Object Converter - In Progress

Takes in obj files and converts them into a modified version of the Class format. This is intended to be used with Blender to export models as objects.

Exporting From Blender

There are a few things to note for the current process when exporting from blender.

• When exporting, use Wavefront (.obj) (legacy)

• For the object exporting options, makes sure the settings are as follows
  • Objects as OBJ Objects
  • Apply Modifiers - True
  • Write Normals - True
  • Include UVs - True
  • Write Materials - True
  • Triangulate Faces - True

Format

The converter exports objects in an array of objects. Each object has The following properties:

Property	Description
vertices	The vertices that are used in the current object. Helpful if the triangle verticies are not offset.
normal	The normals that are used in the current object. Helpful if the triangle normals are not offset.
uvs	The texture uvs that are used in the current object. Helpful if the triangle verticies are not offset.
verts	A running list of all verticies. Helpful if the triangle verticies are offset.
norms	A running list of all normals. Helpful if the triangle normals are offset.
texts	A running list of all texture uvs. Helpful if the triangle uvs are offset.
triangles	An array of arrays. The inner arrays have a length of 3 and define the 3 verticies of the triangle. the outer array describes all of the triangles that make up the object. Note: The converter currently maintains offset vertext information. This aligns with how obj files are formatted. In the following example, you can see how the vertex information does not start with 1. You can also see this in triangleExample.json
materials	An object that defines different material information for the object. Includes a name, the ambient color, diffuse color, specular color, specular exponent (n), alpha, and the texture file name.

Important Note

Currently, the converter reads in vertex information as is, meaning it follows obj file standards. Since obj files are 1-indexed, you currently MUST subtract all vertex information by 1 to access it properly in the array. This pertains to the vertex position, normal, and texture in the triangles object.

Example File

{
    "vertices": [
      [0.3, 0.1, 0.65],
      [0.3, 0.4, 0.65],
      [0.6, 0.4, 0.65],
      [0.6, 0.1, 0.65]
    ],
    "normals": [
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1]
    ],
    "uvs": [
      [0, 0],
      [0, 1],
      [1, 1],
      [1, 0]
    ],
    "verts": [
      [0.1, 0.3, 0.75],
      [0.25, 0.6, 0.75],
      [0.4, 0.3, 0.75],
      [0.3, 0.1, 0.65],
      [0.3, 0.4, 0.65],
      [0.6, 0.4, 0.65],
      [0.6, 0.1, 0.65],
      [0.65, 0.4, 0.45],
      [0.75, 0.6, 0.45],
      [0.85, 0.4, 0.45]
    ],
    "norms": [
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1],
      [0, 0, -1]
    ],
    "texts": [
      [0, 0],
      [0.5, 1],
      [1, 0],
      [0, 0],
      [0, 1],
      [1, 1],
      [1, 0],
      [0, 0],
      [0.5, 1],
      [1, 0]
    ],
    "triangles": [
      [
        {
          "v": 4,
          "vt": 4,
          "vn": 4
        },
        {
          "v": 5,
          "vt": 5,
          "vn": 5
        },
        {
          "v": 6,
          "vt": 6,
          "vn": 6
        }
      ],
      [
        {
          "v": 4,
          "vt": 4,
          "vn": 4
        },
        {
          "v": 6,
          "vt": 6,
          "vn": 6
        },
        {
          "v": 7,
          "vt": 7,
          "vn": 7
        }
      ]
    ],
    "material": {
      "name": "tree",
      "ambient": [0.1, 0.1, 0.1],
      "diffuse": [0.6, 0.6, 0.4],
      "specular": [0.3, 0.3, 0.3],
      "n": 17,
      "alpha": 0.3,
      "texture": "tree.png"
    }
}

ToDo

• Fix texturing from blender - currently breaks some triangles

• Improve blender process
  • Find a way to fix ambient light for blender material

• Create short user guide with fully blender process