The 3D Importer Add-On in the Spotlight

Import and add 3D objects of your choice to your set.a.light 3D projects and expand your set design possibilities to infinity. Import for example furniture, decorative elements or even entire houses. This way you can make your setups even more realistic and perfectly match your needs.

It finally arrived – 3D Importer can be used in our Community!

From now on you can publish setups in which you have used your own 3D objects in the set.a.light 3D community. The 3D objects contained in the setup are not uploaded to the community and therefore not published. So you don’t have to worry about the legal situation of the objects – while still inspire and learn from other setalighters. They can view your work and even download and open the setup – but the 3D objects will be replaced by placeholders (hint signs).

Get Up and Share your ideas, inspire others and exchange ideas with the community!

How does the 3D Importer work?

set.a.light 3D analyzes the 3D model during the import and automates e.g. the import and the assignment of the textures (The automatic import and assignment of the textures is however only possible if the object was created correctly). set.a.light 3D relieves you of as much work as possible, so that ideally you only have to set the materials.

Import 3D Object

Click on “Import” in the “My Library” tab, in the file browser that opens you can now select the object to be imported.

The following file formats can be interpreted by set.a.light:
.fbx, .obj, .dea, 3ds, .lwo, .ply, .stl, .gltf und .glb
→ Recommendation: .fbx, .obj and .dea.

After set.a.light 3D has imported and converted the object, you will find yourself in the 3D Importer. Depending on the size of the object and the textures it may contain, the process may take some time.

Export objects (*.myassets)

Objects located in “My Library” can be exported individually or as a selection (multiple selection).

This way you can share your objects with other set.a.light 3D users.

Note: You cannot export objects to use them in other 3D programs. This is a set.a.light 3D internal data format.

This is how it works:
Select the desired object or select multiple objects by holding down the CTRL key. Then click on the export icon on the left.
In the file browser you can enter a name and save it. The file extension is *.myassets.

You can give this file e.g. to other set.a.light 3D owners, so that they can import your objects. This is especially important if you give someone a setup (*.set file) in which you have used your own 3D objects.
Own 3D objects are NOT embedded in a *.set file!

User Interface

1. Set name of the object
2. Adjust size
3. Object orientation in the room
4. Positioning in the room
5. List of materials
6. Switching the view between preview and rendering
7. 3D navigation

Set materials and shaders

You can select a material in two ways. Click on the desired material in the material list (5) on the left, or click directly on the desired area of the 3D object (in the viewport).

When selecting the material, the area of the material is briefly indicated by a yellow light, so you can better see which area the material covers.

Each material can be set for itself. When you have selected a material, the editor for the material opens.

1. Shader selection
2. Selection of color map and color setting
3. Selection of the normal map
4. Selection of the smoothness map (Roughness-, Smoothness Map)

Select the appropriate shader (1):
You can choose between Standard, Transparent, Cutout and Hair. Depending on the type of object/material, a different shader with different properties is required. You can find a description of each shader HERE.

Import Color Texture and select it (2):
It is possible to import textures with a resolution of up to 8K (8096 px). We recommend using textures with up to 2K (2048 px), as this will reduce the load on the RAM of the graphics card and thus the software will work more performantly.

Select texture:

Normal (3):
The normal map describes the structure of the surface that also influences the light. Often a normal map looks optically blue. This is a quick way to recognize it (in addition to the name).

You can import the normal map in the same way as the color map before.

Glossiness Map (4):
If the object provides a gloss map, it can be imported and applied. With the “Smoothness” slider, the intensity of the gloss can be adjusted.

Evaluate 3D model:

To better see how the individual maps work and how to set their intensity, you can change the display mode between “Preview” and “Render” in the upper right corner.

Import Finalize:

When you are satisfied with the settings, you can “Apply” the object and use it in set.a.light 3D.

You will find the new object in “My Library” as the last entry. You can sort the list by grabbing the object with the mouse and moving it to the new position.

Edit object:

If you want to edit an object later, you can select it in your library and choose “Edit object” in the upper left corner. The familiar 3D importer will open. Here you can edit all settings and apply them at the end.

Remember: If you edit an object in the 3D Importer, it will later be displayed in the updated form in all previously created images.

Where can I get 3D Objects?

We recommend these two portals:

https://www.cgtrader.com/ | https://www.turbosquid.com/

You can also find a gigantic number of free objects on both portals 😉.

Ready to Level Up your set.a.light 3D?

You want to get started on realizing an almost endless variety of creative ideas in set.a.light 3D. Creating set designs just the way you want with your own 3D objects? Then it is finally time to get the Add-On and let your imagination run wild, start now and build your own 3D library.

Grab your Add-On HERE.

Website: www.elixxier.com/en/
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This post is also available in: German