Importing and Exporting COLLADA Files

COLLADA is an XML-based digital asset exchange (*.dae) schema designed to transport data between 3D content creation tools. A more complete definition can be found on the COLLADA web site. COLLADA is primarily targeted for the exchange of assets in a game pipeline, but it can be used in any area of 3D content creation that requires an intermediate format and good tool interoperability.

You can import and export files saved to the COLLADA file format natively in Softimage. You can import COLLADA 1.4.0 and 1.4.1. On export, only COLLADA 1.4.1 is supported.

Importing COLLADA

Choose File Crosswalk Import from the main menu.
Set the parameters in the Import Crosswalk Options Dialog Box [Properties Reference}.
Specify the path and file name for the COLLADA file being imported. Click the Browse (...) button to select a specific location and filename from a browser.
Click Import. The imported scene's contents are added as a model under the current scene.

Exporting COLLADA

You can export a single object, multiple-selected objects, or the entire scene to a COLLADA file. All objects are exported to a single file with the *.dae extension.

NoteUnsupported objects are exported as null with the element name for reference purposes.

Choose File Crosswalk Export from the main menu.
Set the parameters in the Export Crosswalk Options Dialog Box [Properties Reference}.
Specify the path and the file name for the COLLADA file being exported. Click the Browse (...) button to select a specific location and filename from a browser.
Make sure the Format field specifies COLLADA 1.4.1.
Click Export.

Usage Scenarios

The following scenarios represent the ways in which you would typically use COLLADA with Softimage:

Scenario	Description
Softimage and the Game Pipeline	The COLLADA exporter allows the game developer to take content created in Softimage and export it in a COLLADA file that can then be used and processed in a game pipeline. The basic elements primarily are supported, such as hierarchies, geometries, material and effect assignments, skinning, and transformation animation. In the area of effects, support for the Sony PS3 environment is enhanced by the integration of the CG profile of the COLLADA FX specification in Softimage shader nodes and in the COLLADA converters.
Migrating Existing dotXSI Game Pipelines to COLLADA	The integration of COLLADA in the Crosswalk SDK provides current users of the dotXSI file format a smooth transition to COLLADA. By subclassing the existing dotXSI classes and reusing the same libraries and the same import/export tools the transition to COLLADA is essentially transparent when using Softimage. As a result, tools that currently compile with the Crosswalk SDK only require very small updates to use COLLADA as the file format.
Softimage and Interoperability with Other Digital Content Creation Tools	The COLLADA exporter and importer in Softimage allow you to exchange 3D data with any digital content creation tool that supports the following versions of COLLADA: On import, both COLLADA 1.4.0 and 1.4.1 are supported. On export, only COLLADA 1.4.1 is supported.

Scenario

Description

Softimage and the Game Pipeline

The COLLADA exporter allows the game developer to take content created in Softimage and export it in a COLLADA file that can then be used and processed in a game pipeline. The basic elements primarily are supported, such as hierarchies, geometries, material and effect assignments, skinning, and transformation animation. In the area of effects, support for the Sony PS3 environment is enhanced by the integration of the CG profile of the COLLADA FX specification in Softimage shader nodes and in the COLLADA converters.

Migrating Existing dotXSI Game Pipelines to COLLADA

The integration of COLLADA in the Crosswalk SDK provides current users of the dotXSI file format a smooth transition to COLLADA. By subclassing the existing dotXSI classes and reusing the same libraries and the same import/export tools the transition to COLLADA is essentially transparent when using Softimage. As a result, tools that currently compile with the Crosswalk SDK only require very small updates to use COLLADA as the file format.

Softimage and Interoperability with Other Digital Content Creation Tools

The COLLADA exporter and importer in Softimage allow you to exchange 3D data with any digital content creation tool that supports the following versions of COLLADA:

On import, both COLLADA 1.4.0 and 1.4.1 are supported.
On export, only COLLADA 1.4.1 is supported.

Extras

COLLADA uses a special XML element named extra to store information that is not used in a specific 3d content creation package. For Softimage, there are two types of extra elements that are supported by the COLLADA converters:

When Softimage-specific information is exported to a COLLADA file, it is written to extra elements under the XSI technique profile.
User data that originated outside of Softimage is stored in extra elements under a foreign profile (that is, the XSI technique profile is not used). When these data are imported into Softimage, they are persisted as opaque user data blobs in the Softimage scene and are restored on export.

Example: Softimage data exported to COLLADA extra element

In this example, a scene node has the full Softimage transformation data as well as visibility flags and global material assignment data in the Softimage extra:

<extra>
	<technique profile="XSI">
		<SI_Visibility>TRUE</SI_Visibility>
		<XSI_Transform>
0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 XYZ 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 TRUE 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 
0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 
0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 1.000000 
1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
			<XSI_Limit>"posx" FALSE 0.000000 FALSE 0.000000</XSI_Limit>
			<XSI_Limit>"posy" FALSE 0.000000 FALSE 0.000000</XSI_Limit>
			<XSI_Limit>"posz" FALSE 0.000000 FALSE 0.000000</XSI_Limit>
			<XSI_Limit>"rotx" FALSE 0.000000 FALSE 0.000000</XSI_Limit>
			<XSI_Limit>"roty" FALSE 0.000000 FALSE 0.000000</XSI_Limit>
			<XSI_Limit>"rotz" FALSE 0.000000 FALSE 0.000000</XSI_Limit>
		</XSI_Transform>
		<SI_GlobalMaterial>"check3d" "NODE"</SI_GlobalMaterial>
	</technique>
</extra>

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License