.md2 vs. .md3?
.md2 is older and stores certain information which isn''t particularly useful for hardware acceleration. .md3 is more flexible in that it contains tags and various other stuff. Both support vertex animation and compress the model data from the usual float storage.
The only way you''ll see the exact differences is to get hold of each spec and compare them yourself.
The only way you''ll see the exact differences is to get hold of each spec and compare them yourself.
what info does md2 contain thats not useful to hardware? it contains "opengl commands" (really just hardware accelerated setup of the model) triangle strips and fans for the model.
see the formats specs to see whcih you would rather use.
.md2 holds the vertices, nomrals, texture coordinates, and animation info. animation frames are defined by the app reading them (thus the app reading names them, not the modeller). there is no varible frame count for different animations. texture is in the directory not in the md2 file.
.md3 has multiple files for legs, torso, weapon, etc. it has boned animation for connecting the different pieces. animation for a piece is handled like md2 (ie vertx animation). animations can have different frame counts and are controlled by a cfg file.
md2 is a better one to start off with since it MUCH easier to write a loader and animation system for it (ie not counting ripping code from a tutorial).
see the formats specs to see whcih you would rather use.
.md2 holds the vertices, nomrals, texture coordinates, and animation info. animation frames are defined by the app reading them (thus the app reading names them, not the modeller). there is no varible frame count for different animations. texture is in the directory not in the md2 file.
.md3 has multiple files for legs, torso, weapon, etc. it has boned animation for connecting the different pieces. animation for a piece is handled like md2 (ie vertx animation). animations can have different frame counts and are controlled by a cfg file.
md2 is a better one to start off with since it MUCH easier to write a loader and animation system for it (ie not counting ripping code from a tutorial).
bs mate 
md3 loader is easy as anything, but so is md2
its just the animation which can be a bit of a bitch because the MD3's store more information than is needed byt you, this is because quake3 used the md3s for more than just player models (torches, decals - eg. the skeleton in q3dm5) if you want code to load the model data and render them (no anims) i can quickly put something together for ya, just send me an e-mail
silvermace007@hotmail.com
[edited by - silvermace on July 24, 2002 2:19:24 AM]
md3 loader is easy as anything, but so is md2
its just the animation which can be a bit of a bitch because the MD3's store more information than is needed byt you, this is because quake3 used the md3s for more than just player models (torches, decals - eg. the skeleton in q3dm5) if you want code to load the model data and render them (no anims) i can quickly put something together for ya, just send me an e-mail
silvermace007@hotmail.com
[edited by - silvermace on July 24, 2002 2:19:24 AM]
with md3 you have to deal with bones and hierchly animation chains with bones. multiple files that create a single model. shaders, and other more complex stuff. sure you could not use all that stuff in models you create, but most ppl choose a format so they can try and use content thats made already (with permission) for testing.
i mean silvermace, if md3s were so easy to load then you would not need to offer code. md2s can be loaded purly from the file spec. including handling animations easily.
to me loading models and not handling animations is only half the job. md3s are more complicated than md2s. sure you can find code to laod the files and its easy to use, but thats for about anything. i am talking about actually sitting there and learning. reading the file format spec and implementing the loader without some tutorial with step by step code you can cut and paste.
i mean silvermace, if md3s were so easy to load then you would not need to offer code. md2s can be loaded purly from the file spec. including handling animations easily.
to me loading models and not handling animations is only half the job. md3s are more complicated than md2s. sure you can find code to laod the files and its easy to use, but thats for about anything. i am talking about actually sitting there and learning. reading the file format spec and implementing the loader without some tutorial with step by step code you can cut and paste.
Author
Seems like .md2 is the way to go, the only thing in md3 (so far as I've understood) that I could possibly have use for is the separate torso/leg animation.
But what about the bones animation? what is the pros/cons using bones instead of vertex animation? The only thing I could see is the possibility to use the same animation on several different models with same bone setup.
Also, since the sourcecode of q2 is officially publiced, can I use it freely in my project? Even if I decided to go commersial? (something that's not likely)
-Luctus
[edited by - Luctus on July 24, 2002 6:51:32 AM]
But what about the bones animation? what is the pros/cons using bones instead of vertex animation? The only thing I could see is the possibility to use the same animation on several different models with same bone setup.
Also, since the sourcecode of q2 is officially publiced, can I use it freely in my project? Even if I decided to go commersial? (something that's not likely)
-Luctus
[edited by - Luctus on July 24, 2002 6:51:32 AM]
quote:Original post by Luctus
Also, since the sourcecode of q2 is officially publiced, can I use it freely in my project? Even if I decided to go commersial? (something that''s not likely)
Quake 2 source is released under the GPL. You can''t release a project yourself without it also being released under the GPL. ID software offers a non-GPL version of the Quake 2 source, but that cost $10,000 US dollars last time I checked.
Check out http://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html for what the GPL means to your project.
quote:Original post by CheeseGraterOriginal post by Luctus
Also, since the sourcecode of q2 is officially publiced, can I use it freely in my project? Even if I decided to go commersial? (something that's not likely)
Quake 2 source is released under the GPL. You can't release a project yourself without it also being released under the GPL. ID software offers a non-GPL version of the Quake 2 source, but that cost $10,000 US dollars last time I checked.
Check out http://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html for what the GPL means to your project.
There is no protection over the file format, you're free to use it as long as the backend code is your own.
eb.
[edited by - eagleboy on July 24, 2002 10:51:46 AM]
quote:Original post by eagleboy
There is no protection over the file format, you''re free to use it as long as the backend code is your own.
Correct, but not a question anyone was asking.
Author
quote:Original post by CheeseGrater
Correct, but not a question anyone was asking.
quote:Original post by Luctus
Also, since the sourcecode of q2 is officially publiced, can I use it freely in my project?
By "it", I meant the md2 format
-Luctus
[edited by - Luctus on July 24, 2002 11:14:41 AM]
This topic is closed to new replies.
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