The script requires the plugin,
Clintons3dPlugin. This can also be found on the persistent install scripts page.
Requires OD_CopyPasteExternal. https://heimlich1024.github.io/OD_CopyPasteExternal/
Installation:
- install the persistent base if not already installed
- drag the node into the link editor and press the install button
- remove the node from the scene after install is complete
Blender Installation
- Edit > Preferences...
- Add-ons
- Install Add-on from install button at the top
- choose BLENDER_ExportToExternal.py, and check the box
- choose BLENDER_PasteFromExternal.py, and check the box
- click Save User Settings button
- copy and paste will be found in the Object menu
Blender 4.3 Installation
- Edit > Preferences...
- Add-ons
- Dropdown list upper right, choose "Install from Disk..."
- navigate to Blender310 folder
- choose BLENDER_ExportToExternal.py
- press the "Install from Disk" button
- Clear the search bar
- Repeat steps 3,4 and 5 but for BLENDER_PasteFromExternal.py
- The Object menu now has "Copy to External" and "Paste from External"
Copy to External:
- Transfer Morphs - copy and paste morphs
- Transfer UVs - copy and paste uv values
- Copy to External - write the selected mesh data to the temp file
Paste/New from External:
- Transfer Morphs - copy and paste morphs
- Transfer UVs - copy and paste uv values
- Morph Start, Morph End - range of morphs to paste in
- Use Advanced Morph Range - activate the advanced morph range input
- Advanced Morph Range - use a combination of numbers and ranges of numbers seperated by commas
ex: "1,3,7,25-33,42" => load morph numbers 1,3,7,42 and 25 to 33
- Paste from External - read mesh data from the temp file replacing the selected mesh.
If the selected object is not a simple mesh a new mesh will be created.
- New from External - create a new mesh
Animation:
- Loop Frames - will copy the first morph to the end for a looping animation
- Interval - number of frames between keys in the sequence
- Create Morph Animation - create a sequencial animation from the morphs of the selected object
Basic Usage:
- select a mesh
- press the button to open the copy paste panel
- choose options for morphs and UVs
- copy to external
- paste into and edit in a compatible 3d program then copy out of the application
- paste from external
Notes:
- autofacet normals of 30 deg is applied to the pasted mesh - mesh normals are not included in the copy paste toolset
- Morph Start and End are used to limit the number of morphs that will be created inside the trueSpace object.
- Morph Start of 1 corresponds to the first shape key inside Blender after the Basis shape key entry.
- If any morph is named "Morph" inside tS it will need to be renamed before running a paste operation.
- material indices will transfer and simple solid materials with random colors will be assigned when pasting
if the target item does not already have corresponding materials
- Create Morph Animation is for reading in a sequence of morphs as a single animation expression.
Morphs can be used as a means to read vertex animation in the form of a series of morphs.
- Use the interpolation tools to set the keyframes as linear type for the best result
- Anim view DopeSheet or FCurve - select "Vertex morphs"
- RClick toolbar button to open the panel
- Type: choose Linear interpolation in the dropdown
- press Select All
- press Set Interpolation
- Does not support Weightmaps
- Does not support SubD and Subpatch, only the cage polygons of the SDS will import and export
- Does not support Lightwave style UV's
- Might be limited to 15000 vertices if 2 uv channels and 30000 vertices if 1 uv channel
Morph names
The morph names may be too long to see in the default tS morph panel.
- Open the Link Editor to the "Vertex morphs" node inside the pasted object
- choose the Default panel, right click the title to start the editor
- select the "Del" button and shift drag on the right to make it bigger - this step is to avoid a super tiny Add button later
- select the top scrubber and shift drag it's left side to make them smaller
- work your way to the left, selecting and shift dragging to resize the inputs until the names are big enough
- Right click the title and choose "Replace"
Old Video Demo
November 29, 2024
- fix bug - can now import morphs to an object that already has morphs
- split the ui into 3 panels - easier to understand
- new advanced range input option
- animation creates a new track/clip so it can be run more than once on the same object
October 8, 2024
- load on demand style installer
- update UI from UU
- new icon design
- pick range of morph indices to load in
- status bar indicator for morph imports
- opens in a floating panel
- installer updates the uu button command and icon
- warning question if try to import more than 99 morph targets
- improve appearance while importing morph targets
May 17, 2023
- increase paste speed
- status line feedback
- new installer
February 24, 2018
- persistent install v2 compatible
- compatible with new batch installer
January 25, 2018
- persistent install
- check for lights and cameras
- check for valid mesh node