RapidPipeline for Blender

An introduction on how to use the RapidPipeline Blender Add-On coming with powerful 3D Processor Features.

Basic Usage

info

For installation instructions please refer to the RapidPipeline for Blender Reference Docs.

caution

Looking for the classic Blender Add-On Tutorials using 3D Processor Settings (Optimize, 3DEdit, etc.)?
Please refer to the new Expert Mode Section.

Invoking the Add-On

The Add-On window is accessed via a Sidebar on the right side of the 3D Viewport.

• The hotkey n toggles the visibility of the Sidebar.

• The width of the Add-On window can be resized by dragging on the left edge.

Import a 3D or CAD Model

1. In the 3D Viewport open the Sidebar (default hotkey n) and choose RapidPipeline.
2. Select the Import 3D or CAD File button.
3. Choose from one of the available importer actions.
4. Browse for your file to import.
5. File is now imported into the scene. Note that CAD files are tessellated.
6. You can now further edit the imported assets with Processing Actions!

Processing a 3D Model or Scene

1. Open a model in Blender.
2. In the 3D Viewport open the Sidebar (default hotkey n) and choose RapidPipeline.
3. Select the mesh or meshes to be processed.
4. Select the RapidPipeline Processing Action as desired.
5. Click the Run button.
   • The selected meshes are processed.
   • The source mesh is hidden and a new Collection is created for the results
     
     

Exporting a 3D Model

1. In the 3D Viewport open the Sidebar (default hotkey n) and choose RapidPipeline.
2. Select the Export button.
3. Depending on the 3D format to export you can set some settings and press save.

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tip

All Operations above are powered by the Actions Feature. Alternatively they can also be performed via the Expert Mode.

Within the latter 3D Processor Settings are exposed directly and can be (re-)utilized within other RapidPipeline Interfaces.

Blender Actions Guides

In the following you can find guides going through the usage of each RapidPipeline Action within the Blender Add-on:

Import CAD Format

Cleanup Mesh

Decimate and Bake Atlas

Remesh and Bake Holes

This tutorial contains these key points:
✔️ Use the Blender Add-On
✔️ Select a part
✔️ Run an Action
✔️ Examine the results

This tutorial shows how use the RapidPipeline Processor Add-On in Blender to simplify a 3D model, using an Action, optimizing parts with small holes using the Remesher. For more information see the Blender Add-On Documentation. The Add-On runs on a powerful 3D data optimization and automation toolset, for more about this see the 3D Processor Reference.

note

The asset used in this tutorial is a high-resolution wicker sofa model available free here from Sketchfab. Credits: "wicker sofa" (https://skfb.ly/prBJM) by Md Imamul Hasan is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

The wicker sofa input model.

The wicker sofa after processing the wicker.

The input wicker (top) is 811,008 triangles, and the output wicker (bottom) is 10,476 triangles.

The wicker has been remeshed, and textures were baked including an alpha map for the holes.


The remeshed wicker sofa (upper left), baked color (upper right), baked alpha (lower left), and baked normal (lower right).

Remesh and Bake Holes Action

1. First step is to make sure the RapidPipeline Processor Add-On for Blender is installed and ready to use.

2. Select the wicker mesh by clicking on it in the Main Window.

3. In the 3D Viewport open the Sidebar (default hotkey n) and choose RapidPipeline.

4. Choose the Action Remesh and Bake Holes.

5. Press the Run button.

Examine the Results

To see the triangle counts, turn on Statistics in the Blender viewport.

When the input wicker is selected, the total triangle count is 1,036,188 and the wicker alone is 811,008 triangles.

When the output wicker is selected, the total triangle count is 235,656 and the wicker alone is 10,476 triangles.

To examine the output in a web viewer, export a GLB file, then drag-and-drop into the glTF Sample Viewer. An exported GLB can also be uploaded to the RapidPipeline Web Platform for conversion into other formats, like USDz.

Next Steps

To optimize the cushions, try the Decimate Mesh action!

Remesh and Bake Decals

Remove Invisible Parts

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Expert Mode

Interface guide for the RapidPipeline Blender Add-On's Expert Mode.

How to run Expert Mode Operations

1. Open a model in Blender.
2. In the 3D Viewport open the Sidebar (default hotkey n) and choose RapidPipeline.
3. Switch UI modes by going to settings (gear icon) -> check Expert Mode -> Back button
4. Select the mesh or meshes to be processed.
5. Adjust the RapidPipeline settings as desired.
6. Click the Run button.
   • The selected meshes are processed.
   • The source mesh is hidden and a new Collection is created for the results
     
     

Settings Level

The amount of settings shown in the tabs can be quickly simplified.

• Basic: Basic settings are shown.

• Advanced: More settings are shown.

• Expert: All settings are shown.

Settings Tabs

The RapidPipeline Blender Add-On is powered by the RapidPipeline 3D Processor. Each of the settings are explained in the 3D Processor Settings Documentation. Look for the "In the Blender Add-On" tabs in each setting category.

• Import: Customize the file import process.

• Scene Graph Flattening: Control the scene graph, specifying how nodes are merged or kept.

• 3D Edit: Edit normals, scale, generate UVs, assign textures, center the model, and more.

• Mesh Culling: Removal of invisible interior geometry and/or small features.

• Optimize: Mesh and material optimization, including options for decimation, remeshing, texture atlas baking, UV aggregation, and more.

• Modifier: Optimize to a specific target, either file size or screen size.

• Export: Customize file export, formatting, and compression.

Function Buttons

• CAD Import: Import a CAD format asset into Blender using RapidPipeline 3D Processor.
  • This is available if you have a RapidPipeline CAD Edition plan, which extends CAD file support in RapidPipeline.
  • It prompts for a supported CAD format, then uses RapidPipeline 3D Processor to tesselate the model and import it into Blender.

• Load: Load a RapidPipeline Processor settings .json file.

  • All current settings are overridden by the loaded settings.
  • Settings must be in RapidPipeline 3D Processor 7.x format. Avoid legacy 6.x presets which may be present in your web platform account, these are indicated with the tag "Legacy".

• Save: Save the current settings as a RapidPipeline Processor settings .json file.

  • Saved settings can be shared with other team members.
  • Saved settings can be used in other interfaces for RapidPipeline 3D Processor: Web Platform, REST API, CLI, or the Blender Plugin.

• Defaults: Resets all settings in the current window to their default values.

• Help: A link to the tutorial documentation.

• About: Information on the current version, licenses, and a button to reset the RapidPipeline API Token.

• Run: Start processing selected objects using the current settings.

  • Once processing is complete, the source mesh is hidden, a new Collection is created for the result, and the result is selected.

tip

For a step-by-step usage guide see Blender Add-On Tutorial Remesher in Blender

Mesh Decimation with RapidPipeline

1. Load a Blender scene and open RapidPipeline Processor.
2. Navigate to the Optimize tab.
3. Select Enabled and Optimization Method.
4. Under Mesh and Material Optimization choose Decimator.
5. Under Target you can adjust the parameter of the decimation.
6. Select the Objects in the scene that should be decimated and click on Run.

Remeshing with RapidPipeline

This guide contains these key points:
✔️ Use the Blender Add-On
✔️ Create a Settings Preset Config
✔️ Remesh selected parts
✔️ Decimate the remaining parts
✔️ Export a GLB
✔️ Compare the results

This tutorial shows how use the RapidPipeline Processor Add-On in Blender to simplify a 3D model, optimizing parts with small holes using the Remesher, baking the holes into an alpha map, and decimating the rest of the model.

This tutorial makes use of the RapidPipeline Processor Add-On for Blender, for more information see the Blender Add-On Documentation. The Add-On runs on a powerful 3D data optimization and automation toolset, for more about this see the 3D Processor Reference.

Input model (left) has been remeshed, and textures were baked including an alpha map for the holes. Source model is 55mb with 1,036,188 triangles, and the optimized model is 4.8mb with 50,000 triangles.

This tutorial uses a high-resolution wicker sofa model available free here from Sketchfab. Credits: "wicker sofa" (https://skfb.ly/prBJM) by M I H is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Using the Remesher

1. First step is to complete the installation process to make sure the RapidPipeline Processor Add-On is installed and ready to use.
   
   
   

2. The remeshing will be done first, so select the wicker by clicking on it in the Main Window.
   
   
   

3. Turn on Statistics in the Blender viewport.
   
   
   

4. In the top left corner of the viewport, notice that the total triangle count is 1,036,188.
   
   
   

• The desired total for the optimized model is 50,000 triangles. At that resolution the model will be fairly compact but still retain significant detail from the original.

5. In the 3D Viewport open the Sidebar (default hotkey n) and choose RapidPipeline.
   
   
   

6. In the Optimize tab, turn on Enabled. This turns on decimation and remeshing.
   
   
   

7. Enable the 3D Model Optimization Method and set it to use Mesh and Material Optimization.
   
   
   

• Materials can be optimized alone, but in this case both the meshes and the materials need to be changed because the Remesher creates a whole new mesh and bakes textures from the source meshes onto the new mesh.

8. Set the Mesh and Material Optimization to Remesher.
   
   
   

9. Set the Remeshing Method to Shrinkwrap.
   
   
   

• The two remeshing methods Shrinkwrap and Voxelization produce different results, which can be leveraged in different situations.
• Shrinkwrap is generally better with mechanical shapes and hard angles, while Voxelization is better with organic meshes like clothing and characters.

10. In the Target secton set the Faces to Faces Value and type in 25000.
    
    
    

• The desired final triangle count for the entire sofa will be 50,000. The wicker can be limited to half of that, which ensures there will be enough resolution left for other half (fabric cushions).

tip

The Remesher Target is an upper limit. If the Remesher needs less triangles it will do this automatically, but it will never exceed this limit.

11. In the Material Merger section, set the Material Regenerator to Generate UV Atlas.
    
    
    

• The remesher will create a totally new mesh, and transfer the materials over from the source meshes. This setting tells RapidPipeline Processor to create UVs for this new mesh.

12. Make sure the Normal Map Baking Mode is set to always.
    
    
    

• This will bake a bump map to preserve the bevels and details from the source model.

13. Next to Ambient Occlusion Map Baker, turn on Enable.
    
    
    

• This will bake an ambient occlusion map for the new mesh, which also helps to preserve shading detail from the source meshes.

14. Enable the Texture Baking Resolution, and set the Default Texture Map Resolution to 4096.
    
    
    

• The original textures are 2k, but since we are replacing the detailed wicker mesh with an alpha texture, we want to make sure we have enough pixels for smooth edges. If this resolution isn't good enough, the RapidPipeline Processor can simply be re-run with a higher resolution.

15. The next setting Bake Topological Holes to Alpha Map is an advanced setting which is hidden by default. To expose this setting, go to the top of the UI and set the Settings Level to Expert. This exposes all available settings.
    
    
    

16. Scroll down to the Texture Baker section and enable the checkbox for Bake Topological Holes to Alpha Map.
    
    
    

• This will preserve the holes from the source meshes, by baking them into an alpha map for the new mesh, which is created by the Remesher.

17. Scroll to the top of the Remesher section, set the Resolution to 6.
    
    
    

• The Resolution usually needs to be fine-tuned to match the size of the holes in the source topology. It decides how fine the remesh grid will be, which affects whether the new mesh will cover or poke through the existing holes. The greater the Resolution, the sharper the corners will be, but also the more likely the new mesh will start to sink into the holes.

A demonstration of Shrinkwrap resolution values for the wicker part of the sofa.

tip

The upper resolutions for the Remesher are constrained by the Remesher Target value of 25,000 faces, which was set earlier. If higher resolutions are desired the Remesher Target can be adjusted, or it can disabled entirely. This can be useful for detailed meshes which may require deep cuts to be preserved.

• For this model the holes are covered completely by Resolution 6. A value of 5 also works, but the underside of the sofa starts to distort. 6 offers enough resolution to keep details, while also covering the original holes. This allows the alpha map to do the heavy lifting, and requires a lot less vertices.

18. The remaining settings can be left to their defaults. Click the Run button to process the model.
    
    
    

• RapidPipeline Processor optimizes the meshes quickly, and when complete the original source meshes are hidden, and the new remeshed wicker is shown.

• Notice in the Statistics that the new wicker has only 10,458 triangles, not 25,000. This is because the Remesher only needed that many to accomplish the job at Resolution 6. The Remesher Target was set to 25,000 triangles, but this is only an upper limit. This target matters more when using higher Resolution values.

The Remesher Settings File

The finished settings for the Remesher can be preserved for reuse using the Save and Load buttons. Here's what that looks like:

{
  "optimize": {
    "3dModelOptimizationMethod": {
      "meshAndMaterialOptimization": {
        "remesher": {
          "target": {
            "faces": {
              "value": 25000
            }
          },
          "materialMerger": {
            "materialRegenerator": {
              "uvAtlasGenerator": {
                "textureBaker": {
                  "normalMap": {
                    "mode": "always",
                    "recomputeNormals": true,
                    "skipNormalsRoughnessThreshold": 0.0,
                    "normalMapScale": 1.0,
                    "tangentSpace": true
                  },
                  "aoBaker": {
                    "strength": 0.5,
                    "replaceOriginal": true,
                    "filterRadius": 3.0,
                    "textureSamples": 48
                  },
                  "bakingResolution": {
                    "default": 4096
                  },
                  "sampleCount": 4,
                  "texMapAutoScaling": true,
                  "bakeCombinedScene": false,
                  "topologicalHolesToAlpha": true,
                  "powerOfTwoResolution": "none",
                  "inpaintingRadius": 32.0
                },
                "method": "isometric",
                "segmentationCutAngle": 88.0,
                "segmentationChartAngle": 130.0,
                "maxAngleError": 114.0,
                "maxPrimitivesPerChart": 10000,
                "cutOverlappingPieces": true,
                "atlasMode": "single",
                "allowRectangularAtlases": false,
                "packingResolution": 1024,
                "packingPixelDistance": 2,
                "atlasFactor": 1
              }
            },
            "materialMergingMethod": "auto"
          },
          "method": "shrinkwrap",
          "resolution": 6,
          "filterBackProjected": false
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Optimize the Cushions

19. To optimize the rest of the sofa, first select the cushions mesh.
    
    
    

20. Back in RapidPipeline Processor, go to the Optimize tab and change Mesh and Material Optimization to Decimator.
    
    
    

• The cushions don't have a bunch of small holes, so traditional mesh decimation is best.

21. Under the Target, set the Faces to Faces Value, and set the Faces Value to 39542.
    
    
    

• The desired overall triangle count is 50,000 triangles, and the wicker was remeshed to only 10,458, so this means the rest of the sofa can use the remaining 39,542 triangles.

22. Set the Material Optimization to Material Merger.
    
    
    

• This will make sure to merge the selected parts together into a single texture set and material, using texture baking and UV atlasing.

23. Make sure the Normal Map Baking Mode is set to always.
    
    
    

• This will bake a bump map to preserve the original details from the source mesh. This is especially useful if mesh creases in the fabric are being simplified down by the decimation.

24. Enable the Ambient Occlusion Map Baker, to bake an occlusion map.
    
    
    

25. Enable the Texture Baking Resolution, and set the Default Texture Map Resolution to 2048.
    
    
    

• This was the resolution used for the original cushion texture. If a smaller file size is needed, this number can simply be reduced and decimation can be re-run on the source mesh.

26. The remainder of the settings can stay at their defaults. Click the Run button to process the selected parts.
    
    
    

• RapidPipline Processor finishes optimizing the meshes quickly, and when complete the original source meshes are hidden and the decimated mesh is shown. Shift-click on the remeshed wicker to show the full Statistics.

The finished result of the Remesher and the Decimator is two meshes, with a combined triangle count of 50,000.

The Decimator Settings File

The finished settings for the Decimator can be preserved for reuse using the Save and Load buttons. Here's what that looks like:

{
  "optimize": {
    "3dModelOptimizationMethod": {
      "meshAndMaterialOptimization": {
        "decimator": {
          "target": {
            "faces": {
              "value": 39542
            },
            "deviation": {
              "percentage": 0.0
            }
          },
          "materialOptimization": {
            "materialMerger": {
              "materialRegenerator": {
                "uvAtlasGenerator": {
                  "textureBaker": {
                    "normalMap": {
                      "mode": "always",
                      "recomputeNormals": true,
                      "skipNormalsRoughnessThreshold": 0.0,
                      "normalMapScale": 1.0,
                      "tangentSpace": true
                    },
                    "aoBaker": {
                      "strength": 0.5,
                      "replaceOriginal": true,
                      "filterRadius": 3.0,
                      "textureSamples": 48
                    },
                    "bakingResolution": {
                      "default": 2048
                    },
                    "sampleCount": 4,
                    "texMapAutoScaling": true,
                    "bakeCombinedScene": false,
                    "topologicalHolesToAlpha": false,
                    "powerOfTwoResolution": "none",
                    "inpaintingRadius": 32.0
                  },
                  "method": "isometric",
                  "segmentationCutAngle": 88.0,
                  "segmentationChartAngle": 130.0,
                  "maxAngleError": 114.0,
                  "maxPrimitivesPerChart": 10000,
                  "cutOverlappingPieces": true,
                  "atlasMode": "single",
                  "allowRectangularAtlases": false,
                  "packingResolution": 1024,
                  "packingPixelDistance": 2,
                  "atlasFactor": 1
                }
              },
              "materialMergingMethod": "auto",
              "keepTiledUVs": false,
              "tilingThreshold": 1.5
            }
          },
          "preserveTopology": false,
          "preserveNormals": false,
          "preserveMeshBorders": true,
          "preserveMaterialBorders": false,
          "collapseUnconnectedVertices": true,
          "boundaryPreservationFactor": 0.5,
          "collapseDistanceThreshold": 0.004999999888241291,
          "method": "quadric"
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "export": [
    null
  ]
}

Exporting to glTF

27. Make sure the remeshed wicker and the decimated cushions are selected, then go to the File menu, choose Export, then glTF 2.0.
    
    
    

28. In the Blender File View dialog make sure to open the Include dropdown and choose Selected Objects.
    
    
    

• This will exclude the source meshes, and export only the two new optimized meshes.

29. Expand the Data dropdown, then the Material dropdown, and set Images to WebP Format.
    
    
    

• Textures will be compressed into WebP format, a highly optimized file format with minimal visual artifacts.

30. When finished exporting, the new GLB file can be viewed in web 3D viewers like the glTF Sample Viewer. The GLB can also be uploaded to the RapidPipeline Web Platform for conversion into other formats, like USDz.
    
    
    Source model is 55mb with 1,036,188 triangles, and the optimized model is 4.8mb with 50,000 triangles.

Input / Output Statistics

The source model was 55mb with 1,036,188 triangles.

The processed model is 4.8mb with 50,000 triangles!

Input Asset	Output Asset
1,036,188 triangles	50,000 triangles
File size 55mb	File size 4.8mb

Save Processor preset

1. Load a Blender scene and open RapidPipeline Processor.
2. Adjust any desired settings.
3. Press Save button and choose a location to save the selected settings as a .json file on disc.

Load Processor preset

1. Load a Blender scene and open RapidPipeline Processor.
2. Press Load button and choose the location of previously saved Processor settings. When loading new settings, all prior changed settings will be overwritten.

caution

Loaded settings must be in RapidPipeline Processor 7.x format. The Add-On will not load older 6.x presets, which if present in your web account will show the tag "Legacy":