Importing 3D components into Hitfilm !?

3D Warehouse
1

Good day to you.

I’m building my first house and it’s going great in general. Love SketchUp!

I’ve finished the house and am now at the point of adding furniture and other assets from the 3D Warehouse to my scene. Some of the furniture transfers to Hitfilm (video editor) and some do not.

Do I have any options other than randomly trying different furniture components until I find those that will make the trip to Hitfilm? Such a random process is going to rather dramatically increase the time needed to create a scene and get it over in to Hitfilm. I could make my own furniture but that would take even more time.

Thanks for your thoughts!

PS: I should have added that I’m using SketchUp Make. I’m downloading the assets from the Warehouse as SketchUp 2017, and then importing them in to my scene in SketchUp. Then I export the entire scene as DAE, convert to FBX, and import the FBX in to Hitfilm.

Everything I make in SketchUp seems to import in to Hitfilm perfectly, which is quite wonderful. So far I’m only having issues with SOME models from the Warehouse.

2

This sounds like more of a problem with Hitfilm than with SketchUp. If I were you I would be trying to sort this out with the makers of that software.

I guess you could try looking for patterns in the components that fail or succeed. Is it related to excessive geometry? Is it related to certain texture materials? You will need to go through and try things. Set up a logical test procedure. Since you must be doing this as your hobby, enjoy the process.

Please correct your profile.

3

Thanks for your reply Dave.

FYI, I’ve spent months discussing 3D everything with experts on the Hitfilm forum. They do report that Hitfilm is fairly fussy about what models it will accept, and after that they pretty much blame all problems on users. Their theory in this case is that those creating assets in the 3D Warehouse are doing so incorrectly. Their theory, not mine. You know, in 3D land everything is always somebody else’s fault. :slight_smile:

Personally, I don’t understand why things I create in SketchUp seem to be very reliable (going in to Hitfilm) but assets in the 3D Warehouse are sometimes problematic. Puzzling…

Honestly, I don’t actually enjoy the process of having to diagnose and fix everybody’s broken 3D stuff, whoever is to blame. A key reason I’m enthusiastic about SketchUp is that, so far, everything I personally create in SketchUp has gone perfectly in to Hitfilm, making that the most reliable source of models I’ve yet found.

It looks like the only solution will be for me to create my own personal library of models that work in Hitfilm. Very time consuming at first, but once I have a lot of working models then I’ll have a resource I can count on.

PS: Happy to update my profile, don’t see how to do that.

4

It’s easy enough to find poorly made models in the 3D Warehouse. That’s to be expected when anyone with SketchUp can upload their models there. That’s why the general wisdom is to never download components from the 3DWH directly into your main model. Instead you should download them into a separate SketchUp session and give them a thorough going over to make sure they will work for you. If not, either clean them up or keep looking for a more suitable one. I guess you can’t complain about them, though, since you get them for free.

That’s why I suggested making a test procedure so you can identify what the difference is between fail and success.

From what you say, maybe you need to just make more of your own components. That’s been my way for more than a decade. I make all of my own components so I know exactly how they are made and have no one else to blame.

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Just a stab in the dark: When you make your own objects, do you make them into groups or components, or is your whole model just “raw geometry”? I just wonder if the Hitfilm imported might have issues related to this…

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Thanks for your ongoing input.

Is there a “do and don’t” tutorial somewhere that both 3D Warehouse uploaders and myself should be mastering so as to ensure our SketchUp models are technically correct?

What I’m hearing both here and on the Hitfilm forum is that SketchUp model creators are the problem, but so far I haven’t heard an explanation of what it is exactly they are doing wrong.

As example, when I export a model I’ve created in SketchUp there is no dialog that appears notifying me that my model is technically good or bad. So if I was uploading models to the 3D Warehouse how would I know if I’m uploading correct or incorrect models??

I’m not taking a position, making a point, or assigning blame. I just don’t yet understand WHY users are the source of these problems.

7

Hi Anssi, my knowledge of groups and components is just beginning. I did make my house in to a group, and then I threw some 3D Warehouse assets in to the house. Some of those assets made the trip to Hitfilm, some did not.

Keeping in mind I know very little about groups, are you suggesting that if maybe I made my entire scene in to a group before exporting it might be easier for Hitfilm to accept?

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How exactly do you make your components so that they are not “bad models”, whatever that is?

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No. A lot of that is subjective. I have my personal list of dos and don’ts but some people wouldn’t agree with everything on my list. And what I might find to be a good model might not be for someone else. It depends on how it’s going to be used.

There isn’t supposed to be a message like that. Part of the idea of the 3D Warehouse is that anyone with any skill level can share their models and components in the Warehouse. The Warehouse doesn’t make any judgement of what’s good or bad. You need to learn how to make good components.

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No. I was just remembering a render application I once used that crashed unless I exploded everything in my model to raw geometry before importing it.
That some of the assets import and others don’t suggest to me that there is something in their structure that this depends on. Can you post a Warehouse component that works, and another that doesn’t? (or the Warehouse links to them).
Another possibility is the scaling in the components, for instance, if the component has been created to a large scale and then shrinked (by applying the @DaveR method wrong) or has units applied wrong (the creator might have used meters instead of millimeters without noticing, for instance)

11

A lot of it depends on the component. Generally I keep them as clean as possible. I don’t add unneeded geometry. I keep face orientation correct. I make sure that the dimensions are correct. I make all components solid. I use correct tagging procedures. I apply materials to faces and not component wrappers. And so on.

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Apologies, truly no offense intended, but you’re doing the same thing as the experts on Hitfilm. You’re blaming other users without explaining what it is they are doing wrong. You may have a good case, but you haven’t made it yet.

If experts can’t define the procedure for creating a “correct model” and SketchUp doesn’t test for “correct models” (whatever that is) then I don’t see the case for blaming users for these issues. In my mind, SketchUp shouldn’t allow users to create “bad models”, which again I have no idea how to define.

As I understand it so far from lots of discussions, the problem is not this or that software, or this or that user, but rather an immature industry which has so far failed to standardize it’s data formats. These kind of problems seem to exist everywhere in 3D land, any time you try to move a file from point A to point B, you’re begging for trouble.

I would be happy to stay entirely within SketchUp, or entirely within Hitfilm, but neither seem to have all the features I need.

13

Ok, that seems a good plan. I’m off to lunch and more at the moment, but will do this later today or early tomorrow. Thanks for your interest and assistance.

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I’m not blaming anyone. I’m telling you that you need to learn to make good models. I’m also telling you that what I define as a good model and what others define as good models can be different. I’ve described what I do when I’m creating my models. Understand that I didn’t know what it took to make good models when I first started using SketchUp. That was something I had to learn just as everyone else does. It seems like you are ignoring that.

15

Dave,

Yes, I hear you (and others) telling me that I need to learn how to make good models. I also see that you and they can’t really define what a good model is, and that experts also can’t agree among themselves about what a good model is. I’m not ignoring what you and other experts are saying, I’m just not buying it, that’s all.

If there was a credible agreed upon definition of a good model it would already be built in to SketchUp and the software would prevent users from creating bad models.

None of this is your fault, or user’s fault either. The 3D industry as a whole is still immature, that’s all. You know, with 2D images and video you can grab pretty much any content from pretty much anywhere and it will almost always work in pretty much any software. The 3D industry as a whole just isn’t there yet.

A fault I will admit to is that I’ve been stubbornly placing unrealistic expectations on the 3D experience. I keep comparing 3D to 2D and I need to let that go. I need to slow down, chill out, and take my time building my own personal collection of models that work in Hitfilm. That’s going to take years, not days. If you were to give me this lecture, I would agree.

I need to learn how to better balance my time in 2D and 3D. When 3D becomes incredibly annoying, go back to 2D for awhile. Pace myself, take the long view.

16

I think you are mistaken. I can define what a good model is for my use. That doesn’t mean it is a good model for everyone.

Since you aren’t interested in considering that, I have no more for you and will give up on this thread now. Good luck.

17

The definition of a good model is one that is fit for purpose.
A lamborghini is a nice car but useless for taking all your kids to school.
One model can be perfect for making a Render but will therefore be practically useless for 3d printing. Models can be poorly made but still work for what you want or perfectly made and not work.
Trying to find what you need requires that you determine what it is that you need.
You need to work out what it is about the models that fail and those that work, only then can anyone help you understand what models to look for.

1 Like
18

There is a certain learning curve with everything in life. Some find it easy and others not so. Software is the same, you get out of it what you put in to it. (garbage in , garbage out). Many people posting in the warehouse do not have a clue what they are doing. User beware ! It has been repeatedly stated to put the model in a new sketchup model to inspect and determine its usability for your needs. Follow that advice! It is not the fault of the software if the user does not know how to use it. Much like having tools in a box to change a tire among them a torque wrench and a 4 way lug wrench. Not understanding the use or function of a torque wrench it gets pushed to the side. The tire gets changed using the 4 way wrench, the wheel falls off the vehicle after some miles are driven.
Now is this the fault of the vehicle, the 4 way lug wrench ? No it is the user for not researching the proper usage of the tools (torque wrench) provided.

19

Here’s the solution used by both the digital photo and digital video industry. All the industry big shots get together and come to agreement on what a “good file” is. Then they build their software around that definition. That is, they standardize.

The result of this success is that pretty much any digital photo or video works in pretty much any software. As one example, to my knowledge it’s literally not possible for me to create a “bad video file” in Hitfilm no matter how ignorant I might be. Thus we don’t see YouTube flooded with lots of files that don’t work. Another very important result of this success is that new users quickly have satisfying experiences and so they buy the software these companies make.

Now let’s look at the 3D industry. Both SketchUp and Hitfilm have free versions, which is very cool, and for which I offer my sincere thanks. But given the FUBAR nature of file transfers, which seems to take up most of my time in 3D, why would I spend money on these products? As example, if the 3D Warehouse was a reliable source of models I would pay for it. But if it’s just another random collection of who knows what, even free is almost too high a price.

What I personally do doesn’t matter at all as I’m just one person. But literally thousands of people are making this decision. They try 3D, see how FUBAR it is, and decide not to pay for it. And then all that money which isn’t spent by potential customers never gets invested in making better 3D products. This effects the experts too. Failing to standardize is not a savvy move.

Blaming the user all day long on every 3D site for the failures of the 3D industry to standardize may be an emotionally satisfying game for some, but it will never solve any of these problems. Users didn’t create the FUBAR nature of 3D, and they will never be able to solve it. Any notion that such issues can be resolved by lecturing novices one by one by one by one etc is just um, unproductive.

All that said, I agree that everyone is entitled to express their point of view, and if anyone wishes to entertain themselves with the blame the user game, ok, go for it, no problem. But what usually happens in these kind of threads is that once folks see that their blame the user philosophies will not survive critical scrutiny, they pick up their toys, stomp off and go home. Ok, so be it, to each their own.

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Don’t worry I won’t be stomping off, but I certainly won’t bother clicking on any of your threads in future. I’m sure that will please you no end.