@lorel

Hi Lorel,

The 3DS file format is a legacy from 3d Studio Max, which was a popular 3D modelling and animation software acquired by Autodesk some time ago (decades ago). Most software developers have migrated to other popular file formats like .obj and others. Thankfully, Blender's open-source developers reinstated the format after it went missing for a couple of years. The 3D software Cheetah 3D (mac only) also supports the 3ds format and has a more direct workflow for preparing 3ds files for Isadora.

Your issue is this:

When importing .3ds files into Isadora, the 3D geometry does not automatically embed its image textures. To ensure your model does not appear blank, you must export an image file—typically a JPG or PNG—alongside the 3D geometry file from Blender. For Isadora to read and link the texture to the 3D mesh, both the .3ds file and the image file must be in the same folder. If they are separated, the file paths will break, and Isadora will fail to locate and render the texture on your object.

Once the 3D model is in the Isadora scene editor, you are not locked into the original texture exported from Blender. You can swap it for any other image file from your media bin by linking a Picture actor or Movie Player actor directly to the 3D player actor's texture input. This lets you dynamically replace the surface appearance of your geometry in real time, making it easy to cycle through different graphics, colours, or live video feeds without re-exporting the 3D mesh.

The 3D Light Orientation actor manages the illumination of 3D objects (your .3ds models) in the Isadora Scene Editor by altering the position, angle, and properties of a virtual light source. Instead of moving the 3D model itself, this actor allows you to shift how light hits the geometry using a specific set of XYZ inputs.

demo

Best Wishes,

Russell

@bonemap Woland said you're the 3D expert but I’m open to anyone for advice!

Woland really kindly built me this patch. It’s for a greenscreen installation where you can add “stickers” of 3d animals with different backgrounds. I can’t seem to get the lighting right. I’m exporting different hedgehogs from blender with edits to its material but no matter what I do the light in the Isadora 3d player seems to blow it out or barely make it visible. I am ok with turning lighting off for the different animals but it would obviously be cooler to have a bit of overhead light.

I’m a little experienced with blender but never heard of a 3ds file before this. I have the blender addon meant for autodesk to just be able to export them if that helps. I’m not sure which end the issue is on.

Hedgehog blender file

Hedgehog 3ds file

bwsphotorama_as_260912_130753.izz

@jfg said:

Where the gate input of the Gate Actor is set to initialize as off

 I forgot to mention this in my last post. Thank you @jfg !

my proposition:

Where the gate input of the Gate Actor is set to initialize as off

@dillthekraut

Until someone has another advice I will go this way:

@dusx

Thanks, I was excited to hear about this actor, but then I saw this in it's help text:
"Take note that upon entering a scene, the current value of 'value in' will be sent to the 'out' output, and the 'trigger' output will fire. This ensures actors connected to this actor always have the correct value."

I tried it anyway, but to no avail.

@dillthekraut said:

My intuitive solution would be, to build a mechanism which catches the first user input update, after scene activation and only allows updates to the selector after this first one.But maybe there is some basic, more general solution to it I don't know and which you can tell me about?

 I think you might want to add a 'Value Changed' actor into the mix. 

@3perf
The ISO / ANSI standardizations are probably as well the reason, why you aren't getting the same numbers the manufactures propagate. As you are not using the distinctive measurement standards as they are defined. In the end, these numbers are only meant to have the possibility of a basic comparison between different devices, not exactly a quality aspect. It is kind like the PS/kw for cars.

Since the switch from conventional lights to laser and LED sources, some manufactures tend to push the power of their devices above the advertised Lumens, to compensate the loss of brightness (aging) over the much longer live expectancy (20 000 hours fixed light source vs. 2000 hours changeable conventional bulbs).

@jerryk00

There is more to this nowadays!
A couple of years ago ANSI was the value, most projector manufacturer used to define their light output level. Only a couple others already used ISO. Both stand for different standardization organizations (one might know them for keyboard layout and especially ISO for many other standardizations). In the case of projections, they are two different definitions on how to measure and define the average light output on a specific surface. As a white light output might differ on a square screen (higher brightness on the center, dimmer to the edges), the ANSI and ISO standards define different key aspects to get the average lux values of a light source, based on the reflections of a square meter of screen. As these standards are different, they are not directly comparable!
Nowadays most professional manufactures moved to ISO standard which are more strict and therefore result in lower numbers compared to the ANSI Lumen levels of the same device! Therefore you need to double check, which numbers (ANSI or ISO) are used by the advertisement (specs) of the specific projectors! This sometimes is difficult to find. If there is no standard named at all (Or "standard Lumens"), mostly ISO is meant. 

https://en.heimkinowelten.de/d...

@mark_m

Second this. I generally prefer properly wired connections, as wireless can never be as reliable. But there are scenarios.
We do that a lot at our theater in both directions, from wireless camera connections to free movable displays as a sink. Just now for a production we got a freely movable multi display platform, which gets its feed from two our Teradek bolt 4K lt 750. But it needs quite some experience and knowledge to navigate the caveats.
E.g. an issue to be aware of, can be the 5Ghz Wifi Networks in the same room. Especially if you go to have wireless (NDI) streams from a mobile device in the same frequency bands. As the Teradek doesn't recognize existing wifi networks, they just overpower them if on the same channel. This needs proper channel management, especially in Europe where most of the 5Ghz channels are DFS (radar saved) channels, leaving only two fixed channels for two wireless sets.
Therefore, if it doesn't need to be second hand for budged reasons, I very much recommend the 6Ghz versions.
For indoor usage, I can recommend the Mushroom Antennas as an upgrade. They are available for both Ghz variants and added connection stability for us big time. We don't have any experience with the internal antenna variant though.