Model format

Joined: Jul 11, 2008 Posts: 221 Status: **Offline**

DirectX text or binary mesh

Used
***********
X, Y, Z position - required, also face indices if included (preferred method is including them)
Frame transforms per mesh if included
Normal X, Y, Z if included, generated if missing
Texture U,V maps - at least 1 UV map is required
Texture list (optional) or implicit texture per mesh (optional), all textures must contain a material entry <-- (may be overridden by game engine but it must be present)
Material entry - contains color, emissive and specular settings per the DX format (required even if no texture is used)

Textures can be any format listed in the 'Textures supported' thread.

Joined: Sep 01, 2008 Posts: 47 Status: **Offline**

I have first maded an easy model format by using xml. The xml will be changed later into a nicer format. Alltough this is my first idea which supports:
- Faces
- Vertices
- Ship Hardpoints

I will post it tonight

Joined: Jul 11, 2008 Posts: 221 Status: **Offline**

What is your progress on this format?

Joined: Sep 01, 2008 Posts: 47 Status: **Offline**

I finished it, I got a fotmat in xml posted on the ftp

It need a conversion to a format with less chars, but for the rest it's finished i think. Or do you need some extra's in it?

Joined: Sep 02, 2008 Posts: 5 Status: **Offline**

Any updates in this area? I've certainly had no experience with DX type meshes, but may start looking into it to toss a few models your way. Just a quick question, animation is included in the mesh? If so, is there a standardized format you'd prefer for referencing each? (docking_a, launching_a, landing_a, etc.)

Joined: Sep 01, 2008 Posts: 47 Status: **Offline**

There is atm an xml format of how it should look like. It supports atm:
- Bump mapping and UV mapping
- Hardpoints (HPScanner etc)
- Animations
- Vertices, faces and polygons

It's still in xml, but it's easy to convert it to a lower format. We used first xml, so other people wo have to work with it, should understand how the format is.

Joined: Jul 26, 2008 Posts: 5 Status: **Offline**

Doesn't Space Empires V use a similar format?

Joined: Sep 01, 2008 Posts: 47 Status: **Offline**

I doubt that, since i have made this format with Lancers from scratch on msn lol

Joined: Jul 11, 2008 Posts: 221 Status: **Offline**

I actually plan on supporting 3 formats, DX model, XML and a binary format.

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:25 am Post subject: Re: Model format

why can't yall use something everyone knows?! Laughing

Joined: Jul 11, 2008 Posts: 221 Status: **Offline**

As far as I know most 3D programs support DX in some form or another. Later on I will need a format that the users can't edit, to keep them from cheating by changing the shapes of the models. Since collision detection is done by using the mesh of the models, I don't need them changing the size of the models to huge proportions so they can be hit even by a blind person.