Free SU users: Would you pay for exporters separately?
-
I now have seen this a second time as written by someone else and know I'm not the only one saying this. I've been wishing I'd be able to purchase the "exporters" separately ever since I first learned to use SU. I only use SU in a semi-professional manner (I think my models are decently made, but I convert them to Poser format and give them away-thus I make no money from them) so for me $500 just to export my work to give away for free is kind of pricey (I absolutely have no need for Layout or style maker and do not really need to make dynamic components). It would seem to me that Google would make a hell of a lot more money from hobbyists and other Non-professional users if they would offer the exporters separately at a reasonable price. I DONT MEAN take them away from the pro version and charge separately for them, I mean offer the option of purchasing them WITHOUT buying PRO, for those of us strapped for cash... I'm betting there is no hope of this ever happening for either some weird conflict of interest reasons or someone in marketing suggesting otherwise... BUT just on the off chance Google has never considered this or thought of it on their own, I'll ask this of you folks out there, who for whatever reason (lack o'cash?) are FREE VERSION users:
Would you buy the exporters as separate plugins if Google made them available as such?
What do you consider a reasonable (be realistic) price? -
Hi McGyver,
What you propose makes a certain amount of sense. While I doubt the GSU guys that frequent SketchUcation will make comment I imagine the proposal will be noticed.
There is a company that offers exporters, although from memory they were not cheap. I'm workingbon my iPhone so can't do a search forcthe company but imagine someone will advise.
Mike
-
-
-
@mike lucey said:
Hi McGyver,
What you propose makes a certain amount of sense. While I doubt the GSU guys that frequent SketchUcation will make comment I imagine the proposal will be noticed.
There is a company that offers exporters, although from memory they were not cheap. I'm workingbon my iPhone so can't do a search forcthe company but imagine someone will advise.
Mike
I've looked into it as well and none of them are cheap and as far as I found none are available for Macs OS either... I think the best I found(windows only) was $295 per format (OBJ-$295,3DS-$295...etc.) not really a bargain since for another $200 I could get ALL the exporters + importers and everything else PRO has.
My hope is if this is a valid proposal someone within the company might take notice... to have someone comment... that I know would NEVER happen.
I think too often designers and marketing people GUESS or arbitrarily decide at what is needed/wanted... maybe if it shown there is a need/want for such an option this will inform them... I can only hope. -
actually.... you can export from SU for free very easily.
Export from SU as Collada. Import Collada to Softimage Mod Tools 7.5. Export from there as FBX then import into Wings3D and export as OBJ, 3DS, etc.
the stupid thing is, you need that step with Softimage atm.. since very few free tools import Collada! lots write it... (wings for instance will write collada but won't read it..Meshlab can read Collada but it a pig to use.. )
the above little dance tho works very very well.
Mod Tools http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?id=13571257&siteID=123112 (free)
Wings3D http://www.wings3d.com/ (free) -
@gaieus said:
@dedmin said:
Yup, that's it.
@mike lucey said:
although from memory they were not cheap.
True...125 bucks for a single exporter is indeed something like SU Pro if you add all that it can export.
I would consider something between $ 40-50-60 as reasonable (maybe) IF they also work as advertised.
Yes, I do think $40-50 per format OR maybe even $100 for the 3 most popular would (maybe) be fair... Realistically I think they could rake in the cash if they made all the formats pro does as one $130-150 package. -
@khai said:
actually.... you can export from SU for free very easily.
Export from SU as Collada. Import Collada to Softimage Mod Tools 7.5. Export from there as FBX then import into Wings3D and export as OBJ, 3DS, etc.
the stupid thing is, you need that step with Softimage atm.. since very few free tools import Collada! lots write it... (wings for instance will write collada but won't read it..Meshlab can read Collada but it a pig to use.. )
the above little dance tho works very very well.
Mod Tools http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?id=13571257&siteID=123112 (free)
Wings3D http://www.wings3d.com/ (free)The only problem I've found with side-stepping the SU export issue is
1- they hardly ever work for Macs
2- they tend frell up textures royallyI've jumped on every suggested method I could find but to date have never had a usable model exported in these ways.
I think I may have tried your method before... (softimage is an Autodesk product right?)... I if I remember correctly I could not properly use it on a PowerPC Mac... I think this method works for some folks pretty well though. Thanks. -
ach sorry you didn't mention being on a mac.. there I can't help.. the method I suggested works perfectly on Windows.. but textures won't tho. since SU has appalling UVmapping, you'd need to fix that anyway going in to poser (Poser user here as well, had a lot of experience moving stuff into it)
-
@khai said:
ach sorry you didn't mention being on a mac.. there I can't help.. the method I suggested works perfectly on Windows.. but textures won't tho. since SU has appalling UVmapping, you'd need to fix that anyway going in to poser (Poser user here as well, had a lot of experience moving stuff into it)
Hi Khai. I just went back to see what it was that did not work for me about that method...(I had forgotten). I do have FBX converter, it does work on my Mac but when I go through the whole process and then import into any other program, I lose all my textures(material zones as well)... works great if it is a one color model though. Oh well.
I have a copy of the Demo of SU 7 that I (sparingly) use to export models in 3ds to Poser(which seems to work best for me in Poser)... I'm frelled when that times out though. Sigh. -
@unknownuser said:
I'll ask this of you folks out there, who for whatever reason (lack o'cash?) are FREE VERSION users:
Would you buy the exporters as separate plugins if Google made them available as such?
What do you consider a reasonable (be realistic) price?I'm a CG hobbyist and as long as I can get to the Collada DAE through the Google Earth KMZ, I can work with that OK. I use Poser too, but I am usually exporting from Poser to other software. I wish Poser had a Collada DAE exporter so I could export the bones and all as a DAE. Isn't Collada supposed to be the vendor-neutral file format standard to make it easier to import/export among various 3D software?
-
Hi
I use Sketchup for detailing architectural CAD drawings, making detailed drawings of electricity boxes, decking etc that my architectural drawing package does not do, making custom kitchen cabinets etc. I use Sketchup Pro so no problem for me.
I know that there are lots of people who do this for a hobby and would be happy to pay for 3DS export so they could use their SU models in their CAD package.
I dont use SU for modelling houses as it does not work for me on that level. I do however import my 3DS house into SU and do the landscaping.
Maybe they should adopt the I-Phone model and sell lots of extras at a low price, seems to work for Mr Jobs!
Regards
Peter
-
@unknownuser said:
Isn't Collada supposed to be the vendor-neutral file format standard to make it easier to import/export among various 3D software?
yes....and no.
I'm not sure what is happening with it. I've found many app's that will write Collada files. but getting one that will read it? that's hard. I don't know why but the authors just don't add reading Collada... it's rather comical.
OBJ is still the most common interchange format.
-
I avoid Collada as it never imports right in any app I've ever used, I do not know if it's due to SU not exporting it right but it just does not work.
I also say .obj is true universal, just remember to flip axis and you are golden.
Advertisement