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3D Conversion (Batch)

Hello dear Wikitude Team. I've read a lot of times now that you don't have an option to convert 3D models into your WT3 format in a batch process. I find that it blocks many applications where the effort to convert models is simply too high. Is there really no possibility to perform the conversion in any way automated or semi-automated? I don't shy away from programming, so I'm open to any crazy idea. I mean, you can't tell me you're converting all the models individually ;)


I am looking forward to receiving an answer


Hi, I somehow managed it to build up a workflow for my needs and I want to share it.


So my starting point are thousends of Wavefront 3D-Models (obj + mtl files). The first step was to batch convert everything to single fbx files. For that i used an Addon for Blender (https://forums.unrealengine.com/community/community-content-tools-and-tutorials/17641-blender-to-unreal-fbx-batch-export-static-mesh-with-collision). To fullfill the requirenments to have a lightsource (directional) inside of the fbx file, I modified this script. Now with this script I can convert all my Wavefront files into fbx files. Again every fbx file consist of the mesh from one wavefront file and a directional lightsource. 

Fine, now comes the tricky part, the conversion to wt3.

For that I moved to a Windows machine, because the encoder from Wikitude works only on Windows an Mac but not on Linux (shame on you Wikitude).

I wrote a PowerShell Script to extract the path from the top most fbx file in a folder, build a string with the output path for the converted wt3 file, copy it into the clipboard and start the wikitude.exe with the input path as an parameter (luckily this is possible, but why is it not possible to specify an output path, again, shame on you Wikitude).

To automate this script I downloaded a mouse and keyboard recoder (https://sourceforge.net/projects/minimousemacro/). I recorded all mouse and keyboard clicks which are necessary to start the PowerShell script and to export a wt3 file from the encoder. It is important to use mainly keyboard shortcuts.

I attached an image of the workflow for a better understanding of the written text. I'm sorry that it is in german but I think together with the written text everyone can understand the graphic.


By the way, the wikitude encoder is crashing when the input or export path has an umlaut. It took me 2 hours to realize this.


I hope the explaination of my workflow helps other people which have the same problem as I have.


I actualy like the Wikitude SDK and hope you guys don't see this post as a hate post or something like that, I just wanted to show you guys how complicated it is to use your SDK with a reasonable amount of 3D-Models. 


Workflow.png
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Hi,

If you don't want to work with the .wt3 format the best option is go with the Unity Plugin which offers more options in regard to the 3D model format.

Greetings

Nicola

 


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Hello, Nicola.

hopefully this feature will end up on the roadmap soon. I think you'd make a lot of developers happy with it. 

So I am in favour of giving this feature a high priority:).

What options do I have with an input plugin? This should make it possible to import a different format than WT3 (if it has been programmed this way).

However, you don't just write such an elaborate plugin, but it would be interesting to know if it is fundamentally possible.


Anyway, thanks for the answer. 

Hello, Nicola.

hopefully this feature will end up on the roadmap soon. I think you'd make a lot of developers happy with it. 

So I am in favour of giving this feature a high priority:).

What options do I have with an input plugin? This should make it possible to import a different format than WT3 (if it has been programmed this way).

However, you don't just write such an elaborate plugin, but it would be interesting to know if it is fundamentally possible.


Anyway, thanks for the answer. 

Hi Robert,

I understand that this might be a requirement of yours and you're not the only one who requested this functionality. This is why we have it on our feature list, but we don't have it on our roadmap yet and I can't give any detailed timeline on this.

So as mentioned by Eva for now you'd need to go the way with the 3DEncoder.

Thx and greetings

Nicola

 

Maybe a little addition to why I'm so persistent. I am working on a project where line networks should be visualized in a location-based application. For this purpose, it is necessary that each section can be selected in order to retrieve meta information. Now the network does not consist of 10 models but of thousands. We already had a similar project in our company that we had successfully implemented with Metaio. 

Hi, Eva, thanks for the answer. Of course, I don't find it satisfactory :). If I create my FBX-model correctly, I don't have to make any further settings in the Wikitude-Encoder, but I can export it directly to the WT3-format. So why is there no option to convert multiple FBX models directly from the Wikitude encoder? I'm sorry for being so persistent, but I think it's only logical that there must be such a function.

Hello Robert,

Thank you for your suggestions but converting a 3D model into a compatible .wt3 format is not something that can be done programmatically through a batch process. You still need to import the models on our Encoder and convert them to a suitable format.

Thanks
Eva

 


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