correctly again).
How can it happen? If Daz loaded the object once and it worked, how can it be loaded without any geometry later, using the SAME FILE? And what can I do to avoid it happening again? Now I'm afraid it can happen to any other object for no reason.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Comments
Are you sure each file has a unique name? It sounds as if there is overwriting going on, and as a result there are vertex count mismtaches or similar causing the geoemtry to error out and not load.
[EDIT] Looks like you nailed it! I didn't know that Daz would "choose" a name from one of the steps to put into the "data" folder. There, it used a different name than the one I gave in the end of the process, and indeed there are two DUFs (inside the Data folder) with the same name. One must be overwriting the other, what explains why it's always the same ear that have the problem - I'm methodical and do things alwauys in the same order.
Thanks a lot! What was an apparent "random" problem now has a cause. To be on the safe side, I'll redo all the process from the export on, making sure to use unique names in each step. :-)
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(Before the edit:)
If you are referring to the DUF files, yes (they even are in the same folder, so they can't have equal names). But, if I understand this correctly, the geometry is described inside the DUF, right? If so, when I close and reopen DAZ everything is restarted from zero and, if I load the "problematic" file FIRST, it should open normally. What is happening is that, once the problem appears, that specific file NEVER load correctly again, even if I close and reopen Daz.
It's frustrating for the apparent randomness of what is happening.
It dpends how you are renaming - what appears in the Scene pane is actually the label, not the name.
Now I've created individual names for all of the objects, using a system and also numbering them. This way I can be sure that (not even in the future) I'll overwrite anything.
I'm finishing the tedious process of recreating everything, but I believe now it will work well. Thanks again!