How do you re-order Polygon vertices?

[Dialector]

Please pardon me if this is off track as Im just winging a guess.

As the obj format is just in a text file, and if all you need to do is renumber all the vertices, then it might be relatively simple to write a script to parse the text file and reorder the vertices directly.

Of course "relatively" is the key word. If you dont know how to script at all this is not an option. However you might be able to find some kind of VB script, python or some other type of script that can read text files and make changes, then adapt that.

The difficult part is that I dont belive the vertice index is actual info in the file but dependent on the order in which vertices are defined in the text. The actual index numbers would be created by Maya when it reads the file. Thus, you would have to write a script capable of reordering the vertice data. This might would be more difficult than a simple renumbering of an existing list of numbers.


You might also want to check out the newest version of UVmapper. I heard it can reorder vertices. Below is text from the website:
-------------------
Many tools included:
- Vertices: weld, split, reorder, displace.
- Normals: smooth, fix seams.
- UVs: stitch, weld, relax, align.
- Facets: concave, degenerate, collinear, align, invert, triangulate, two sided.
- Model: spherify, subdivide.
--------------------------------

Thier URL is: http://www.uvmapper.com/
Then again there may be some way of doing it in MEL. But Im not familiar enough with Maya to know.

[Rick Davidson]

Thx Dialector, I didn't consider reworking the obj file. Nice idea. UV Mapper could be an option, looks like only available in the Pro version tho.

I'm suprised there isn't a standard method of doing this in Maya, as it would make creating blendshapes and other processes a breeze. Wouldn't have to worry about flipped shapes etc. I see a lot of people on the forums having the same problems, and most seem to have remade the shapes again. Painful.

I've mailed the creator of ReconstructMesh, Changmin Heo to see if he has plans on updating for ver 6.

[RedFish]

hey Rick

did Changmin Heo ever get back to you? is there a version for 6?

[Blue Bird]

There is a plugin called Reconstruct Mesh Tool that you can download from highend3d, but only available for Maya 4.x & 5. So if you still has an old version of Maya around, then you are in luck.

Bird

[stallion151]

yeh i emailed that guy regarding this very issue about 7months ago, i don't recall getting a response.

[Nicool]

Don't the guy provide his sources for free downloads anywhere?

About hte reordering vertices problem, it is due to the Maya specific engine architecture (as I read in posts of coding skilled guys around here).

As Dialector mentionned, a preprocessing of the obj file could do the trick, but maybe maya would destroy the reordering on importing this file (whatever modifications were). So, but we still don't know what your coding skills are, you could code (simply in mel) your obj importer by yourself. Some parsing and a big usage of polyCreate function are only what you need. Creating face by face.

Otherwise, why don't try other formats like .3ds to see if verteices ordering and importign are issues too?

There is a classic (maybe free) version of UVmapper on donwloads page : http://www.uvmapper.com/downloads.html (check if the reordering tool is featured in this bundle)

[Rick Davidson]

Yeah, when I contacted the creator of Reconstruct Mesh he wasn't able to provide an updated version because he didn't have the later apps. Don't know if anyone out there with coding skills wants to try him again for his code? I doubt it means much to him now. Was a very useful tool, meant you didn't have to worry too much about how you created your blend shape, as long as the end result had the right number of verts.

I've tried UV Mapper and 3ds export imports, no good from what I tried. I did look at the structure of the obj txt file, I think it could be worked but would need some clever manipulation.

[stallion151]

do you know if i can get my hands on the source code for that...are you still in contact with him?

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