So, after some tutorials and googling, I'm trying to import one of the sample files in to Blender. The file I select shows up to the upper right in the outliner, but is not visible in the "world", I haven't figured out why yet and any assistance would be appreciated.
I don't know how familiar you are with Blender, but have you tried hitting the "home" key on your keyboard? Sometimes the samples we download are in a higher area than on the ground and they are out of view. Hitting the "home" key will adjust your camera/view on the center of the object.
I'm only as familiar as the first few video tutorials they offer would take me, I wanted to start playing with this sample SOE provides, but when I import the object, there is nothing visible. Home key does nothing for me here, so that must not be it. I hit: File > import > Wavefront(.obj) > (my file I'm trying to import), then it shows the file over to the right in the "outliner" but it isn't visible in the world for me to manipulate
The .obj files are enormous in Blender. The head and helmet have their object origin on the 'floor' and they are way up there in the sky. The default camera view leaves you thinking, 'where is it?'. A quick 'geometry to origin' fixes that. I did need to drastically move and scale it to look at and mess with it. I'd be mindful to try and set your final submission up in the same way though (origin on the floor and helmet in the position and scale the sample was).
Thank you as well Magnus, you are exactly correct in what I experienced with the file. Now I'm getting used to scaling and moving things before I start yanking some vertices and polys around. If I can just figure out how to save the .obj file I should be on my way.
Right on. In Blender use File -> Save and I'd use a new file name. I usually end up with 10-12 versions of the same file as I progress. Just so I can get back to a version if I go too far and need to return to something.
Just a note, if you're using Blender and want the proportions to import more accurately for your Grid Floor (such as imported objects viewing as immensely huge), set your Scale to 50.00, then do your .obj import. This makes your Blender view more proportional to the size of the imported .obj. I can't tell you if this effects the export, I haven't made anything worthy of submission yet. Don't think it would though, as you're not exporting in Blender format, you're just exporting the .obj.