HOW-TO: Use skinned meshes in Blender

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Importing and exporting skinned meshes for REDkit and Blender.

1. Export .fbx file from REDkit

Entity Templates which you can find in the The Witcher 3’s REDkit have a skinned model with textures and a skeleton. To export an Entity Template, right-click on it in the Asset Browser and choose Export Asset.

It will be then exported in a .fbx file format.

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2. Importing .fbx to Blender

There is a coordinate system differences between the REDkit and Blender.

That’s why when importing FBX files to Blender you need to make sure to correctly set the Primary Bone Axis and Secondary Bone Axis. The Y and X coordinates needs to be swapped so that the result is:

• Primary = X Axis

• Secondary = Y Axis

A skinned mesh has embedded materials with textures and a skeleton.

If you want to import an animation on the skinned mesh, then you have to open the context menu for the mesh / object which you are editing and select Replace animation from an .re file (remove bones).

When the importing dialog pops up,

If the animation which you want to apply is an animation exported from REDkit, it is always recommended to select the Reset bone rolls and Rotate imported object around Z axis options in the General settings tab.

This'll help to prevent the object from being rotated from the inside out.

3. Exporting .fbx from Blender

Skinned meshes and animations need to be exported from Blender separately. A skinned mesh with textures and skeleton is exported into an .fbx file. It requires specific settings. Make sure to set:

• Primary Bone Axis = X Axis

• Secondary Bone Axis = -Y Axis

Leaf bones are not required so you should tick the Only Deform Bones option. See the recommended settings on the screen below:

4. Importing .fbx to REDkit

Importing an .fbx skinned mesh file back into the Editor can be done via the Asset Browser.

Right-click on the background to open the context menu and select Import > Mesh.

REDkit can parse .xml metadata files to specify which material and textures need to be replaced. These files are created in while you export the skinned mesh in the same folder as the .fbx file.

This .xml file can be used for controlling the material and texture replacements while importing a skinned mesh in the Editor. An .xml file example:

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You might also want to check:

• HOW-TO: Use animations in REDkit and Blender