Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

What you will need:
  • A 3D Package Exporting and Saving Coordinates of OBJ
  • Milkshape 3D
  • Magics RP

Step 1

Export as OBJ from Maya, make sure your UV's are all set and laid out properly. Save this to a seperate folder, and Export ALL so the textures and everything else are in the same directory.

Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

Step 2

Open up Milkshape 3D. You need to go to File -> Import, and then go into Wavefront OBJ with the file you just created. On the right hand of the screen you should see a menu area now.

Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

Step 3

Under the GROUPS tab of MS3D, select all your mesh's that belong to your UV set. You can do this by clicking the names in the scroll bar area and then clicking SELECT under tools. These should highlight red in the view finder. If you have multiple sets you can sort them in step 4 to a different location.

Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

Step 4

Now that you have your mesh's that belong to your UV set, go into the materials tab and locate your file under any of the highlighted toolbars. Under the material window you and under the Specular/Emissive sliders you should see 2 boxes, one of them should say <none> [None], and the other should be the name of your texture map. With your mesh selected select the corresponding texture for your mesh's and hit ASSIGN.

Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

Step 5

Repeat Step 3 and 4 until all mesh's have been reassigned their proper texture.

Step 6

When finished, go to File, Export, Autodesk 3ds, this should be at the 3rd break near the top of the exporter. Export this file to the same folder of your textures and obj. file.

Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

Step 7

Open Magics -> Import Part -> yourpartname.3ds, locate the 3ds file you just made and import it. You should be able to view this in magics now with all color information still in tact with UV's etc.

Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

Step 8

In Part List, repair each of your model's geometry one by one before you merge them together and combine them into one object. A special note to add here is if you do not do this step when you make it all 1 shell (or 2 depending if you decide to hollow or not) you will have a lot of problems and the files will no longer be manifold. So make sure before you combine that all your models are manifold, error free, and then you can combine them.

Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

Step 9

In Magics go to File -> Save Part As -> yourmeshname.wrl , save this in the SAME directory of your textures that you did in Step 1. A special note to mention here is that magics when exporting creates its own new texture files and you must use these in order for them to show up properly since it re creates a virtual "material" inside of the software. You can find the mesh that it makes usually in the folder that it starts with a ~, ~mat1, ~mat2, ~mat3, etc.  Don't be alarmed if you see a lot of ~mesh texture files.
Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

Step 10

Add your wrl and all the texture files (yes even if it creates 20 of them) to the zip file.

Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics

Step 11

Upload, yay, you're done. Hope this is somewhat useful. This applies to other software but as a Mayan it's mostly dedicated to them.

Shapeways Tutorial Color VRML Tutorial for Magics
A big thanks to Lin Padawer for sharing this tutorial. If anyone else has any tips on how to overcome issues such as this please do not hesitate to share them in the forum or send us an email.