As you may have noticed, DAE export is no longer supported by blender.
This makes it impossible to make models for Tower Unite without deliberately downgrading blender.
Other similar games such as Second Life have switched over to GLTF for this reason.
Please consider switching support to an export format modern blender versions can use.
I believe the reason DAE hasn’t been replaced is because it includes data that’s instantly readable, iirc specifically Vertex Count is one of the things we need to be readily accessible.
I haven’t looked into GLTF specifically, but I could bring it up to Mac
Yeah I mean it doesn’t even need to be GLTF specifically, just whichever supported export mode seems best now that DAE is dead in blender.
GLTF is supposed to be the successor to DAE though so I imagine it’s pretty similar?
glTF/glb is also managed by Khronos and treated as the much more favorable and modern implementation by them. Blender and Autodesk tools have much better support for their import/exporters and doesn’t seem to share the same texture binding bugs apparent with DAE.
Your example with Vertex Count is exposed through accessors AFAIK. glTF 2.0 json/binary seems to provide the same and more readable data than what was given with COLLADA xml with less ambiguity.
Doesn’t also Collada have other features that most other, modern formats do not? Maybe it’s outdated as hell, but it works great. Speaking of the topic, I brought it up myself in a separate thread here, just didn’t suggest any alternatives, not knowing which would be better: What will happen to Workshop player models when Blender inevitably drops Collada support? . In that thread, it was also brought up by the only person who responded there, that using older Blender versions is also always an option too.
My main issue with that point is I shouldn’t have to downgrade and forfeit newer blender plugins that won’t work on older versions when it sounds like GLTF is essentially the successor and has the same features if not more.
Not to mention issues like this will just keep piling up whenever someone else who isn’t in the know about DAE support ending in Blender decides they want to take a crack at making an avatar for Tower.
Whether you’re getting Blender from their own website or via Steam it’s going to try and shovel the newest version to you, not an older version that still supports DAE.
That is fair. It’s just that I always thought DAE/Collada had specific features that it’s successor, GLTF, didn’t, which might still very well be the case. Here is something more too, directly from AI overviews - Keep in mind that I do not endorse spreading of misinformation or outdated information, and I am only providing what answer was provided to me by these tools that, on their own, can not yet deliver accurate reliable data, so anything that is incorrect or wrong about this should be corrected and clarified:
Interchange vs. Delivery: Collada (DAE) was designed as a 3D interchange format. It is heavy, complex, and meant to transfer raw working data between 3D editors (e.g., Maya to Blender). In contrast, glTF is a 3D delivery format. It acts as the “JPEG of 3D,” packing assets into a GPU-ready state that is heavily optimized for rendering, streaming, and display.
It is also confirmed that GLTF does not, in fact, have all features of Collada/DAE by multiple different sources, therefore, I am personally completely fine using an outdated version of Blender. In fact, it is often recommended to do exactly this for games or software that require older workflows or formats. If you have a problem with this, I am led to believe that it is a you problem, not game development or software problem - Adaptability is really important skill in today’s world, and that especially applies to using different versions of software when needed. Finding the correct information about Collada/DAE support having ended as of Blender 4.2 LTS isn’t also exactly hard to find, and it should be up to the person themselves to figure out that information when it is needed.
I’m sorry but “it’s a you problem” doesn’t make for a very strong argument. This is a suggestions forum, it’s here for a reason. I’m making the suggestion they modernise the workflow to keep up with the times.
I don’t find your response to be particularly constructive here especially if you don’t know what you’re talking about and relying on AI overviews. If you looked at previous responses, you’ll see someone else mentioned GLTF exposing vertex count, something a dev specifically brought up.
Obviously I’m not on the dev team so I don’t know the full list of things PixelTail need out of DAE but we’ve already established one of the things they needed is available on GLTF so I suggested they at least take a look at it for their own consideration.
This is, again, just deflecting. Yes, anyone determined enough to make an avatar for Tower will inevitably find this information out. That doesn’t change the fact the workflow could be smoother for the end user by switching to a more modern export type.
My suggestion is merely that - a suggestion to make the workflow smoother.