Export Tangents and Binormals from Softimage to NDO2

[Caveman]

Hi guys anyone using NDO2 with Softimage? NDO2 wants FBX with Tangents and Binormal data exported, but there's no such option in the FBX exporter of Softimage.

Any help? Without Tangent and Binormal the exported mesh looks like a mess in NDO2.

[SpookyMunky]

Not sure really, if you have 2014 softimage it looks like you have hit a wall, earlier versions I think you had to install fbx manually for full support ?, been a while so dont really remember, sorry...

http://www.autodesk.com/products/fbx/overview

Edit: oh, feel a bit silly now .. goto file - crosswalk - export.. here that shows me the full fbx export options including "Export Tangents and Binormals as Vertex Colors" option, if that's what you are after ?

[Caveman]

Are you sure it's FBX that you can export and not dotXSI? Cos' there's no option to export FBX just COLLADA and dotXSI.

[SpookyMunky]

Sorry, forgot about a bit ...

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc ... d=20481519

..try exporting as dae with that option and using this to fbx it ?

some reason in my mind collada was interchangeable / supported by anything that'd accept fbx, I do remember sometimes using an extra app aswell though now, this was probably it ?

[Caveman]

Unfortunately I could not get the converted FBX to work properly in NDO2. The mesh appears black. Tried all sorts of combination, like exporting the mesh in .dae format from Softimage with Tangent and Binormal property added and then converting it to FBX, with only Tangent and then Binormal added, with the mesh being triangulated beforehand none works.

Why did they put a crippled FBX in Softimage?

[gdebello]

This has been an ongoing issue with fbx and nDo2. It's not just Autodesk, Modo, Lightwave and Blender are having the same problem. It stems from the fbx being exported without the "Calculate Tangent and Bitangent Data". Also make sure your mesh is triangulated before it is exported.

Forum link for additional discussion: http://www.quixel.se/forum/showthread.p ... -Generator

There you should be able to find a program that one of the users made to help the process of importing your fbx into nDo2. Teddy at Quixel knows about it and he is very active on the forums and quick to reply.

Glen

[gdebello]

Digital Tutors has a nice video about nDo and dDo: http://www.digitaltutors.com/11/training.php?pid=1464

Good luck with fbx.

Glen

[Caveman]

Hey, thanks for letting me know.