Importing Meshes Overview

Contents

• Introduction
• Process
• Polygonal Object Preparation
  • The Basics
  • Texture Maps
  • Texture Maps with Transparency
  • Pre-Export Checks
  • Surface Normals
• Conversion
  • Maya > FBX
  • FBX > 3DS
• Importing into Redboard

Introduction

Redboard allows storyboard artists to work in a "traditional" way drawing multiple panels to represent a storyboard sequence.  The storyboard artists do not need to have any understanding of the underlying 3D aspects of Redboard, but it order to correctly configure Redboard for a production someone (usually a technical director or 3D modeller) needs to have an understanding of the underlying principles of producing models for Redboard.  

Redboard supports a number of different model formats but we currently recommend converting meshes to the .3ds file format for importing into Redboard.

 

In this tutorial, a basic understanding of Maya is assumed, although other modelling packages can be used to create models for Redboard.

Process

A basic summary of the process is:

Export FBX from Maya » Convert FBX to 3DS » Import 3DS to Redboard

Important Points

• Models must be polygonal
  • Redboard uses videogame technology which only accepts polygons.
• NURBS / Subdivision objects must be converted to polygonal
• Keep polygon count as low as possible
  • Low polygons = high performance
  • Performance varies with the quality of your video card
  • Low polygons = low hardware requirement

Polygonal Object Preparation

The Basics

Redboard models are a representation of your final production models. If Redboard models do not match your production models, the value of Redboard in your production pipeline is lost.

It is vitally important that:

• Redboard models are the same size and scale as the final models
• the pivot point is the in the same place for both

This image (left) shows a Redboard model and a final production model side-by-side. (Redboard on the left, production right)

The models for Redboard provide a guide for the storyboard artist and as such they can be quick to build and very simple.

Redboard supports model iteration, allowing you to start with very simple shapes, and make amendments to your models as you go along. 

If you update a model in Redboard it will automatically update all instances of the model in every panel that it occurs in.

Texture Maps

Redboard supports the use of images for texture mapping objects.
Consider these two images:

Applied to a model in Maya:

Here is the same model after it had been converted for use in Redboard:

We recommend bmp files, although png and jpg are also accepted by Redboard.

Texture Maps with Transparency

You can use transparency on your texture maps, but to do so, all areas to be read as transparent must have the rgb value of pure black (0,0,0) alpha channels are not imported by Redboard.

N.B. The JPEG compression algorithm sometimes distorts rgb values and, if heavily compressed, may adversely affect your transparency region. We recommend you use .bmp files for Redboard usage.

Example: Creating a skyline

1. The original texture – the black will form the transparency
2. A polygonal plane with the texture mapped
3. The skyline plane imported into Redboard now showing the transparency

Pre-export checks

1. Freeze transforms of everything in the Maya scene
   (groups, subgroups, objects, parented objects etc)
2. Keep the number of triangles and vertices per material way way below 65000
3. Keep the number of materials to a minimum
4. Keep the number of triangles and vertices per object below 65000
5. Triangulate all the objects before exporting as an FBX file
6. Merge duplicate vertices and triangles
7. Make sure all image files used as texture maps are named with the 8.3 naming convention (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8.3_filename)
   • Image file names must be 8 characters long or less before the dot
   • No commas, spaces, square brackets
   • Case unimportant
   • If your name is not compatible the FBX converter will create a proxy image file which conforms to the 8.3 convention.
8. Make sure you have pasted all the files used as texture maps into your Redboard project folder.
9. Verify direction of Surface Normals: see below

Surface normals

In Redboard, polygons are double-sided.

The direction of surface normals does not affect display, but does affect the way objects interact with each other (i.e. collision detection).

For collisions, it is important that surface normals in your Redboard models are pointing in the correct direction:

• Redboard uses the surface normal direction to stop character/vehicle models from passing through surfaces (walls, floors etc)
• The normals should face towards the action in the scene

In the above example, if the house is an internal set, then the normals should face inwards to stop character objects from going through the walls from the inside. Floor and any ground objects should have their surface normals pointing up.

However, if the house is part of an external set then the normals should face outwards

Conversion

Maya > FBX

• In Maya, go File > Export All
• Uncheck “Animation”, “Cameras”, “Lights” (see below)

FBX > 3DS

This screenshot shows the required options, ticked for conversion from fbx models to 3ds models when using FBX Converter.

• Checked: Textures, Materials, Convert Units, Add Root Node, UV by poly
• Unchecked: Lights, Cameras, ambient lights

Importing into Redboard

1. Place the 3DS file into the “dummyModels” folder of your Redboard Project.
2. In Redboard, go to the project configuration window as below:
   

   

3. Click on the Import Model button and select the 3ds file you want to import
4. Fill out the rest of the window accordingly:
   • The Name and Description fields are for use within Redboard only
   • The Production name should contain the name of the model in the naming convention of the production. This name will be the one used in the exported route sheet and mel scripts.

Below is an example configuration:

Name= Daddy Bear Chair
Production name = Prop024_Chair
Description = Use only for the daddy!!

The Export options are used to reference the high polygon Maya model. If nothing is set here, then the mel scripts exported by Redboard will reference the 3ds file instead.