Bigex export of many objects

[Trainguy76]

Hi, how many objects can Bigex export? What I mean is when I exported from 3dCanvas I had to have a maximum of 26 objects to export from each hierarchy level.

If it is not unlimited, then would joining objects be an option I need to take?

[AndiS]

I never tried it out with Bigex, but it might be a limitation IGS? Anyway, I remember someone mentioning such a limit and that you need to use texture sets for this reason, for stuff like theatre signals or route indicators. However, I might have been a 3DCanvas user, then my remembering does not contribute new information.

However, it is good practice to have as few top-level objects as possible. Seems to influence performance, or so they say.

To join them, two things I did with success was parenting (select one, press P or so, select the other -- but I forgot the order in which you do it) and joining meshes. The latter simply means that all the vertices of both objects belong to the receiving object afterwards. Edges and faces follow the vertices, of course. I guess it is more efficient in game, but if you want to make changes later, you might be sorry. But there was some way of splitting a mesh into different object somewhere, but drawing the separation line can be a pain.

[henningBR218]

Hiya all,

Bigex can export an unlimited count of objects. The IGS format can hold an unlimited count of objects.
But the Asset Editor stops with an error message if the IGS file contains more than 256 objects.

Bigex can export an unlimited object hierarchy depth. The IGS format can hold an unlimited object hierarchy depth.
AE has no limitations afaik.

Bigex can export an unlimited count of child objects per hierarchy level, but limits itself to: The IGS format can hold a maximum of 24 child objects per hierarchy level.
(See Bigex export log file:
IGfObjects => Children list: ChildStartOffset00 til ChildStartOffset23
The AE should accept the max children count from IGS, of course. But I didn't check that.

For all the cases where someone is limited by the limits above, I built in a new function into the upcoming Bigex 2.1 version: Automated merging of (mesh) objects at export time.

And because the release date is *very* soon and I thus completed the update of the English manual in yesterday night, here are simply the belonging new chapters:

10.4 Known issues at import into Rail Works

...
Merging mesh objects can be done either in Blender itself or by using Bigex. But the former is irreversible and the feasibility is lost to copy single mesh objects later for a e.g. mirrored or scaled use.
A more smart method would be merging objects at export time. This remains the 3D model in Blender unchanged.
...

12.4.1 Merging of mesh objects

With the action merge mesh objects (IGfObjects::Merge) one or more objects can be merged at export time into one single object. By this all vertices, faces, materials and UV‑coordinates are transferred to the new merged object. As far as possible object hierarchies are kept intact resp. are senseful merged from the deleted objects.
The action expression for merging mesh objects starts with a range definition and the action instruction: Merge. The following lines until the next range definition, resp. the end of file, can contain one or more expressions for the merging. Those start with the name for the new object, which contains all merged objects afterwards, followed by a equal sign =. On the right hand side of the equal sign follows a comma separated list with names of the objects to be merged.
If the object on the left hand side of the equal sign is not existing, then the first object of the right hand side object name list gets an exceptional position. It is the origin object which all other objects to be merged will be appended.
If the list of objects to be merged contains names of non-existing objects, those will be be ignored and all remaining and existing objects will be merged only.

Examples:
...
# Merge Action range definition
[IGfObjects::Merge]
# Create the new object MergedObjs from Obj1 and Obj2
MergedObjs=Obj1,Obj2

# Append Obj2 to Obj1
Obj1=Obj1,Obj2
# exactly the same
Obj1=Obj2

# Create the new object MergedObjs from Obj1, Obj2, Obj3 and Obj4
MergedObjs=Obj1,Obj2,Obj3,Obj4
# exactly the same with a regular expression
MergedObjs=Obj[1-4]
# exactly the same with a different regular expression
MergedObjs=Obj[4321]
...

The object specific EDM example file IGS_specific_IGSExpModFile.txt in the Bigex_ExampleObjects subfolder of the Bigex installation package contains some more example expressions for the Merge action.

... hope it helps.

[Trainguy76]

Thanks Henning and Andi,

So it seems that it would be a good idea to export the model using the features of the new exporter.

Cheers.