Imported 3D Objects & Animating Them

[systemcat]

I just got a hold of Anime Studio Pro 9 after having used Anime Studio Debut versions 6 and 8 in the past. I knew the pro version could make and work with 3D content thanks to YouTube but I'm having the worst time trying to deal with it. I own Z-Brush, Sculptris Alpha, and Bryce for my .obj models/meshes. Twice I've imported .obj files created with Sculptris, the first time without color detailing, and the second with. ...This software not only doesn't see texture mapping but it doesn't seem to know how to handle this content. I can't rig it right or animate it right. Please no one say go buy Poser. I don't have that kind of money and encase you're wondering with that statement over what I said earlier. I got Z-Brush and Bryce through company deals. That is also how Anime Studio Pro has entered my collection. Please if people could help me learn how to deal with 3D content in this program I'd be very grateful . ...I also hope this thread isn't passed by by knowledgeable users .

[jessica951]

Anime Studio is a 2D vector software. That is why it doesn't deal with 3D content as well. You probably won't be able to rig anything, but you can move the objects around. Check out documentation for more information. If you have trouble importing textures, try putting the textures in the same folder as your 3D model.

[systemcat]

That doesn't fit.

Yes, primarily this is 2D vector animation software but the Pro version of 7-9 supports 3D as well. Second textures are always embedded into the .obj file.

[ulrik]

That doesn't fit.

Yes, primarily this is 2D vector animation software but the Pro version of 7-9 supports 3D as well. Second textures are always embedded into the .obj file.

If you want to import 3d .obj-files properly into AS, you will need the .obj and the .mtrl file. The .mtrl include the path to the texture file where it is located.

Regards / Ulrik

[systemcat]

None of the 3D modeling programs I listed above and Daz Studio, which I rarely use. None of these programs create object files with two associated files. I've never seen a .mtrl needed or that file type at all. I'm also going to add Blender and Trimensional to this list of programs I've never seen use two files for an object.

[funksmaname]

considering the array of top notch 3D software you own, trying to work with 3D in AS is possibly the worst idea you could ever have... particularly if you expect to rig and animate. AS is NOT a fully qualified 3D software - if you want to animate 3D characters, use a 3D specialised app.

[sbtamu]

considering the array of top notch 3D software you own, trying to work with 3D in AS is possibly the worst idea you could ever have... particularly if you expect to rig and animate. AS is NOT a fully qualified 3D software - if you want to animate 3D characters, use a 3D specialised app.

What Funk said.

AS is not the place to try 3D stuff even though it has some ability to do so. I have pretty much exhausted the idea of 3D in AS and it is just not worth the time and effort to attempt it. If you want to simulate some 3D in AS, like when the ship lands in the opening credits for Futurama just use 2d vector and rotate the layers.

Like this house I did with vectors for example.

[systemcat]

Some thing tells me I'm encountering a dead end here on trying to get help on this subject, I'm sure you all mean well but the advice doesn't hold for me. I doubt Smith Micro would program in a feature so useless like being able to take these imports if they can't be animated right. While Daz Studio and Bryce can animate .obj files, Daz is hard to rig meshes with and Bryce can't do that at all. It bothers me beyond all I have a great arsenal of creative software and yet can't produce a good 3D cartoon for a quote un quote lack of tools. I believe ASPro9 solves two video dilemmas I've had in my creative efforts for a while. A 3D cartoon creation being one of them.
I'm going to contact Smith Micro on Monday about these 3D issues. I'm sure they must have answers I can easily put into practice.

[funksmaname]

3D programs may be hard to rig, but that's because the complexity and computational power required is far greater than for 2D animation.
AS 3D is basically for the purposes of putting in 3D stage elements so that when you do camera moves you will get a 3D effect - it does not have the functionality to rig 3D characters for 3D animation.

It bothers me beyond all I have a great arsenal of creative software and yet can't produce a good 3D cartoon for a quote un quote lack of tools

That's not AS's fault... it's kinda like expecting Microsoft Powerpoint to be able to create results like Illustrator - yes you can can create some basic shapes and fill them, but you can't illustrate with it. Same things apply here - AS has some crossover functionality for basic needs but it is NOT the 3D rigging/animation software you've been looking for.

[sbtamu]

Anime Studio is a great app for making 2D animations, but if you try to use it for 3D you will just waste your time. AS is not a 3D app even thou you can do some limited stuff in 3D.

[heyvern]

Have you complained to the developers of the other actual 3D programs you use? It seems to me that 3D applications not able to do what you need with 3D models deserves more criticism than a 2D application with only limited 3D obj file support.

Have you actually tried rigging 3D characters in ANY high end 3D app? Even the best of the best at the highest price have steep learning curves and take a ton of effort to rig 3D models. I use Lightwave for 3D and it's a real chore rigging characters I can tell you! It's hard man hard. Lightwave costs like 3 times what Anime Studio costs.

For many years I used Animation Master. By comparison rigging a 3D character in Animation Master was the easiest by far. Even so, it still can take many many hours of work to do the job right. There is no magic solution.

Rigging 3D models is not easy in ANY application. It is very difficult. If you really want to use Anime Studio with 3D rigged characters you should purchase Poser. It has the ability to load, rig and animate obj files modeled in other programs. Poser files can then be loaded into Anime Studio and animated there as well. If you want 3D character integration with Anime Studio, buy Poser, rig your models in that program and then animate in Anime Studio.

I've also tried rigging 3D models in Poser, and once again, it can be done, the process makes sense, but it's not easy to do. It's hard and time consuming.

One of the reasons I sort of switched mainly to 2D is that the time to rig characters is considerably less. Compared to 2D, 3D character rigging is incredibly tedious and complex to do it right. You can pay for high end tools to help in the process but at the end of the day you still have to learn how to do it and spend hours getting it right. People spend years to learn how to rig in 3D. There are college courses costing thousands that teach this. If it were easy anyone could it.

You can buy any program you want, but there is no way to avoid the effort and the training required to get the results you want. You have to be aware that the features promoted in any application is not going to magically make stuff happen without the effort to train and learn it.

[jahnocli]

Try iClone

[heyvern]

Holy cow! Forget what I said above. It appears that someone has created the Rig My Dragon Button®
IClone looks awesome and it's fairly low priced.

[rocky53204]

AS can import object files. They would have an extension of .obj
An object file can also have a companion file which lists materials. They would have an extension of .mtl
(.mtl on a 'Windows' computer)
So... you do not necessarily need the materials embedded ('baked') within the object file.

The YouTube video shown was done in Anime Studio with object/material files.
To see it in hi-res adjust resolution using the gear thingy shown below the animation.
(You must have your cursor within the bottom of the YouTube window.)

If memory serves correct I did a download of a Blender file from BlendSwap then loaded it into Blender to output as a .obj file.
Then (whew!) I used Wings 3D to add the bright colors. Then (whew!) I loaded into Anime Studio Pro 9.2.

Get the picture? (pun intended) It can be a very complex process...

My YouTube channel has example(s) of 3D stuff, some done with Poser and AS.
In conclusion, Anime Studio is not a 3D tool and is not intended to be one. It is absolutely stellar for 2D animation.