Problem importing fact files from FormZ 7

[rodlord]

I have just upgraded from a G4 to a Mac Pro with Mountain Lion and from FormZ 4 to 7. Although I had purchased the EIAS 6.5 upgrade some years back I have still been using 5.5 till recently when I upgraded to 9 in the hope of retiring all the old kit.

 

But now it's looking as if I can't do that unless someone can help me out please.

 

Today for the first time with the new system I needed to export a model from FormZ for use in EIAS. I have been used to running all .FAC files exported from FormZ through Transporter to achieve a .FACT with geometry that EIAS can actually do something with. But on investigation and reading the forum I discovered that Transporter is no longer part of the package and that the direct EIAS object import can now apparently do what is needed.

 

But when I imported the FormZ .FAC file using "add FACT files" all I got was an extents box. All the names in the hierarchy but no geometry. So then I tried "import FACT models". From a 1.4 Mb original file this produced a 39 Kb file, with once again several listed object groups bearing no relation to the original group and object structure. And once again, no geometry - not even a bounding box.

 

So I had to start up my old G4, stick it back on the network, copy the FormZ .FAC over to it, run it through Transporter 5.5.3 to produce a 1.2 Mb .FACT, copy that back to the Mac Pro, and import it into EIAS 9 using "add FACT files".

 

Quite a performance - but I did now have the geometry exactly as I expected to find it - and was able to use it for rendering.

 

My question now is - can I get hold of a version of Transporter or something similar that will run in Mountain Lion, or do I have to keep my old G4 running just to do this ?

 

OR ...

 

... can I get the EIAS 9 model import to work properly ?

 

I can't figure out what I can do differently with the "import" option to actually produce a hierarchy and geometry that I expect to see.

 

I do hope someone can help out here because I don't really want to have to keep the old G4 hangin' in here for ever just to do this job !

[Tomas Egger]

Ola Rod,

 

Please, send your FACT file to me, tom@eias3d.com

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[rodlord]

OK - thanks Tomas - I will do that shortly.

[Tomas Egger]

Ola Rod!

 

 

The problem is simple, Its a FormZ issue.

When you export from FormZ, go to the Option buttons and check “Triangulate All Facetted”

 

Then you will import in EIAS correctly.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[GeordieJames]

Hi Rod

 

I upgraded to FZ7 a while back and instantly found issues with the fact export. Its been reported and they will be updating it in the next bug fix release....which is taking an age to come out probably because they have a lot of work to fix their component system which is very buggy (found that out some time into a complex nested project !!!).

 

As Tomas says for now you can force the export to work correctly by checking the 'triangulate all facetted' option.

 

I do get differing export results from FZ6.5 to FZ7 so I have both versions running just in case.

 

Cheers

 

James

[rodlord]

Thanks James.

 

I didn't follow up on the "triangulate all" solution because although I often actually need rectangular meshes and grids I didn't want to get too bogged down in a side issue. I decided I would just have to find ways round those issues when I bump into them.

 

I suppose FormZ fact export was flaky anyway in my old version, which is why I ended up always putting stuff through Transporter as a matter of course.

 

I think I will keep one of the old machines running just for Transporter until it looks as if things are improved.

 

I don't suppose there is a version of Transporter that runs on Mountain Lion ?

 

I have searched but not found anything.

 

Thanks

 

Rod