OBJ export issue - object origins and axes reset

Support Modeling
1

I noticed that Blender has got a problem with exporting OBJ files.
Any object contained in the exported OBJ model will have reset its origin and axes orientation. Object’s origin will always be moved to world origin, and the axes will align to world axes.
This is problematic, because sometimes I need to have this data kept for use in other 3D software.

My question is: is this Blender’s issue that it doesn’t handle object origins properly when exporting OBJ, or it is inherent for OBJ files that they always get object origins reset? Can it be fixed?
What are your experiences with other software? If you export an OBJ from 3ds max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Modo or whatever, do they keep origin positions and axes orientation?

2

That’s a limitation of the format rather than a blender issue. I don’t think there’s a way around that with objs.

3

I see.
Though, if someone working with other programs could chime in and test it for me, I would be grateful. If the same issue persists across other pieces of soft, then it would almost prove it’s a limitation of OBJ. Otherwise, I might try to find a solution.
Maybe it would be better to use some other format. I must test FBX, DXF and DAE.

4

Not sure it’s worth the time or effort, but I can attest to custom pivot’s not exporting from maya. Nor would they export from anything else for that matter.

Alternatively reading the format documentation might be of help.

I’m sure fbx, collada or alembic would work just fine.

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5

Thanks, Dan. I guess I’ll go for them :slight_smile:

6

Confirmed. FBX works fine - it keeps origin positions and axes orientation.

7

It definitely is. I can confirm what @dan2 already stated. Individual transforms are definitely not part of obj. Wavefront obj just supports vertex coordinates, but no transformations , so exporters like the one in blender utilize a vertices worldspace coordinates to retain an objects visual appearance. You can define groups/objects in obj, but thats just a naming, there is no transform that could be added to it.

So yeah other fileformats like fbx are the best solution here.

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