loading .X files into a 3D World and giving them coordinates

I have created a 3D world that you can walk around in using the keyboard. Everything in the world so far I have had to create by entering vertices. I've made some .X files that I would like to load into the world but I cannot figure out how. I've downloaded .X file viewers and my files load in those so I know that the files are okay. I looked in the DirectX 8.0 SDK and read the tutorial on how to load .X files but it didn't work for me. I also need to learn how to give the .X files coordinates in the 3D world. One way I've seen is in the book "Windows Game Programming with Visual Basic and DirectX" where the meshes are moved to coordinates by matrix translations. If anyone could help me with these problems, please do. I can send you my code if needed. Thanks in advance!

Simbro

Are talking about Binary X files or Text X files? I can help you out with the Text X files....however, if you're using DX, then RIP ;)

what's the difference? I created the files in MilkShape and exported them as DirectX Files.

Open the X-File in Notepad.

If you see ASCII characters (especially ";" marks) and in the first lines the characters "txt" appear, then you are using Text X-Files

If you just see jiberish, than you are using Binary X-Files.

here's the beginning of one of the .X files:

xof 0303txt 0032
template XSkinMeshHeader {
<3cf169ce-ff7c-44ab-93c0-f78f62d172e2>
WORD nMaxSkinWeightsPerVertex;
WORD nMaxSkinWeightsPerFace;
WORD nBones;
}

template VertexDuplicationIndices {
<b8d65549-d7c9-4995-89cf-53a9a8b031e3>
DWORD nIndices;
DWORD nOriginalVertices;
array DWORD indices[nIndices];
}

template SkinWeights {
<6f0d123b-bad2-4167-a0d0-80224f25fabb>
STRING transformNodeName;
DWORD nWeights;
array DWORD vertexIndices[nWeights];
array FLOAT weights[nWeights];
Matrix4x4 matrixOffset;
}


does this help?

Yes....now...are you using DX or OpenGL? Or something else...btw...you are using a text X-File

I'm using DirectX 8.0

Look for "D3DXLoadMeshFromX" in the DX SDK.

I did look in the SDK for "D3DXLoadMeshFromX". I also took the tutorial on loading .X files. I always got a subscript error. I think there is a problem with loading the textures if there is more than one.


BTW...I like your gates joke, lol

Hey,

i had some problems loading x files too. But i have found the problem for me so maybe this works for you too.

The first problem is if your textures are .gif files, this didn't work at all, try to convert your textures to .jpg. then open the .x file with notepad and replace the texture references (for example i had to replace bubing_2.gif with wood 001.jpg). You can try this best with a very simple model. For example I started working with a chair, build up of 10 boxes (and therefore about 120 faces)

The next thing is to load the texture, use the createtexturefromfile() method and not the createtexturefromfileex() version.

I hope this helps you out.

Jordi