DW 3D model format
 

Anyone happen to know what model format DW uses for its 3D models? Is it something off the shelf or do they have their own format?

its called .j3d

That format can be exported only by using a plugin for 3ds max v3.1 (not with later versions)

There might be a more recent program that can export that format but don't know what.

Boo. I was hoping it was something off the shelf or at least documented so I could load the files... I'm considering working on a 3D engine and was hoping I'd have a ready set of test models from the DW mod community.

I have plenty of 3d models that I could let you use. Just PM me with an email address to send them to and I'll shoot off a sampling of them.

What format are they in?

.3ds good?

Has anyone tried to write a converter to create j3d files?
I just looked at a simple j3d file in Hex.

tentgreen_s.j3d

The format is simple enuff so far that I can read the verts, texcoords, and faces and useing 010 Hex Editor could write a Template and extract the mesh to obj format.

Haveing only looked at it for about 15 minutes, there's still a few things I have not verified yet.

Well if you could document the format I could write a converter *and* load j3d files directly... :P

I've gotten quite a lot figured out so far.
I understand the way the meshes are written and adjusted completely now,
what the bytes before the first vert group are,
how the meshes and textures are done,
and the lighting stuff.

Still unsure of a few bytes at the moment but those should be known pretty quickly with some more testing.

What do you program in?
C++, C#?

C++, C, assembly, python, mantis, flying crane...

Flying Crane...............
:hmmm:

Is that some kind of Borland product?
:haha:

I forgot that I did look at the J3D format awhile back. No wonder I figured it out so fast!
:o

I did figure out alot more this pass though. So I can explain the format and how to read/write it.

I only have the demo files to look at so if someone has a few models converted with the original 3D Max Exporter?
I'd like to see those again also.

Yea now I remember you helped me out with converting a few files.


Try this: http://www.mediafire.com/?j0qq91cu6hn5on4

Got the package.
:yeah:

After looking at many other formats?
J3D is a pretty simple format to work with.

The only thing I do not understand at the moment is a few bytes in each vert entry.
:doh:

I'm wondering if they may be a damaged version of the object or a seperate Texcoords thing for damages or something.
:hmmm:

I'll have to extract them and try them both ways to know for sure.
I've only seen actual numbers aside from 0 for 1 model at this time.
Once I finish a Template for 010 Editor it will be much faster to check existing J3D files to compare how many have a 0 or actual numbers in that section.
Since switching to the 010 editor I've been able to figure stuff out much faster! Not bad for a $50.00 program!
3D Object Converter (which also costs around the same) seems to blend some verts or drop some meshes on the J3D format.
So being able to write a Temple or Script with 010 allows a perfect extraction 'as the file is'.

I've been codeing some stuff in python lately for a program called Noesis.
I'm studying the source code now to write a plugin for it that will export to the j3d format.
Noesis is a free program that also has a viewer built into it and supports many different formats so it's good for alot of different reasons.

You can get it here.........
http://forum.xentax.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=4582

Well I've finally started working on a 3D engine of sorts. Right now it's just a learning experience for D3D11, but I've finished up my camera classes, a per pixel lighting shader, and a 3DS max file loader.

Since I've already finished a 3DS loader, maybe I'll stick with that format, since TLAM seems to have a lot of models in 3DS...

I will take a look at the j3d loader though! Once I start formally putting together an actual game engine I'll probably look at formats other than 3ds, since I don't particularly like it (the worst part is I have to calculate normals myself).