"Could not read the ... texture file associated with this object" on all textures of multiple meshes

Bug Reports Engine Bugs
#1

PC Info: Windows 11, 22H2
Date First Experienced: 5/28/23
Date Last Experienced: 8/28/23

Reproduction Steps:

  1. Download the 3D model G17 9mm Pistol - Download Free 3D model by 3dvachevsky [b413675] - Sketchfab
  2. Unzip the file.
  3. Import 3D on the fbx inside the source file of the unzipped file.
  4. See a bunch of errors.

Here is an image showing the issue:

6b66776ecd6be80f5c510b6ad23fd80e0c51336c_2_840x750
6b66776ecd6be80f5c510b6ad23fd80e0c51336c_2_840x750840×750 55.3 KB

Expected Behaviour: There should be no errors with the textures.
Actual Behaviour: The menu is riddled with errors about the textures.

1 Like
#2

Thanks for the report! We’ll follow up when we have an update for you.

#3

So I downloaded the file, and if you look at the paths, it looks like the FBX was exported with absolute paths from the machine that created the FBX.

This means that if your textures aren’t exactly at that path, the importer will not be able to find them.

Looking at the path that is in the FBX, it is formed like this: Volumes/D1/Blender/ArtStation... that is not where the FBX is on my machine (and I assume on yours). Mine is in my Downloads folder.

Fortunately, we have a fallback texture search where we search for textures within the folder containing the FBX. So you can try moving the FBX file into the textures folder, and that will let it find a bunch of the textures.

I tried this, and it fixed all the textures except for the normal textures, which interestingly are missing from the folder, so there’s no fixing that.

So TLDR here: the FBX from sketchfab was poorly created, it should have either bundled the textures into the FBX or used relative paths.

HOWEVER! Here’s a great fix! Sketchfab also allows you to download it as .gltf or .glb, and we recently launched a beta feature supporting glTF. I downloaded the glTF version with the beta feature enabled, and it worked perfectly!

Hopefully this helps!

#4

I had no idea this was a thing, thanks for telling me. Is this documented anywhere?

Hmm, weirdly enough I could find normal textures there. I can’t show you right now unfortunately since I’m not at my PC.

Yeah, that might be so, but that must go for a lot of models on sketchfab because this has been happening to me for pretty much all the models I download from there I think, which is frustrating.

Wow, I have to try this out when I get to my desk.

Thanks a lot for the help!

1 Like
#5

Is this documented anywhere?

I don’t think it is, we added it because this was a common issue with absolute paths in FBX, we figured stuff would just fail less often.

Hmm, weirdly enough I could find normal textures there. I can’t show you right now unfortunately since I’m not at my PC.

Oh you’re right, however they are improperly named :sob:

The name in the FBX file (the one studio reads) is ..._Normal_OpenGL.png but the name of the file in the zip is ..._Normal_DirectX.png

So if you change the file names from DirectX to OpenGL it should work with the local directory fallback approach.

1 Like
#6