Hi! I''m planning on starting to learn programming a DirectX game with C++. What 3D file formats are available for import [What formats does Direct3D accept]? Or What 3D programs are used and do they have a special export format for DirectX? Also what book is good for this file format things? Thanks in advance Archmage

Somewhere in the DX7 SDK there is a utility Conv3ds.exe I think that will convert a .3ds file to .x format, which is what D3D uses.

~BenDilts( void );

Direct3D does not inherently know how to read any file formats (although i believe .x support is built into some of the D3D utility libraries).

You can load any type of 3D file format into your engine as long as you know how to read it. You will have to do this by opeing the file, reading and interpreting the data etc. After that you will be left with a point list, a face list, texture co-ordinates and other information. You can then convert this to a D3D friendly manner within your engine and pass it to D3D for rendering.

A lot of people start off by trying to load MD2 files from Quake 2 to start off with, as it is a very simple format and is made especially for use with games. You should be able to find a load of tutorials and information on the web about this topic.

Good luck!