Difference between revisions of "Documentation:Loading and saving"

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Revision as of 11:05, 24 May 2016

The leftmost section of the Toolbar includes 3 quick action icons: 1) for loading models from native .mhm files; 2) for saving the model as a native .mhm file; and 3) for exporting the model in various formats used by other 3D programs (e.g., dae, .fbx, .stl, .obj).

!IMAGE!Pictures/lse_quick.png!/IMAGE! 

For more complete file access support (Load, Save, Export), the Files Tab options provides access to the controls that manage saving, loading, and exporting the MakeHuman™ project to or from files.

!IMAGE!Pictures/lse_tabs.png!/IMAGE! 

Loading Files

Files are loaded using either the Quick Load icon or by directly choosing the File tab and the Load subtab.

!IMAGE!Pictures/load1.png!/IMAGE! 

By default, models that have beem saved in MHM format are retrieved from the user directory%HOMEPATH%/makehuman/v1/models/. In the event that you have stored your MHM files in a different directory/folder, you can navigate to that directory/folder using the ellipsis at the top of the center panel. The right hand panel will be populated with thumbnail images of all the MHM files found in the path specified in the path at the top of the center panel. Simply click on the icon for the model you wish to load in the right panel. The model will load and refresh to its completed state in the center panel. You can load different models sequentially, if you wish. They will simply replace the previous model in the center panel. MakeHuman™ is designed so that all loaded models are loaded without changing the camera location. Thus, you can zoom in on a particular area of the body and compare multiple saved models from a single camera perspective.

Saving Files (.mhm format)

Files are saved using either the Quick Save icon or by directly choosing the File tab and the Save sub tab. The native file format for saving MakeHuman™ files is the .mhm format. It is important to understand that this format does not save a pixel by pixel representation of your model nor does it save program objects like the actual clothes or hair. Rather, it saves the necessary information for the program to reconstruct your model from its internally defined assets. This means that if you move a .mhm file to another computer that lacks a piece of custom clothing, custom hair, or other custom object, the MakeHuman™ program on the new computer will be unable to provide a complete representation of your model unless you also move the custom asset(s) to the second computer.

By default, model files (in.mhm format) are saved to the user directory %HOMEPATH%/Documents/makehuman/v1/models/. If you wish to save your files in a different location, you can use the ellipsis at the top of the center panel to navigate to the directory/folder of interest. In addtion to the .mhm file, the save operation will generate a thumbnail image of the model as it appears in the viewport at save time. Thus, you will want to move the camera to a meaningful and unique view of the model before saving so that the thumbnail image will be easy to identify visually. CAUTIONARY NOTE:On windows OS (and perhaps on other OS's) there is a small gliche with saving to non-standard directories in MH 1.0.1 and MH 1.0.2. If you hit the ellipsis with a blank file name, use the system dialog to navigate to your directory of choice, enter a file name without extension in the system dialog, hit save, and watch the dialog close, the file will have been saved using the directory name rather than the filename you provided in the save box of the system dialog. This directory name will now appear to the right of the ellipsis in the center panel. It seems that you can avoid this problem by providing a full file name to the right of the ellipsis before you begin the save procedure, then using the system dialog to navigate to the desired directory, and supplying the same file name a second time in the filename blank of the save dialog. This irratic behavior has been reported, and when fixed, this cautionary note should be removed. (Refer to bug 506 - RWB)

Exporting Files

!IMAGE!Pictures/export_labelled.png!/IMAGE! 

The above illustration explains the typical user interface components of the Export tab. On the right you get to choose what to export be in the mesh, the rig or the maps. In the center you have the 3D preview to preview your model. On the right you have options which keep changing based on what format you have selected in the left panel. On the top below the tabs panel is the “Ellipsis” button which opens a file dialog, a text box to enter the file name of the file and an “Export” button to do the actual export and save the file in the desired format. Below we outline the three main options in more detail i.e. Mesh formats, rig formats and Maps.

Mesh Formats (.dae, .fbx, obj, Ogre3D, .MD5, .stl)

Files are Exported using either the Quick Export icon or by directly choosing the File tab and the Export subtab. The Export window allows you to export your current MakeHuman project to one of a variety of export formats. Supported formats including Collada (DAE) Filmbox (fbx),Wavefront (obj), Id Software (MD5), and Sterolithography (stl).

By default, exported files (regardless of export format) are saved to the user directory%HOMEPATH%/makehuman/v1/exports/(to know yourHOMEPATHon your platform refer to this!LINK!http://www.makehuman.org/doc/faq/where_are_my_makehuman_files_found_ie_where_is_my_home_directory.html -- faq!/LINK!). As is true for the load and save tabs, the ellipsis can be used to export to a non-standard directory/folder. After selecting a format and export options, type the name of your project in the input box at the center of the Export window and then click theExportbutton at the right hand side of the input box. MakeHuman, itself, can not read any of the exported formats, so exporting is a one way transfer of information. If you expect to do further refinement of your model, make sure you also save it in .mhm format.

The various export formats differ in the richness of the assets exported:

  • Collada Dae (.dae):COLLADA™ is owned by the not-for-profit, open standards!LINK!http://www.khronos.org/ -- Khronos group!/LINK!. It defines an!LINK!https://www.khronos.org/collada/ -- XML-based schema!/LINK!standard for exporting 3D assets. MakeHuman™ is meant to adhere to version 1.4 of the standard. The resulting ASCII format files can become quite large which occassionally limits the use of this format with other programs. By default, MakeHuman™ exports DAE files with y-up, face-z and the decimeter scale chosen. When importing MakeHuman dae files into Blender, be sure to check "import units" at the bottom of the Blender left tool panel if you have not changed the units to meters.
  • Wavefront Obj (.obj):OBJ is a very simple format to export the mesh, with vertices, faces and UV coordinates. Originally invented by Alias/Wavefront, all major 3D packages have OBJ importers, so this format allows you to export to the greatest range of applications. However, the character is not rigged but rather a static prop. Wavefront OBJ is a good choice when you need a simple mesh for an external renderer. It comes with an mtl file defining the material.
  • Fbx:The default dialect currently used by the MakeHuman™ FBX exporter is FBX 2013 ASCII. Other FBX dialects exist, and if you need one of those dialects, you can use the AutoDesk™ FBX converter (!LINK!http://www.autodesk.com/products/fbx/overview -- http://www.autodesk.com/products/fbx/overview!/LINK!). For example, the Blender importer requires binary FBX files that can be generated in this fashion.

TheOptionsbox contains several export options for each of the formats.The export options available for each format can be selected or deselected by ticking (displayed in orange) and un-ticking off the box in front of them. You can either use the default options for a format or select and deselect options according to your goals and needs. Once an option is changed, it will remain in the changed state until you restart MakeHuman or change it again. They are unaffected by the reset button on the Toolbar.

A common option that is present for all formats isFeet on ground: the origin of the MakeHuman™ mesh is located in the hip area, but if this option is enabled, exported origin is moved to between the feet instead.

Another common option present in almost all formats is the Scale unit: decimeter, meter, inch, centimeter. The internal MakeHuman™ unit is decimeters (the base mesh is 16.8 dm tall), but this is a rather unique choice not shared by other applications. Setting the unit is not essential if the file is exported to a 3D suit like Maya, 3DSMax or Blender, because the character can be rescaled after import. However, Collada files can also be read by other types of applications, where choosing the right scale may be important. In particular, select meters for export to SecondLife.

Rig formats (.bvh)

MakeHuman currently only supports one rig format.

  • Biovision (.bvh):If BVH is selected, it is anticipated that built in animations will be saved to the export directory. As of the MakeHuman™ 1.0.2, there is no offical support for model animation from within MakeHuman™. Thus, selecting this export type is of limited value. If you are interested in using BVH files created by other programs with the MakeHuman model, you may wish to read the documentation on the!LINK!http://www.makehuman.org/sectionview/975 -- MHBlenderTools MakeWalk!/LINK! Addon. A good place to start is the!LINK!http://www.makehuman.org/doc/node/blendertools_makewalk_basic_workflow.html -- MakeWalk Basic Workflow!/LINK!chapter.

Maps ( ligtmaps and UV maps)

  • Lightmap:IfLightmapis checked, a grayscale image of the unwrapped A8 model is saved in the export directory as a 2048 x 2048 .png image.
  • UV Map:IfUV mapis checked, a black and white UV unwrapped image of the model mesh on a black background is saved in the export directory as a 2048 x 2048 .png image.