[e107 thread] .obj format

[Carsten]

Hi Carsten, lately, in my class we have been looking at the .obj model format. Its sort of like .ase but the best thing about it is that just about every 3d package out there can export it. Maya, Lightwave, 3dsMax, softimage etc. are you going to add in support for it?

I'm currently investigating in which model format I should provide support for next.

First question is if "generic" model formats should be preferred, like obj, lwo, 3ds etc., or formats related to other games, like md5 or the new mdl format from Half-Life 2.

The chosen format should support animation in either case.

My current favourite is 3ds, but I've not yet seen enough of the file format specs to make a final descision. If you happen to have any pointers in this regard, please let me know.

I'm currently also preparing for the next public release. Support of new file formats will come after that.

Generic formats are best for the static detail models, simply because its a matter of exporting from the app and your done, no plugins are needed. Unfortunately I dont think .obj can have animations. heres the scpecs for it though. http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/mxr/gfx/3d/OBJ.spec

the .3ds format wouldnt be good. It can only support vertex animation and I'm not sure if many packages can export to it. You already have .ase supportwhich which is a native max format.

If I was in your position I guess I would look to a game related format like .MD5, not sure if you can legally use it in a commercial app though, because ID created it, although check with them because its a pretty good format. Theres an open source skeletal format available though, which could be an alternative, but I dont know anything about its quality. http://cal3d.sourceforge.net/ but according to the FAQ it has been used in commercial games. Its LGPL.
Weren't you looking into making your own format for animated stuff?
Hope some of this helps