Texturing imported models by subdivision

Last updated: 08.05.2002

Bryce 2 is able to import model types such as 3DMF that can normally carry texture mapping information, but can make no use of that information. This means that if you want to assign textures to your imported model, you can't use texture maps. However, provided that you can break down the model into its subparts, you aren't forced to use the much cruder method of texturing by Booleans.

The principle behind texturing by subdivision is simple. You export the model from Poser as a set of distinct groups, rather than as a single, undecomposed object. Within Bryce, you can then assign a distinct texture to each group, rather than assigning a single texture to the whole object.

The following example looks at texturing a male casual figure.

1	Export the figure to be used from Poser. The figure must be exported in DXF format (Bryce 2 can read 3DMF, but cannot ungroup it). On the Export Options dialog, check the checkbox that reads "Export object groups for each body part". Figure 1: Poser Export Options dialog
2	Import the figure to Bryce, using the Import Object ... command. After you have imported the figure, you may need to rotate it to get it the right way up. You may also want to smooth it to improve its appearance (click the figure, and click on the 'E' that appears beside it. On the dialog box that appears, click the image marked Smooth to smooth the figure). Figure 2: Imported figure
3	Click on the imported figure to select it. Among the controls that appear to the right of the selected figure is one marked 'U', indicating that the figure can be ungrouped. Click this control.
4	You can now select individual parts of the figure, and assign a different texture to each one. To reduce the amount of work you have to do, you can use shift-click to select several parts together, and then apply the texture to those parts. You may also want to group similarly-textured parts, or assign them family colors that will let you pick them out easily. Figure 3: Hands and face selected
5	When you have finished texturing the figure, select all of its parts and group them together, so that the figure can once again be moved as a single unit.
6	Render the figure. Figure 4: Rendered figure

There are certain problems with this technique. First of all, if you look closely at the rendered image above, you may notice that the 'flesh' color spills over the collar of the figure's shirt. This is because the collar is actually part of the neck object, and so it receives the same texture as the rest of the neck. This can be dealt with by post-editing in an image processing program such as Photoshop, or, more awkwardly, by using Boolean operations.

A second problem is that often two unrelated parts of the body may be seen as being part of the same object. When you click on the head, for example, the right foot is also selected. This is due to a bug in Bryce's DXF importer.

There are two possible solutions to this problem. One is to use a variation of the Boolean technique to duplicate and then separate the affected parts. This is fiddly and awkward, but requires no other applications. Moreover, as you're only duplicating parts of a figure rather than the entire figure, the memory impact is not too severe.

A better solution is to pass the model through another modelling application before importing it to Bryce. The problem seems to be caused by an interaction between Poser and Bryce (or more particularly, their ways of reading and writing files), and can often be resolved by using another application as an intermediary.

The major drawback of the technique remains that it is still rather crude, and fine detail is not possible. You will generally need to post-edit the rendered image in an image-processing program.