CrazyRenamer

Case #2:

Problem:

In the project, detailed collisions are created using primitives, and each primitive must be named according to its shape (box, cylinder, capsule, sphere, convex). Since there are often many objects, it takes a lot of time to manually rename them.

Thus, a request was made for a tool that would automatically detect the type of collision for all objects in the scene and apply the correct naming convention.

Solution:

Our team developed a tool for renaming objects based on predefined regular expressions.

For different collision types, artists can specify their own “suffix,” and the name format can be set in a special field (e.g., col_{BASE}_{TYPE}.{NUM}). As a result, after selecting all the objects and clicking the “rename” button, the names are updated accordingly.

Nanite Optimizer

Case #3:

Problem:

The project we are working on is transitioning to Nanite technology, which often requires the use of tools for automatic polygon reduction (such as Decimation Master in ZBrush). However, after reduction, the models often contain various “problematic” polygons (inverted triangles, overly thin or stretched polygons, etc.), which have to be identified and fixed manually.

This led to the need for a tool that can automatically identify “broken” polygons and, ideally, fix them immediately.

Solution:

The solution was an add-on (Nanite Optimizer) that allows to identify decimation artifacts based on specific parameters (such as creases, long thin triangles, or triangles with near-zero area). Additionally, the add-on can fix some of these issues automatically, which can significantly speed up the cleanup process for large-scale models.

Soft/Hard Edge Recovery

Case #1:

Problem:

In one of the projects, final models had to be assembled in Maya. However, since each artist worked in their preferred software (such as Blender or 3ds Max) and only after that transferred everything to Maya, it became problematic to make changes to geometry and shading in the final scene (due to missing soft/hard edges and locked normals).

This led to a request for a “button” that would restore soft/hard edges on models and preserve the configured shading if the artist had previously adjusted normals manually (which is especially important for mid-poly models).

Solution:

The tech art team developed a script that restores soft/hard edges in Maya based on the shading, in cases where normals were locked.

By default, the script preserves the model's original shading (e.g., if it was set manually in another software). However, the user can unlock or edit any vertex normals if they wish to adjust the shading.

Importantly, this script allows to “restore” models even with very high polycount (e.g., models for Nanites) in a reasonable time. Processing takes from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, even for very complex models.

In one of the projects, final models had to be assembled in Maya. However, since each artist worked in their preferred software (such as Blender or 3ds Max) and only after that transferred everything to Maya, it became problematic to make changes to geometry and shading in the final scene (due to missing soft/hard edges and locked normals).

This led to a request for a “button” that would restore soft/hard edges on models and preserve the configured shading if the artist had previously adjusted normals manually (which is especially important for mid-poly models).

The tech art team developed a script that restores soft/hard edges in Maya based on the shading, in cases where normals were locked.

By default, the script preserves the model's original shading (e.g., if it was set manually in another software). However, the user can unlock or edit any vertex normals if they wish to adjust the shading.

Importantly, this script allows to “restore” models even with very high polycount (e.g., models for Nanites) in a reasonable time. Processing takes from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, even for very complex models.

In the project, detailed collisions are created using primitives, and each primitive must be named according to its shape (box, cylinder, capsule, sphere, convex). Since there are often many objects, it takes a lot of time to manually rename them.

Thus, a request was made for a tool that would automatically detect the type of collision for all objects in the scene and apply the correct naming convention.

Solution:

Our team developed a tool for renaming objects based on predefined regular expressions.

For different collision types, artists can specify their own “suffix,” and the name format can be set in a special field (e.g., col_{BASE}_{TYPE}.{NUM}). As a result, after selecting all the objects and clicking the “rename” button, the names are updated accordingly.

The project we are working on is transitioning to Nanite technology, which often requires the use of tools for automatic polygon reduction (such as Decimation Master in ZBrush). However, after reduction, the models often contain various “problematic” polygons (inverted triangles, overly thin or stretched polygons, etc.), which have to be identified and fixed manually.

This led to the need for a tool that can automatically identify “broken” polygons and, ideally, fix them immediately.

The solution was an add-on (Nanite Optimizer) that allows to identify decimation artifacts based on specific parameters (such as creases, long thin triangles, or triangles with near-zero area).

Additionally, the add-on can fix some of these issues automatically, which can significantly speed up the cleanup process for large-scale models.