Using Blender to create a 3ds file

[mikedehaan]

I'm trying to create a 3ds file in blender similar to the ql.3ds from the fps demo app.

I'm having some trouble understanding materials and textures.  What I'm trying to do is create a terrain in blender and assign some simple textures to parts much like the wooden doors and brick walls in the ql.3ds file (e.g. water for a small pond, grass for the rest - nothing too complicated).

I have sample code that demonstrates my problem (modified version of the fps demo) and blender files, but I don't have a place to make them available.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Mike

[mikedehaan]

Is there a another tool that I should be using instead of Blender to create 3ds files?  What is everyone else using?

- :?:

[Mr.Marbles]

I'm not really an expert in modeling but I know "3D Studio Max" can create .3ds files.

[Remo]

You can work with Milkshape 3D. You can use it to do some modeling or importing a MDL file ( Blender can export to mdl right?) and export to 3DS.

http://www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft/ms3d/index.html

[Melssj5]

I do all my models in 3d studio max, aplying the textures is easy and generates a 3ds file.

[Crate]

blender should work. If you are getting started, Misfit Model 3D might be the thing for you. It is a lot like milkshape, except its free. It can also export md2s.

http://www.misfitcode.com/misfitmodel3d/

[Melssj5]

I didnt liked Misfit, I downloaded it and used a bit but it wasnt good for me, I strongly recomend 3ds max 7 or 6. Its very simple to use, you can render and apply the textures very easy. it dont export to md2 without a plugin, but 3ds is enough for me.

[mikedehaan]

Doesn't 3ds max cost something like $4,000?

I've tried AC3D which costs about $59 (for the basic version).  The textures and 3ds export seem to work for the most part.  Although, some of the models I've created with AC3D won't load in jPCT.  I get an exception in MergeObjects...

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: 20
   at com.threed.jpct.Object3D.appendToObject(Unknown Source)
   at com.threed.jpct.Object3D.mergeObjects(Unknown Source)
   at JPCTDemo.<init>(JPCTDemo.java:275)
   at JPCTDemo.main(JPCTDemo.java:152)

[Melssj5]

Well, it cost me 5 USD!!!!  :x  :x  :x  :x (cracked version :oops: )

If you dont want to pay for the license then you can use it for free for 2 months without actuvating it, after that you can uninstall and reinstall it again.

[Melssj5]

Well, the 3DS format is quite complex. It uses chunks describing linked geometries or something like that. Egon said that he uses a dosument that he found on the web several time ago of someone that made reverse ingeniering to a 3DS file. I also have found on the web information about the 3DS file format but nobody seems to know perfectly all about it because is not a free file format. In anyway I suppose that there are somethings that AC3d do that cant be understood by the loader that Egon used. or maybe its a bug if you said that it only happens with some models without changing the java programation.

[EgonOlsen]

I've tried AC3D which costs about $59 (for the basic version).  The textures and 3ds export seem to work for the most part.  Although, some of the models I've created with AC3D won't load in jPCT.  I get an exception in MergeObjects...

Exception in thread "main" java.lang....: 20
   at com.threed.jpct.Object3D.appendToObject(Unknown Source)
   at com.threed.jpct.Object3D.mergeObjects(Unknown Source)
   at JPCTDemo.<init>(JPCTDemo.java:275)
   at JPCTDemo.main(JPCTDemo.java:152)

Looks more like a problem in jPCT than in the model itself. Which version of jPCT are you using and can you send me one of the models causing the problem for debugging?

[mikedehaan]

For the jPCT version, when I run...

Code Select Expand


public static void main(String args[]) {
System.out.println(Config.getVersion());
}


It returns...

Code Select Expand


1.10


I'll need to work on getting you a failing 3ds file.  I overwrote the bad one by mistake.  I will hopefully have one by tonight.  Should I send it to your email address on the contact page?

Also, I'm using 3ds because it was the only loader I recognized.  Is there a better(non-proprietary) way that I should be doing this?  Are there plans in the future to support Blender or other open source modelers?

[mikedehaan]

Egon, I sent you an email that has the 3ds file I tried to load.  Let me know if there's anything else I can provide you with.

[Melssj5]

Can you send  it to me too, because I want to test it on the 3d studio max and export it again to see what happens!!!

My mail is melssj5@hotmail.com

[EgonOlsen]

I finally found the time to test the model you sent to me...and i can't reproduce your problem with it. Here's what i did and what works fine:

Code Select Expand


   Object3D[] objs=Loader.load3DS("bad_terrain.3ds",1f);
   Object3D tmp=new Object3D(0);
   for (int i=0; i<objs.length; i++) {
     tmp=Object3D.mergeObjects(objs[i], tmp);
   }

So i guess you must be doing something else which results in the crash. Can you post some code for small test case of what exactly you are doing?

Edit: Opps, i finally found something: Calling build() on the objs (which is not needed btw) seems to cause the problem. I'll investigate this...