How to import Flex/Shape-keys for multiple objects?

[Homeless Man under House Arrest]

Currently when importing, only ONE mesh will receive shapekeys.
Sometimes Flexes are set for multiple objects (for example body+face, then cloth+etc).
All the flexes (including for other items) are added to the ONE mesh, and if it's not meant for it, it becomes a spikey glitch.


On practically every import I make, I get an error saying VTA failed to import something, then it creates an object made of nothing but vertices as a "reference".

I decompile as qc with crowbar, all the flexes are unified and working in hlmv, when imported, only one mesh will receive flexes, and trying to just import the vta onto the "reference" object, still results in incorrect shapes (spikey distortion)


One particular mesh i have has the face split apart (making all the keys useless right now), plus some of the vertices are wrong on the part that actually imported.



Is there a particular method to getting all the flexes imported on all the meshes?

[Artfunkel]

Please upload the file you are trying to import.

[Homeless Man under House Arrest]

Sorry, wasn't expecting a reply anytime soon, then completely forgot.
Character is clothed, though she has nudey parts. Origin: https://sfmlab.com/item/2537/
Decompiled (importing):
mega.nz /#!1ptARIJQ!Qm4A9NRt_oOBPJ0JzMYt-Zxnh55q7cO-v6H_v_BTqTE

If you're actually going to check it, v2 is the one to go with. The first one works in source but imports the shapekeys more troublesome than v2.
v2 will at least isolate this specific thing for now.

[Artfunkel]

This is actually working relatively well. The shape keys intended for each mesh are importing correctly and it's only the ones intended for something else which are broken. The cloud of vertices is there to show you what couldn't be matched, which in this particular case is expected.

You should import the VTA file multiple times, once with each mesh selected. Then delete the vertex cloud object and go through each object trimming any shapes which are intended for a different part of the model. That will give you a correct import.

The importer really ought to have split the VTA file up in the same manner which it did the reference meshes, but I can see how that would be a total pain to calculate correctly.

Now please...don't send me any more meshes with shape keys called "VaginaOpen"!

[ZeqMacaw]

Artfunkel, is this something I should change in Crowbar's decompiling? I have not looked at the linked models, yet, but from what you two have written, it sounds like there should be multiple VTA files.

[Homeless Man under House Arrest]

I don't really use workshop models (the process is longer), and because reasons, so I'm less likely to have an example that I can 100 guarantee should have something but isnt working.

Did you try v1? Because as I said, that one's a bigger problem.
I remember v2 being slightly wrong (if you look close) so I reset blender and imported these again. I cant guarantee the thighs are supposed to work on the cloth (because it's not, and it's the only relevant item), but

v1 definitely not work, even for the first mesh.

Im aware of another specific model with only separation issues but again (nudey),

[Homeless Man under House Arrest]

Here are images showing this, as well as what it looks like in source
(head only)
https://imgur.com/ReCuJq7
And this is an image of the 2 main parts separated, and showing one with/without shapekey (can you spot the difference?)
https://imgur.com/ymx156H

Note: the black neck thing is a second piece of cloth, unrelated

[Artfunkel]

Yes, the first mesh is very messed up. The eyebrows are OK but the eyes match the wrong vertices and only half of the mouth is properly animated. It's a problem even if I merge both halves of the face together.

There isn't really a fix for this. VTA is just a horrible, horrible file format and the chopping and changing of mesh data that occurs when importing to Blender import prevents me from ever mapping SMD vertices to VTA vertices accurately. The best solution is to get hold of DMX sources sources somehow, which don't suffer from these problems.

Originally posted by ZeqMacaw:

Artfunkel, is this something I should change in Crowbar's decompiling? I have not looked at the linked models, yet, but from what you two have written, it sounds like there should be multiple VTA files.

The model is split into multiple bodygroups, but there is only one VTA which covers the whole thing. It's an obscure case with an easy workaround (import the VTA multiple times) so I wouldn't worry.

[ZeqMacaw]

About 3 years later and I fixed this issue in Crowbar 0.71. Importing the QC file for each of the two given cases in above posts seems to work fine for the various shapekeys I checked. Noting it here in case anyone discovers this via search.

Relevant changelog note:
FIXED: MDL 44-49 - Writes incorrect info to VTA files beyond the first one.

[ToonsByTiltonAnimationStudios]

I think I do have one I am trying to import into SFM and into GMod (as a player model)