Miss B posted at 8:02 PM Thu, 2 December 2021 - #4431198

LuxXeon posted at 5:48 PM Thu, 2 December 2021 - #4431195

Whenever someone opens that FBX file, it will automatically extract those textures into the same folder as the FBX.  This means no more "missing texture" errors in other apps.  I don't know if Poser or Daz offer that feature, but it's extremely handy if you have textures located in many different directories on your drive.

I noticed that with some recent file downloads, as they had separate folders for textures (or it might have said materials) when I unzipped it.  Now at least I know how that came about.

I don't think many people know that feature exists in the software, because I'll still get FBX files from Blender users with missing texture paths once in a while.

So to be clear, the official Blender FBX addon is not using the Autodesk SDK.  Blender Foundation has basically reverse-engineered the FBX format because of the GPL licensing limitations.  The Better FBX addon, however, may be doing something different there.  I don't know.  I think they're doing it the same way Blender Foundation does it, except they're also incorporating more features that are useful to game developers and people who depend on the rigging and animation functions that FBX is most used for.

The default Blender FBX export has a very useful feature that will allow you to embed all textures into the models upon export so that you never really have to worry about file paths.  If you pick "Path Mode > Copy" and then press the icon next to the drop-down box, it will enable "Embed Mode".  This will ensure that all the textures in your selected objects will be exported with their textures in the exported files.  Whenever someone opens that FBX file, it will automatically extract those textures into the same folder as the FBX.  This means no more "missing texture" errors in other apps.  I don't know if Poser or Daz offer that feature, but it's extremely handy if you have textures located in many different directories on your drive.

The FBX SDK is free, but the format is considered a "Closed Format", which means you can only open FBX models in software programs that have added the proper SDK API. This is a bit of a problem for Blender.  Blender is GPL licensed, which means it can't link to "closed source" libraries.  Software applications that use the official FBX API tend not to have any problems, but that wasn't possible with Blender's license. 

Blender has done a great job recently at adding FBX functionality without using the FBX SDK, but there will be some things that aren't going to translate as perfectly as they would in the Autodesk API ecosystem.

Regarding the Better FBX Importer and Exporter addon, I'm not exactly sure how they did it.  Perhaps they're using the SDK somehow or maybe they've reverse engineered it?  I know from other sources that it is updated constantly to keep up with changes or add new features to the existing FBX integration.

FBX is quickly becoming the industry standard file type, even replacing OBJ as the preferred exchange format in some software packages.  The problem with FBX is that some software companies have not been able to adopt FBX in its full feature capacity because of some red tape with the Autodesk FBX SDK.  I know Blender actually had some issues with FBX early on and there are other software packages that simply do not support all the amazing features that Autodesk has packed into the FBX format due to licensing limitations or limited access to the SDK.  In some cases, OBJ is actually more widely supported but lacks many of the higher-end functionality that FBX offers.  I feel like FBX will eventually replace OBJ as the most widely used format.  It already has in the Autodesk and game dev ecosystems, but some software packages may take some time to catch up with that transition.

There's an import addon for LWO available for Blender 2.8-2.9 on Github.  I haven't tested it.  But perhaps it would be helpful?

https://github.com/nangtani/blender-import-lwo

If you open the OBJ file or the MTL file in a text editor, you can manually change the path locations of your textures.  However, this should be something you can adjust on the export end.  I don't have Poser, so I don't know the export settings capabilities, but there should be an area in there where you can specify a relative or absolute location for your textures or allow you to enable the option to copy textures to the export location folder with your OBJ. 

EClark1894 posted at 5:15 AM Sun, 7 November 2021 - #4430032

For the record, I've checked my drivers. It says they're all up to date. So I'm assuming that it's  because it's a chipset and not a graphics card. I'm going to see about getting a card, but until then, I may have to go back to v2.79.

What kind of computer do you have?  Is it a laptop or is it a desktop?

EClark1894, you mean the graphics are built into the CPU?  If so, this could be the problem.  Blender 2.8 and above require a minimum GPU spec to run viewport operations properly.  When it was first released Blender 2.8 had a minimum requirement of a GPU that is no older than 8 years, with support for at least 1GB of Vram, and capable of running OpenGL 3.3 or higher.  Although your chipset could be new, it may not support the minimum GPU driver specs required by Blender because it is not a discreet graphics card.  However, the minimum specs are absolutely minimum, and there have been reports of some viewport problems even with those specs.  The recommended specs are a bit higher.  The recommended GPU specs for Blender 2.8 and higher include a graphics card with at least 4GB VRAM and 16 GB of system RAM.

Check to see what exactly your GPU capabilities are, and especially check to see if they meet the minimum or recommended specifications to run Blender 2.8 or higher.  Here is a direct link to the spec sheets on Blender.org:

https://www.blender.org/download/requirements/

I can't say for certain this is the problem, but if your system specifications (especially the GPU) do not meet the recommended specs, then we can be almost certain this is the issue.  Let me know if you solve it some other way, but in the meantime do some research on your system to see if it meets the specs.

Hmm.  In your original post, you mentioned that you recently got a new computer and it was pre-loaded with Win 10, and that you were unable to load 2.8 until you loaded a missing driver.  My first question is have you updated Windows 10 with all the patches and cumulative updates?  Often when you get Win 10 preloaded, it's a much older version than what is currently in use and could very well be missing key drivers that are needed to run certain applications.  Second, as others have suggested, make sure your graphics card drivers are up to date.  May I ask what graphics card your system is using? 

If you think you might do some texture baking in the future, you might want to have a look at a really good addon for Blender called "Simple Bake".  It really does simplify the baking process to just a few clicks, while creating decent Principled shader structures and PBR maps for you.  If you don't think you'll be doing much baking in the future, then there's really no need for it.  Glad you got it sorted out.

Personally, I do a ton of texture baking, but rarely from within Blender.  I tend to leverage most of my baking through Substance Painter or 3dCoat.  Blender can do a really great job though, once you figure it out.  That's where something like Simple Bake could be a time saver.

Here's a quick rundown of how to bake color info and maps to a new model.  Not exactly the way you might be doing it, but it should give you perspective on the methods you'll be using.

https://youtu.be/o0lTz25xcx0

When you bake the hi-poly mesh to the low poly, you will have the option to bake any or all the maps you wish.  In other words, you can bake a normal map from the details contained in the high poly mesh, but you will also be able to bake textures and color information over to the low poly mesh.  So you can bake diffuse, albedo, specular, glossiness, etc.  This will result in new maps being created for all those shader nodes.  You will not be able to use the existing UV map from the high poly, unless your low poly is unwrapped exactly the same way, which is unlikely to ever be the case.  Baking the info into new texture maps is the easier and better way to go.

I would suspect the reason you don't see a complete model of an airsoft gun is multi-faceted.  Probably the biggest issue is most places that host 3d print models do not allow functional firearms of any kind for 3d printing, even airsoft guns.  The legality of 3d printing a functional gun varies from country to country because the parts can not be detected by metal detectors.  Also, the type of polymers involved in most 3d printed items may not hold up to the forces required under the pressures of a firearm in some cases, so liability also becomes an issue.  If you offer a complete 3d printable airsoft gun, in its entirety, then it malfunctions and injures someone, you could be held liable.  So I just think the legalities involved in those kinds of models might be why it's difficult to find in its entirety.

Yes, I just noticed yesterday that the latest 2.93.4 Blender version includes the .glb, .usda, and others I've never seen before.  The .fbx format's been around for quite a while now.

PS:  Some of the other file types are also included in the File > Import dialogue list.  .glb, etc.  should show up there.  If not, then again check your Import-Export addons and activate the types you need to appear in the Import list.