blender Star Wars question

[Star Wars Guy]

I was wondering how you import multiple meshes into blender at the same time. I got some Star Wars meshes off the internet and I know how to animate, but my problem is every time I open my x-wing mesh, and then my star destroyer mesh, the x-wing mesh dissapeers. I would like the x-wing to fly by the destroyer. but I cant figure out how to get them together.

[spudmonkey]

I'm sure you can import both at the same time, though I don't use Blender myself. Normally you have a merge or import option in addition to open and those other options are what you need. Open one model, then use import or merge to bring the other model into the same scene

[Star Wars Guy]

Thanks for the reply. I tried that but same problem. Maybe Ill post a video on you tube to show my problem

Never mind. It worked. thanks for the advise. woo hoo.

[Sphynx]

If one disappears as another is loaded, it usually means that either :

i. you are allowing the new mesh to be imported onto the layer from which it was originally saved. If this is the case, make sure that you opt to load the new mesh into the current layer. This is usually mainly a problem on Append operations however, as opposed to imports.

ii. Your two meshes are of very different scales, and the scene is reorienting itself to the scale of the new mesh. This might be even more true if the meshes have come from different sources and are not true to the original design's scale in the first place. If this is the case, it may be that you need to rescale your meshes and/or reset your view so that you see them both.

In this later case, you may also need to set your camera limits accordingly as well - by zooming into one mesh, the other mesh may go beyond the visible limits of your current camera.

[D.M.J.]

It might also help to remember that you don't actually have to have the models open at the same time - Rendering separately and combining the results in an image editor like Photoshop gives you even greater control.

While that might not help in this particular circumstance, it always helps to remember that there's more than one way to skin a cat. Or shave a Wookiee. Depending on preference.

[Star Wars Guy]

Ok, not working again. First off, What do VRML 1.0, DFX, and STL mean. Secondly, now when I import a ship. and then try and import another using the VRML 1.0 import, The only thing that shows up is the star destroyer.
Example: If I import a tie fighter, then import the x-wing. instead of the x-wing showing up, the star destroyer does. Help?

[D.M.J.]

VRML - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(excerpt)
VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language, pronounced vermal or by its initials, originally (before 1995) known as the Virtual Reality Markup Language) is a standard file format for representing 3-dimensional (3D) interactive vector graphics, designed particularly with the World Wide Web in mind.

STL (file format - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
(excerpt)
STL is a file format native to the stereolithography CAD software created by 3D Systems. This file format is supported by many other software packages; it is widely used for rapid prototyping and computer-aided manufacturing.


.DFX File Extension - AutoCAD 3d/CAD graphics
This one is pretty sparse, it's an AutoCAD file type apparently.

They're file formats. Ways of storing models as data.

Are you sure you're using the right tools for the job? What file formats are the models you're trying to open? Those seem like pretty obscure and specialist formats for models!

Google is your friend!

[Star Wars Guy]

The models I am trying to open are not those formats. In blender those are the import and export options. The models I am trying to open are .blend files. But. The problem is I can not Import two .blend files. Because when I do, the first one dissapeers. I think a tutorial on importing multiple meshes should be made Google is my friend, agreed, but I have googled every variation of "Importing multiple meshes into blender." and nothing has come up. I guess I will keep trying.

[BoogerMc]

Open one of your files, preferably the largest one. Then append, do not import, the next file. The problem you seem to be having might be related to where the original objects are in their own files compared to where you want them to be in the new file.

Example, if you have a STD which is entirely on the #1 layer and you append a X-wing which is entirely on the #10 layer, you will only see the ship on the layer you currnetly have selected. In order to bring both ships together, you can either select one of them and move it to the other's layer, or simply hold the "SHIFT" button down and select both layers to display both ships.

Open each file seperatly and determine where everything is located. Then when you open and append, you will know which layers to look for for your ships.

One other problem you may be having, check to see that the entire ship is a single object, if it is not, you may be only appending (or in your case importing) a portion of the object instead of the entire object, which would give the appearance of the ship disappearing. If his is the case, in the original file, copy each piece and move it to a new layer where there are no other objects, then join the new pieces as one unit, it would be wise to rename it to make it easier to find later.

If you have anymore trouble, let us know and we'll be glad to help.

[Star Wars Guy]

More questions. My x-wing mesh is made up of nine layers. lights and camera #1, then wings as the number two layer, ect. In photoshop you can merge layers. Is this possible in blender?
Second question. When I append, do click mesh and then load library. Or do I pick one of the other options like scene?

Thanks for all your patience and help everyone