Vue Pipeline

Vue is a 3D scene generator which creates not only terrain, but also sky box/dome, props, even plants. All these models can be easily converted as iClone content with 3DXchange. 3ds format is recommended for exporting Vue scenes. See the Application Export Data Compatibility Table for detailed supported attributes information.

How to convert 3D objects from Vue to iClone through 3DXchange?

Part I. Export Entire Scene

Have your Vue Scene ready, include terrain, atmosphere, objects and plants. Adjust the terrain dimension. The best size for iClone scene is about X= 500m Y= 500M.

Select "File>Export Entire Scene." to bring up the Export Options dialog box.

Select "3D Studio scene export (*.3ds) for File format.

Browse to the destination folder and assign file name.

Turn on "Generate color/bump/alpha maps" if there are texture images assigned to the exported objects.

Select Jpeg or BMP format for map images.

Set Mesh resolution, don't set too high the value or it will consume too much system resource and slowdown the performance while editing in iClone.

Polygon values around 5000 are recommended.

Set Texture map resolution, values around 1000x1000 to 2000x2000 are recommended.

Check "Export sky" to export the sky box/dome

Assign the path and file name, choose Jpeg or BMP format.

Choose Supporting geometry, Octasphere is recommended.

Click "OK" to export the entire scene. The exporting may take minutes.

The 3ds file and all the texture maps will be exported to the destination folder.

*Note: some objects may not be exportable, because the creator of the object does not want you to export them. You may continue the exporting , but the locked models will be excluded in the exported scene.

Part II. Export Object

You can export only the object you need but not the entire scene.

First, have your object ready in the scene:

Select Create>Object... to create an object then modify it as desired.

Or you can import an project, select File>Import object...

Pick the object(s) to be exported then select File>Export Object...  

*Note: Only the highlighted objects will be exported. 

Set object export options including export data type, file format, mesh resolution (if it is a Vue object defined by parametric surface) and texture resolution.

Select "3D Studio scene export (*.3ds) for File format.

Turn on "Generate color/bump/alpha maps" if there are texture images assigned to the exported objects.

Select Jpeg or BMP format for map images.

Set mesh and texture map resolutions 

Click "OK" to export the entire scene.

The 3ds file and all the texture maps will be exported to the destination folder.

Part III. Export Plant

There are 2 ways to export plants

Select Object>Create>Plant, a default plant will appear at the origin.

Pick the plant, then select Object>Edit object, or choose this command from the right-click popup menu. The Plant Editor appears.

Edit the parameters and textures, click Export plant button to export the plant model.

The rest is much the same as exporting objects.

Another way to export plant models is 

select the plant(s) to be exported in the scene.

Choose File>Export Object..., then follow the same steps described in Part II: Export Object.