lwo3 importer -> open source

[raymondtrace]

That's the difference in the formats. The LWO3 format uses advanced surfacing for LW2018+. Those surfaces won't load when saved down to LWO2 format for LW2015 and earlier. You'll only get the geometry and surface names when opening in LW2015. You'll need to redefine the surface settings in older LW.

 

[morego]

So the way of doing it is installing the plugin in 2018 and then save the object as lwo3 from there, before loading it in 2015?

 

[raymondtrace]

The LWO3 importer plugin is only intended for LW2015 and earlier. That plugin does not export.

LW2018 and newer have a native function to export in LWO2 (2015) format. Saving to the older LWO2 format from newer LW releases will still lack surfacing details because the renderer is so different from previous releases.

 

[morego]

I know... so what is the proper way of doing it?

 

[Gungho3D]

I know... so what is the proper way of doing it?

If it's any help - I've been stuck with the need to get a model from LWO3 into LWO2, as raymondtrace said export to LW2015 is a fail. I've gone the route of LWO3 export to FBX to Blender to OBJ to Modeler. Yep, that sucks.

 

[morego]

hehehe, yep! anyway I'll give a try... thanks Gungho3D

 

[raymondtrace]

If it's any help - I've been stuck with the need to get a model from LWO3 into LWO2, as raymondtrace said export to LW2015 is a fail. I've gone the route of LWO3 export to FBX to Blender to OBJ to Modeler. Yep, that sucks.

Why use Blender as a middle step? OBJ format progressively dumbs down the model in this process.

LW opens FBX. FBX is the standard interchange format.

(...and exporting to LW2015 would only be a fail if something was not doing what it was engineered to do. Nothing is wrong in this scenario. What did you do when you had to save from a LWO2 to a LWO1 file? What did you sacrifice then?)

 

[morego]

That's what I mean, I've always traded through FBX, it's just that I discovered this plugin and wondered if it would make things easier, but after trying it, I think not.

 

[Gungho3D]

Why use Blender as a middle step? OBJ format progressively dumbs down the model in this process.

LW opens FBX. FBX is the standard interchange format.

(...and exporting to LW2015 would only be a fail if something was not doing what it was engineered to do. Nothing is wrong in this scenario. What did you do when you had to save from a LWO2 to a LWO1 file? What did you sacrifice then?)

Hey Raymondtrace, some good points/questions ...

Export to 2015 from 2018/19 has never exported textures or basic settings for me. On a commercially purchased model with an infuriating number of surfaces and textures, alongside a tight deadline, this has been problematic - I would have expected basic settings to have been exportable from LWO3 to LWO2, but no.

Yeah good point about .obj being the lesser option - we had a commercial model which was only accessible as .max, exported terribly from Max as .fbx (a no-show in LW import), and so eventually had to go the route described above. Of endless options and settings tried, it gave me the end result I needed. Somehow Blender's fbx read did the trick on importing, but a re-export to fbx from Blender (for that problematic model) didn't work either. I think there was a fundamental issue in the model as it came out of Max.

I hope that answers your query ...

 

[Rayek]

Accutrans could also be a potential solution? Open lwo3, save to lwo2. But I am away from home, so I can't test how well the surfaces/materials are maintained.

 

[Sensei]

I would have expected basic settings to have been exportable from LWO3 to LWO2, but no.

Why? Exporter would have to analyze the node tree..
Any difference in the setup, and it can't proceed.

On a commercially purchased model with an infuriating number of surfaces and textures,

Anyone selling the LWO3 model online and exclusively LWO3? Doubtful...

 

[Sensei]

alongside a tight deadline, this has been problematic - I would have expected basic settings to have been exportable from LWO3 to LWO2, but no.

..since ever, it required baking textures to image maps..

 

[chunderburger]

Just a note that LightWave Assets : Plugins - LWO3 Loader (lightwave3d.com) has an x32 version of the plugin as well as x64.

Also, try the YS plugins Aug 2021 | NewTek Forums which include a LWO2 2015 import/export plugin for 2018+

As an alternative, 3DBrowser: the file manager dedicated to your 3D files to view, convert and organize them. (mootools.com) works with LWO, LWO2 and LWO3 - read/write.