how does she make it so it looks like just one whole piece like that at the end? all I see her click is the file icon and then it just looks nice and smooth.

When you export your object in Obj format you have the possibility to see the result with Display: "Shaded" directly on your screen :)

Is there a way you can convert a .obj format into a single .TGA file?

A tga file?
As it's a file graphic format for image, you must redraw your object in a 3D prog and then save it as "image" in file format image (psd, tiff, bump...)
As the tga file is generally absent you must reload your psd, tiff, bump in a 2D prog for save it as tga :)

or make a screenshoot in the moi export obj shaded mode or not (or at any moment)
you save the screen by pressing the key "Print Screen" of your computer
so you can put it as a of the Copy the clipboard in your favorit 2D prog :)

The reason I ask this is to make a 3D mapping of the object to import into a game called Second Life. I have managed to do the mapping with the .3dm files, but most of the time it splits it into many parts and once in Second Life and applied to an object, it doesn't look anything like what I have created on MOI.

so
seems you must reload your 3D object in a 3D prog (exportd as .obj format) and make some retopology or similar make uvmap etc..
then export to Second life :)

Hi Anya, no there isn't really any straightforward way to convert an entire model with many parts into just one single TGA texture map.

Fundamentally the sculpt map is a type of object that is kind of like a rectangular rubber sheet. It always has a kind of rectangular layout to it, and different points along the sheet can be stretched into different 3D locations to form a shape.

An OBJ file is not structured like one single sheet - usually OBJ files are made up of many different little polygons, without the restriction of being arranged in a sheet type layout.

If you create one single surface in MoI, like the result doing a loft or a sweep, then that single surface does have a rectangular layout to it, and it is this kind of single surface that the 3dm2sculpt conversion program is really targeted at converting over to a sculpt map.

If you use other tools such as booleans or trimming, that will make an object that is made up of many trimmed surfaces instead of just one single surface sheet - something like that will not convert very well over to a sculpt map.

Hopefully in the future Second Life will support more general polygon mesh structures like a regular OBJ file has. It is difficult to create a complex object just out of one stretched rectangular sheet.

- Michael

Michael, would you mind if I posted this on the Second Life site where I got the MoI information from? I am sure it would come in very useful to other people trying to do the same thing I am.

Hi Anya, I certainly don't mind, it would be great if you would post it there.

- Michael