Julius: ctrl+n must work with every correct mesh
Anyway, yup, you can go, select all faces, (Luke, you need to be in editing mode. Select th eobject, and then hit tab key ) and just inverte all faces.
BTW, I am not freaking expert modelling in Blender's UI
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
. But I spent too many years of my life intensely modelling in every tool one can imagine, so , it takes me very little effort to model with Blender too...I mean, most of those operations in Belnder are pretty similar to "general" 3d, and usually, "invert normal" is at every UI...
Anyway... The problem not only appears are "inverted normal".Sometimes, is, as I mentioned, face order changed.Visually,can look the same glitch, but internally is not am afraid.
Double facing also occurs: there are two sides , two walls, pointing normals of both opposite, or even in same way.
Is a problem. There are tools (great metasequoia comes to mind) to fix this pretty well.
3d Exploration will fix the face order problem , it has the feature in the tools menu section. It's full for 30 days, and after that, wont export. (besides legal issues in all the period and after)
Imo, yup, is a case of normals or face order.
mine inside out...no...surely my der ton script already setup with and inverted normals inside the script, or default setting...OR...the other meshes of the other persons are bad inside out...
I say this as I am checking..-see here- and seems normals are ok...
hmm...
try to use the script embeded in my scene, with other characters...from the other ppl. A way to do this can be just save as text file from file editor window where you see the derton script ...load one of those guys scenes....and now load the text file you saved from my scene. And then alt+p to execute from text editing window, as allways.
Anyway, digging in the script...
seems the md5 one actually breaks when sees different normals values for same vertice...dunno, I thought it was impossibl ein blender yet...but the option is there in the script...
Btw, with other code , not irrlicht, we experienced md5 output this worm correctly, no inversion in the mesh...That I can remember...
I exported that worm and box to obj format, (and showing normals in unwrap3D), it seems to be inside out.
beware.I'm an old user , very old , of Lithunwrap, and then since first version of Ultimate Unwrap...the import may have some viewing glitches. But internal data is perfect. Knowing, is no prob. Anyway, for x format, Ben needed to make certain changes for specially Unwrap3d load it well...Just to mention
besides, a weighted mesh in Unwrap3d, wont show correctly.Is a known glitch, but I know pretty well internally is intact.Must be something bout the opengl viewer. You export the x file again, and is seen perfect in any x viewer. Or b3d viewer. Vertex based animation formats have stronger probs there...ie, md2.
Often , a weighted format apears in unwrap 3d inverted. But best is to check in a different viewer, as maybe is just UU making the flip.None of these are issues, as UU is such a 3d swiss knife for 3d operations, you can fix there whatever. If actually invert does not happen in other tools, and this can be fixed by the user just with and invert normals in UU, and weights or animation -once exported the b3d or x file, and seen in a different viewer with no glitches, then I wouldnt worry.You can support also tools specific stuffs till that point... Specially when the user workaround can be tested to work.
I had trouble exporting it using other formats, what formats work well?
General advice here is allways go to author's page script, and download the latest for the latest blender. And open in text editor, hit alt p.
As many formats are with probs in the native distribution, or dont have the improvements of newer versions, for not been comitted, or whatever the rules there.
Also, with bones and weights, few formats. I think...mainly cal3d, x's Ben (for latest 2.4x, I mean .Jox one was very good too) and one of my favs, this der_ton md5.
For statics, OBJ tends to rule.
for vertex based animation, md2. I have one of md3 with animation, but is tricky for a quality result.
but this is of no interest for the case.
Also when I press ctrl+n after I’ve selected all, nothing happens, any mode I have to be in, or something? (I’m hopeless at blender)
I understand the feeling. i was so too at first... Just you need to: -select the object first, in object (default when you start) mode(you will see a pink dot in the center of the worm), -hit then tab key , now if you hit a key, all becomes yellow, may you be in face, vertex or edge mode... -Now with all yellow, hit ctrl+n , then you must click over where says "recalculate normals outside" just move the mouse cursor till you hi light that sentence in the pop up thingie, and then click.
Actually, you can just select all with A key, and then W, then choose in the pop up menu, "flip normals" .You can do this too through the "edit" buttons panel.
Many mesh level operations, most, must be done after hitting tab, that's edit mode.
Do you have an animated character that’s been designed to export into a game?
there must be some, somewhere..dehenton I think put an url of model s he made in x and blender format, for irrlitch...
The worm mesh is good be I’d like to test something more complicated, and a different mesh.
it indeed have the constraints, which not much game meshes include...I made the worm for a project of mine where I neeeded all character animation essential features, so if the worm works...
But is a good point to test more meshes. I'll send you one in case if I found it.
Yup, send me(I'll pm you an email of mine) too the file, it can be useful for me to other projects (i do all my 3d stuff and game stuff with only a friend, and we're not using irrlicht (for no special reason. irrlicht would have been as good as any.))
probably is also helps for you to debug it, as If I have a look at what it ouputs, I may give you some suggestion.
Julius, in case of problems, you may try the Ben's original plugin at his site, in my signature.
Luke and juilus: painting weights is known to bring usually problems when exporting to game engines. I got used to use just lasso selections and a lot of back and force tweaking till I get my rig right.
The undoing of weight paint strokes causing surprising effects doesnt surprise me a bit...It happens also in other packages. I suspect the too many decimals precission, and unaccuracy, or bad normalizing, or whatever, wrecks it all up. I prefer lasso. (here you can use B key, for quad selections.)
anyway, remember Unwrap d wont show it well when weighted, it'd be well internally tho. Also, if happens a prob of type left handed <--> right handed conversion, weights will look really weird in UU. happened b4 in old x exporters. Also, the Z up problem was a headache bringer. As well as...tada...! normals, inverted them, or face order.
Is notjust a list of coords, the most complex a format gets, the more possible errors...adn through the years as a an user, I get to know character animation formats -all- are problematic. But they look fantastic in a game when all fixed
And Luke's b3d is my great hope for a multiple scene/character format for irrlicht... (together with the great feeling of being able to export a b3d out of blender...hard edges in smoothing are coming...I dont think either blender will be left without multiple uv channels and lightmap for over...it'll end up coming...And i guess once your b3d format comes to light, in case you're not in the mood, some maintainers will appear, if not even oficial developers will take care of it if the commit ends up happening... (that is, they have some strong rules for accepting something natively in the distribution...besides you find the will and mood to do that extra bit. Absolutely not rquired, every blenderuser out there is pretty confortable with alt p at text editor, I even prefer to tweak settings if possible
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...Some tho prefer to have a gui...but even that pops with derton's, after hitting alt p.... ))