which ani model format works best?

[WaxyChicken]

The title says it all.
Which animated model format is the most supported by Irrlicht?

i see in the docs that it supports:
- 3D Studio (.3ds)
- Blitz3D (.b3d)
- Cartography shop 4 (.csm)
- DirectX (.x) (NOT my favorite)
- DeleD (.dmf)
- Maya (.obj)
- Milkshape (.ms3d)
- My3D (.my3D)
- OCT (.oct)
- Ogre3d (.mesh)
- Pulsar LMTools (.lmts)
- Quake 3 levels (.bsp)
- Quake 2 models (.md2) <-Perfered
- Stanford Triangle (.ply)
- Stereolithography format (.stl)

I'm just wondering which format (animated) is most supported?

[Brainsaw]

I get good results with the Maye format, but I only tried 3ds apart from that, and I don't know where the problem with (I guess) the normals comes from, the Irrlicht importer or the Wings3d exporter.

[WaxyChicken]

on the Yodan model i had to change the culling mode - if that adds any info.

but i'm glad Maya works good because that's what my noobie 3D artist wants to learn.

Thanks for the good news, Brainsaw.

[Adler1337]

I don't know if there is a "most supported" animated format. They are all about the same quality. You should choose format based on what you can easily export to. Keep in mind that only .x, .b3d, and .ms3d support skeletal animation (.md2 and .md3 support morph target animation).

[mongoose7]

And Maya (.obj) is *not* an animation format.

[Lonesome Ducky]

Nor are ply, stl, bsp, and irrlicht doesn't support animation in 3ds. But I think he just copied the list of all the supported formats so he wouldn't have to type everything out.

[mongoose7]

Nah, WaxyChicken said his artist likes Maya and Adler1337 didn't actually say that it was not an animation format.

[RdR]

Like Adlress1337 said if you need bones/ joints and or animation for your models you can only use .x, b3d or ms3d.

If you artist likes Maya there is a way to export it to .b3d by using fragMotion ( http://www.fragmosoft.com/ )

Export your model from Maya to FBX format ( 2010 or lower ) and import this in fragMotion and export it to Blitz Basic 3D (.b3d)

PS:
Check your bone names in fragMotion before you export it, I had to rename my bone names bacause they didnt match completely with my Maya project.

( http://www.filestube.com/search.html?q= ... select=All )

[mongoose7]

This achieves nothing! Irrlicht generally requires that you animate your meshes outside Irrlicht.

Now you could export a .OBJ to a .B3D, but then you have to load it into an animation program to animate it, which nullifies the previous export because animation programs allow you to import a .OBJ mesh.

But the real point is, who is going to animate the mesh. The usual answer is, the artist. So I don't see how your artist can avoid using an animated mesh format. Or are you going to be doing the animation?

[RdR]

This achieves nothing! Irrlicht generally requires that you animate your meshes outside Irrlicht.

Now you could export a .OBJ to a .B3D, but then you have to load it into an animation program to animate it, which nullifies the previous export because animation programs allow you to import a .OBJ mesh.

But the real point is, who is going to animate the mesh. The usual answer is, the artist. So I don't see how your artist can avoid using an animated mesh format. Or are you going to be doing the animation?

Not sure if you are referring to my post above, but I assume that the artist makes the bones in Maya.
I just gave a method to use Maya as default 3D Enviroment and export it to an Irrlicht compitable Animated mesh format.

[mongoose7]

OK, sorry.

[Lil Margin]

Isn't the .X format the best for animation?

[WaxyChicken]

Ok, you lost me.

So i can use maya - but i can't use maya to animate because irrlicht doesn't support the bone-based Kenetic and IK and FK animations i've created?

bummer.
and we've been spending the last 3 weeks learning how to character animate in Maya and just got it down pat.

[Lonesome Ducky]

You can use Maya to animate, but you need to be sure to export it to a format that irrlicht supports animation for.

[WaxyChicken]

started a new thread from here to debug the action of exporting a Maya 2012 mesh to FBX for FragMotion 1.1.1

that thread is found here:
http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/forum/v ... =1&t=44841