Hi,
I want my JOGL-program to load 3d-objects I will create with Blender3d, but I don’t know which file-format I should utilize to use them in my application. Blender’s native format is .blend, which is only a memory dump and changes from blender release to release. .dxf seems very complicated to me and VRML is used very seldom (I think). Can somobody give me a pointer to a “good” 3d-format which is well documented?
Thank you for the help
— Martin —
The export and import of 3d model files is a sensible thing and to my experience doesn’t work very well for most of the free/OpenSource 3d bindings, 3d engines, etc. Usually the exporters and importers miss a lot of things.
Loading “just” the geomtrey is one thing, having all the other things like multi-texturing, animation, etc, the other.
For Xith (Java3d too?) there are some OpenSource loaders doing .3ds, .obj, .lws/.lwo etc. Maybe you could use their sources and “cut the high level Xith part” to feed your Jogl app. Don’t know. You could do a short search on the Xith forum here around to find out.
My fragile Lightwave importer for Xith I’ve showed some months ago in the Lightwave v7.5 importer thread. I mention Lightwave because it’s the best (and only?) documented 3d file format I know of. Also it’s one of the last geometry based 3d file format (compared to 3dMax and Maya which store … kind of … undo-steps, no real geometry.)
Of course the main problem still could be how to bring some 3d models into the 3d file format you want to import. There are some free convertors and some commercial ones (cheap and expensive ones). Or maybe you know some 3d artists who could convert 3d files for you.
PS: Isn’t there a Wavefront .obj exporter for Blender? Thought so. In case there is, maybe Kevin’s Obj importer for Xith (its sources) are a starting point for you, so you don’t need any additional 3d file format convertor…
Thank you for the pointer!
— Martin —