Hello All! What software packages (if any) do you guys use to design and animate your 3-D objects to be imported to OpenGL? Also, how do you import them in - using someone else''s libs, your own hacked library, 3rd party product(s)? I am relatively new to OpenGL and am currently using MilkShape 3D, which I think is a pretty good modeller, although not nearly as powerfull as 3DSM (a lot cheaper though! Following the creation of the model and its joints and animation, I use the code for importing the model into OpenGL that I got from nehe.gamedev.net. The importing code is not complete, as it does not address the models'' textures, joints and animation. I am in the process of completing it. I am just curious as to what everyone else is using for animation in OpenGL. Let''s face it. It is pretty hard to do interpolation in OpenGL and I would much rather have a 3D package that can do it for me, so that all I have to do is import the model into my scene, recalculate my vertices and I''m done. Let me know what you guys are using and how that particular solution is working out for ya. Also what are its strengths and limitation? Thanks for reading and Cheers.

a version of 3dmax + maya can be downloaded for free, maya is the more powerful of the 2 (esp for character animation). there
are plugins that come supplyed (u can also write your own, which i have done in the past (very easy) that will export files)


http://uk.geocities.com/sloppyturds/gotterdammerung.html

I wish Zed would have elaborated a little more. Exporting files from 3DS, Maya, MilkShape, etc. is all good if you are interested in opening those files in other 3D software. We are interested in importing those models in OpenGL. For instamce, I have seen 3DS importing libs, written in C++, which can load 3DS objects, but only meshes and only the raw objects, i.e. not materials, no bones, no animation, etc...
Even nehe''s importing package for MilkShape is not complete and the other one that I came across crashes consistently
So does anyone have/know of/or is in the process of making an importing package (be it 3DS or MS3D, or Maya) that will actually import, texture map, and animate imported objects?

Cheers.

unlike texture image formats with 3d formats everyone wants something else ie u cant have one format that please eveyone
eg do u want colour data in the 3dfile? do u want to interpolate vertices or use bones?, do u want tangent matrices etc.
.by exporting i mean exporting into a format that your program uses, most ppl make up there own 3d format eg mine is called .VeNT (i started it in 1998 ) which is a ascii text format eg heres a part of a file.

MESH
{
MESH_NAME: bollux
MESH_CONTAINS_NORMALS: NO
MESH_CONTAINS_COLOURS: NO
MESH_CONTAINS_THIS_NUM_DIFFERENT_TEXTURECOORDS: 1
NUM_VERTS: 96
NUM_TRIS: 96
NUM_TRI_GROUPS: 1
TRI_GROUP:
{
TRI_GROUP_TYPE: GL_TRIANGLES
NUM_INDICES: 288
INDICES: 1 2 0 2 3 50 3 4 51 4 5 52 5 6 53 6 7 54 7 8 55 8 9 56 9 10 57 10 11 58 11 12 59 12 13 60 13 14 61 14 15 62 15 16 63 16 1 64 17 18 1 18 2 1 18 19 2 19 3 2 19 20 3 20 4 3 20 21 4 21 5 4 21 22 5 22 6 5 22 23 6 23 7 6 23 24 7 24 8 7 24 25 8 25 9 8 25 26 9 26 10 9 26 27 10 27 11 10 27 28 11 28 12 11 28 29 12 29 13 12 29 30 13 30 14 13 30 31 14 31 15 14 31 32 15 32 16 15 32 17 16 17 1 16 33 34 65 34 66 65 34 35 66 35 67 66 35 36 67 36 68 67 36 37 68 37 69 68 37 38 69 38 70 69 38 39 70 39 71 70 39 40 71 40 72 71 40 41 72 41 73 72 41 42 73 42 74 73 42 43 74 43 75 74 43 44 75 44 76 75 44 45 76 45 77 76 45 46 77 46 78 77 46 47 78 47 79 78 47 48 79 48 80 79 48 33 80 33 65 80 49 34 33 81 35 34 82 36 35 83 37 36 84 38 37 85 39 38 86 40 39 87 41 40 88 42 41 89 43 42 90 44 43 91 45 44 92 46 45 93 47 46 94 48 47 95 33 48
}
TEXTURE_COORDS:
0.500833 0.500000
0.750417 0.500000
0.731355 0.404170
0.677071 0.322929
0.595830 0.268645
0.500000 0.249583

anyway what ive done (may prove useful) ive written a program that will input a number of various 3d files eg md2/3, quake bsp, 3ds etc + converts them into VeNT files
Q/ why convert?
A/ its easiest to deal with one file format


http://uk.geocities.com/sloppyturds/gotterdammerung.html