This chapter describes the use and features of the Export plug-in.
Export Plug-in Features
Usage
Setting the Automatic Save Destination of the Dialog Box
Script Command Output
Batch Export
Errors and Warnings
The Export plug-in includes a feature for outputting intermediate files to a specified folder.
To output data for particular nodes only (including lower nodes in the hierarchy), select the nodes you want to output. Node selection is not required to output the entire scene.
To display the NW4C_ForBannerExport option window, click NW4C For Banner > NW4C_ForBanner Export with Setting....
Setting the appropriate options and clicking OK outputs an intermediate file.
Click NW4C for Banner > NW4R_ForBanner Export to output under current options without displaying the option window.
This option specifies the output method for the intermediate file.
Selects the target to be output to the intermediate file.
Specifying All outputs all nodes in the Softimage scene.
Specifying Selection outputs nodes located in the hierarchy below the currently selected node.
If an envelope model is output with Selection specified, weighted nodes must be output to the intermediate file.
Specifies the name of the intermediate file to be output (excluding the extension).
Clicking the Scene button sets the current scene name. Clicking the Node button sets the name of the selected node (node at the top of the hierarchy). If there are more than one node in the same hierarchical level, the name of the node that is first alphabetically is set. If a node has not been selected, the name of the node that is first alphabetically in the scene is set.
Select this option when outputting an intermediate file to a particular folder.
Output Folder specifies the folder used to output the intermediate file.
Texture files are output to the Textures
folder located inside the folder specified under Output Folder.
Double-byte characters, half-width katakana, equal signs (=), and semicolons (;) cannot be used when specifying the Output Folder.
If Output Folder is not specified as a full path, a folder is created in the current project folder.
Select this option when transferring intermediate file data to CreativeStudio. You cannot select both File path and Use Creative Studio at the same time.
For details on using Creative Studio, see the NintendoWare for CTR CreativeStudio manual.
Enable this option and specify the path of a CMDL file to merge that file.
You cannot use double-byte characters, half-space kana characters, equal signs (=), and semicolons (;) when specifying the CMDL file path.
The following information gets merged:
These are general options available for intermediate files.
Specifies the magnification ratio by which the model's vertex coordinates and Translate value should be multiplied.
Selecting All outputs the full range of animation on Softimage (PlayControl.GlobalIn/Out
).
Selecting Playback outputs the playback range of animation on Softimage (PlayControl.In/Out
).
Selecting Range allows the start frame and end frame to be entered as numeric values. Note, however, that if the entered start frame is lower than Global.In
used on Softimage, the GlobalIn
value is used for the start frame. If the end frame entered is greater than GlobalOut
used on Softimage, the GlobalOut
value is used for the end frame.
If attributes are being animated, the start frame value will be output to the CMDL file.
Specifies the range of animation to output (that is, the start frame and end frame).
This option specifies the type of intermediate file to be output.
Set output on/off for the following files.
The value of HasSkinningMatrix
in the intermediate file will differ depending on whether the CMDL file and the CSKLA file are output at the same time, or only the CSKLA file is output. This is because vertex processing is omitted when the CMDL file is not output in order to shorten the processing time. Nothing is affected by the differing values for HasSkinningMatrix
.
This option is for setting the degree of precision to use for vertex data when converting to binary data.
If a fixed-point number is used, the amount of data is less than when a floating-point number is used, but precision is lowered.
These are model-related options.
Example of valid data: Node configuration on Softimage |
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These are animation-related options.
This option specifies the allowable range of errors when animation curve data is optimized.
You can optimize data using CreativeStudio when outputting intermediate files from Softimage. Optimization-related options are specified here.
For detailed information, see the EffectMaker manual.
An output option specific to Softimage.
Specifies whether the vertex color alpha is to be inverted before output.
Sets whether to ignore textures connected to ambient.
If enabled, textures connected to an ambient are not output.
Options set in the Export plug-in are automatically saved to a file during intermediate file output. The next time the dialog box is opened, the options are automatically reloaded as initial values.
Option settings are saved in $(NW4C_FORBANNER_ROOT)/tools/DccPlugin/softimage/ini. Although intermediate file output settings are saved in last_export_options.c3es, plug-in settings are saved in plugin_preference.txt. If these files are deleted and the Export Plug-in is run, the options are set to their default values.
Items that have been set can also be input or output as a C3ES (CTR 3D Export Settings) file.
For details on the format of the C3ES file, see c3esFileFormat.pdf.
Select NW4C_ForBanner Auto Save Export Setting from the NW4C menu to open the dialog box and turn on/off the Auto_SaveLoad_Setting checkbox.
If the checkbox is selected:
If the checkbox is left unselected:
The default is On.
c3es File I/O
The Export plug-in can be executed from the script editor in the following command format.
This process is called Script Command Output.
The format of the script command NW4R_ForBannerExportSettingsFile is as follows.
NW4C_ForBannerExportSettingFile c3esFileName, [sceneName], [outputFolder]
c3esFileName:
Specifies the C3ES file to be used for option settings as a full path.
sceneName:
Specifies the name of the intermediate file to output.
If not specified, then OutputFileName of the C3ES file is applied.
outputFolder:
Specifies the folder to output intermediate files to.
If not specified, then OutputFolder of the C3ES file is applied.
Below are some execution examples:
Intermediate files can be output in Softimage by specifying a folder and batch exporting one or more scenes all at once, as well as one at a time.
This process is called batch export.
Click NW4C For Banner > NW4C_ForBanner Batch Export to display the Batch Export option window.
Specify an Input Folder and Output Folder and click OK to automatically load scn files in the specified Input Folder and output intermediate files to the specified Output Folder.
Specifies the folder storing scn files to be converted to intermediate files.
Specifies the folder to output intermediate files to.
You cna perform batch export from the command line by creating a script file containing export commands arranged in order and then executing that script using Softimage.
An examples is shown below.
Create the scenes to be output and the script file containing the export commands to be executed as follows in batch_export.vbs:
OpenScene "C:\path\to\scene1.scn", false
NW4C_ForBannerExportSettingFile "C:\settings.c3es", "output_filename1", "C:\out"
OpenScene "C:\path\to\scene2.scn", false
NW4C_ForBannerExportSettingFile "C:\settings.c3es", "output_filename2", "C:\out"
From the command line, execute the script in batch mode by specifying -script option as follows:
C:\>C:\Softimage\Softimage_7.5\Applicatio\bin\XSI.exe -script C:\batch_export.vbs
This allows you to make all exports at once from the command line.
If an error occurs during output, it is displayed by Script Editor and in the status line (at the bottom of the Softimage screen).
Errors that deserve particular attention are described in alphabetical order.
CreativeStudio has not been correctly installed.
CreativeStudio must be installed in the folder tools\CreativeStudio
, located beneath the folder defined by the environment variable NW4C_FORBANNER_ROOT
. If the environment variable NW4C_FORBANNER_ROOT
is not defined correctly, correct it and restart Softimage.
Cannot get the size of image due to invalid data in the texture file.
This error occurs when the file does not exist, cannot be opened, or cannot be overwritten.
This error occurs when the UV coordinates have not been set for the surface to which the texture has been applied.
CreativeStudio has failed to start. Be sure to check CreativeStudio error output.
The hierarchical scaling method is not standardized.
Nodes that affect envelope are not output. This is issued when the output option Export Target is set to Selection, and a node affected by the envelope is not selected
An out-of-bounds value has been specified for the Max Reserved Uniform Registers option.
The setting value must range from 0 to 57 (from 0 to 54 when the Non-Uniform Scale option is ON.
There is no active node to be output. Be sure to set the node compression disable flag using the NW4C_ForBanner Set No Compress Node
plug-in when you want to output Null only.
This error occurs when the output specifications for the intermediate file are all cleared, or when only the output specifications for texture data are selected but there is no texture to output.
This error occurs if the Export option Output File Name is left blank or contains illegal characters.
This error occurs if the Export option Output Folder is left blank or contains illegal characters.
The number of bones used by a polygon exceeds the maximum number of bones that can be referenced by a primitive.
If an error occurs, adjust the Max Reserved Uniform Registers option to decrease the number of uniform registers being reserved.
This error occurs if the path for the CMDL file to be merged is left blank or if the path name contains illegal characters.
More than one vertex color exists for the user vertex attribute of the given number. For example, this error would occur if there were vertex colors with the names nw4cUser0 and nw4cUser0_b for the same single object. Either delete the unnecessary vertex colors or change their names.
A texture has a size whose height and width cannot be handled by CTR. Height and width must both be set to a power of two equal to or greater than 8 and equal to or less than 1024.
TGA file contents are invalid.
The width or height of the texture image exceeds 1024.
This is issued when four or more textures are being used by the material.
Make sure the number of textures used by a material is three or less.
This error occurs when there are vertices whose total envelope weight is a value other than 1.0. Be sure to correct the weight value.
Note that the total is automatically adjusted to 1.0 when the weight value is changed, as long as the Normalize button of Weight Editor is on.
If a warning occurs during output, it is displayed by Script Editor.
Warnings which should be paid particular attention are described in alphabetical order.
NURBS curves cannot be output. Output as NULL
.
NURBS surfaces cannot be output. Output as NULL
.
Subdivision surfaces cannot be output. An original shape is output.
This error occurs when UV data used to calculate the tangent used by an anisotropic shader cannot be found.
The specified end frame is set earlier than Animation Start in Softimage. Animation End in Softimage is output as the end frame.
A material name output to the intermediate file was changed because two or more materials had the same name. This error occurs when the materials that have the same name exist across different material libraries.
This warning occurs when two or more nodes have the same name, when illegal characters are included in a node name, or when the node name to be output to the intermediate file is changed.
A shader not supported by the Export plug-in is being used.
Correct output is not possible because the scale inclination (shear) of the kinematics node has a value other than 0. Be sure to set the scale inclination (shear) to (0, 0, 0).
The start frame has been set after the end frame. Data is output after the value for the start frame is swapped with the value for the end frame.
The specified start frame is set after Animation End in Softimage. Animation Start in Softimage is output as the start frame.
The texture name contains illegal characters. Illegal characters are converted to an underscore (_
) and output as such.
A normal vector that has length 0 exists. Lighting effects will not be carried out normally. Correct this using XSI_UserNormalEditing
.
The optimization process in CreativeStudio has failed.
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