9 replies to this topic

[lucky6969b]

May be some thing relative to DirectX. But does a standard useful game data format consist of typical elements like the .x format?
These include

Frame Transformation
Vertex Data
Index Data
Face Data
Animation
Duplicate Vertex Data
Skin Info
Skin Weights
Material
Texture info

Can these fully "describe" a scene or even the game as a whole and it covers every aspects of 3D games like normal maps, gloss maps etc
Just in other words, is this data enough?
Thanks
Jack

[L. Spiro]

For the most complex games there is no such thing as “enough”.

Your list is enough for most typical games, but you really need to base your format off what you will actually need.  That part becomes obvious when you start to think about extreme cases such as realistic skin rendering.

There is also no reason you can’t add things to your format later when you do need it, so it just makes sense to start and small add things as you realize the need.

 

3D files are not typically meant to be used for whole scenes—they are meant to be individual models within the scene.

But sometimes it is easier to make cinematic sequences just using one file.

 

It also makes more sense to separate the data into multiple types of files instead of trying to make one gigantic format unless your goal is actually to make an interchange format such as COLLADA™ or Autodesk® FBX® (in which case you should say so).

It would be better to have one file format for models, one for animations, one for cameras, etc.

 

 

L. Spiro

[frob]

You've managed to cover a large part of the 3D graphics side.

Do you intend to include VFX and particle systems?
Do you intend to include audio? If so, how do you intend to manage all those clips?
Do you intend to combine multiple object in maps within a scene?
What about physics or collision detection/response data in a scene?

There is much more data involved than just raw graphics meshes.

[lucky6969b]

What are the usages of duplicate vertex data? Why do they exist?
Thanks
Jack

[L. Spiro]

Because the author of the original 3D content copied and pasted an object.  This happens frequently with car wheels, shoes, gloves, eyes, etc.

You should merge them into one vertex buffer and only use that.

 

 

L. Spiro

[lucky6969b]

Because the author of the original 3D content copied and pasted an object.  This happens frequently with car wheels, shoes, gloves, eyes, etc.
You should merge them into one vertex buffer and only use that.
 
 
L. Spiro

Hi Spiro,
I beg your pardon, I actually meant the VertexDuplicationIndices in the x file format used in Direct3D?
I should have been more specific.
Thanks
Jack

[L. Spiro]

Never used a .X file, but I think MSDN explains it fairly well: VertexDuplicationIndices.

 

 

L. Spiro

[lucky6969b]

You've managed to cover a large part of the 3D graphics side.

Do you intend to include VFX and particle systems?
Do you intend to include audio? If so, how do you intend to manage all those clips?
Do you intend to combine multiple object in maps within a scene?
What about physics or collision detection/response data in a scene?

There is much more data involved than just raw graphics meshes.

Your ideas are neat. But why do we have offline particle data? We have a position and velocity etc but they are dynamic!
The idea of audio is quite good
Let me know

[lucky6969b]

[del]

[L. Spiro]

why do we have offline particle data? We have a position and velocity etc but they are dynamic!

They are dynamic at run-time but you have to define:

• A range of initial velocities.  Starting velocities will be chosen randomly within this range.
• A cone of possible directions.
• A minimum and maximum lifetime.
• A range of colors.
• The starting time when they should be emitted and an ending time when they should stop being emitted.
• The image or images they will use during their lifetimes.
• A range of fade-in and fade-out times.
• A range of gravity values.
• 100 other things.

L. Spiro

Edited by L. Spiro, 23 December 2012 - 12:25 AM.