Ross wrote:
> Hi. Hopefully this is appropriate for this group. I've been using Blender
> for modeling a bit recently. It has several export options. One uses a
> script called Povanim to export POV-Ray mesh objects. Another can export to
> (wavefront?) .obj files. If I export a model as OBJ, and use Poseray to
> convert it to POV-Ray meshes, the resulting POV meshes are substantially
> more smooth than the POV-Ray meshes directly created through Povanim. I'm
> exporting the same exact Blender model each time.
> 
> Are there any fundamental differences in formats that would cause this? I
> really don't know exactly what i'm asking. I guess it's something along the
> lines of, "Do OBJ files contain some optimized smoothing parameters that
> Poseray understands and maintains?" Or is it most likely a deficiency in the
> Povanim script that exports from Blender to POV-Ray meshes?
> 
> I'd be content with a Blender->OBJ->Poseray->POV-Ray workflow, but I can't
> figure out how to export multiple OBJ files from a blender mesh. (one mesh
> per "layer" in blender ideally). If I have a mesh in layers 1, 2, and 3 in
> blender, I end up with them all in one OBJ file.
> 
> On a side note, Blender seems really slow at exporting for some reason.
> Maybe a python speed thing, since i think all of it's export scripts are
> written in python. That however is cheap shot at python, since i really know
> nothing of it's performance compared to compiled C or C++ code.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for hearing me out on this longwinded question and
> observation. Anyone usign Blender and have a decent workflow process?
> 
> -ross
> 
> 
Don't use Blender at all.  But my first guess is that it is about the 
calculation of the normals, and when that is being done.  Maybe if you 
take a simple object made in Blender and run it through each workflow 
and open the files along the way to compare the normals?  Unless the 
normals are actually being regenerated by poseray then it might be that 
the Blender -> mesh2 script in Blender is different from the Blender -> 
.obj script in Blender.

Might also be interesting to edit out the normals at different points in 
the process and see what happens.

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