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As many of you know that soon D3DRM will be dead. Along with the simple loading of .X files. I am wondering if there is a source code or dll out there for the purpose of importing .x files. If you do know of such a thing (other than d3drm.dll) please tell me. Thank you.
P.S. Also, if you know how to import any other 3d modeler file formats, please tell me. Thank you again.
Is the program itself allowed to use D3DRM? I mean use D3DRM to load the .X model and then convert it to something that D3DIM will read. If this is what close to what you want or right on, then go to my homepage and get the I3D engine. If you don't want the engine(Includes source and loads .3DS files too), then I can only say, look it the MSSDK for DirectX7. They have samples in the SDK that load .X files.
P.S. I3D is free and includes source code. SOME sections of the I3D code can be copied or you can use I3D.dll as long as you give credit to the ComTech Corporation(my company).
Well, I looked at your 3ds file importer. One question: Where did you find the information to parse the data and so forth. Please tell me. I want to create an engine free from just taking code from anyone. My engine so far does not contain any code whatsoever that calls on for the D3DRM component of DirectX.
In the beginning I knew that I would need a 3d modeler. I decided to create my own simple modeler, but one thing didn't come in my mind. It was the unnecessary work I needed to do. Why create a new 3d modeler while I can use 3D Studio Max? With the the resources I could use to create a new modeler, I can use it towards learning a file format of a better modeler.
I've recently studied .X file formats. What I've concluded was that .x files were insufficient in containing complex meshes. There are currently no major 3d modelers that directly exports .x files. On all occasions, I've needed to convert them from 3ds to x. During the conversion, the vertex get some type of anomaly that just changes their coordinates.
Please tell me where you found out how to import 3ds files into your engine. Any help will be appreciated.
P.S. Just to let you know, I'm not a corporation. I'm one man trying to create a state of the art 3d engine before April of 2001. I'm in cooperation with two other people. We three (by the end of the summer next year) will have created a game from the 3d engine. I have lots time and patients. Reason why I don't use any of the D3DRM components is because soon it will only exist in computers at the garbage dump.
The funny thing is, I'm basically a 1 man corporation and I'm only 15. But so far, some friends that I know are willing to help me create Comtech Corputers Co. So you've seen my web page... and the graphics engine. Thanks for the complements on 3DS Parsing and such... The XFileClass is actually a modification of the X-File importing sample in the MSSDK. It was modified to fit in with I3D. And the 3DS parsing sub is the same as the one in OGRE3D with a few enhancements and extra options working in that sub(which OGRE3D never had working). My modification to that sub was fixing the section &H4120(Face List), and effectively getting more face list functionality. The fix was very easy, really, there would be an error if I used the DX7VB.DLL's math routines, so, I added the MSSDK's D3DIM Helper module and used the math routines from there and Viola! It worked. I3D is only a few months in the making and already is performing wonderfully. I am still trying to add light controls and a decent particle system. Soon, I hope to add a feature that will let the engine load a different mouse cursor from a file(your app specifys the cursor to load). I am currently using I3D to make my own game: Tank Attack. I have been working on Tank Attack for quite a while longer than I3D. This is mainly because I was still learning. Tank Attack will use I3D to import 3DS files, render images, lights and so forth... Tank Attack uses MP3s for music and wavs for SFX. Also, I will need my own file format for making 3D Worlds :(
As you have read just now, I3D coming coming along very nicely, although it needs improvements in so areas. Good luck on your state of the art engine, Terrel, I3D was hard to make(The last statement was noit mean't to discourage, but to state that making a 3D engine will take time). :)
Truespace 4 and above can export models directly to .x format... ;)