3DS LOAD

[StuCollier]

HI

Does Irrlicht support 3DS material ? Im importing but they seem to be ignored ?

I say this as most of my models use them

[Acki]

Well, I'm using 3D StudioMax 6 and export my models as 3DS.
I load the models with Irrlicht and doesn't have to care about the textures.
If they're in the same directory, Irrlicht loads them all automatically !!!

CU

[StuCollier]

Yea the textures are loading ok no problems there

I do have problems seeing a material that has no texture i.e. a plain diffused colour

[Domarius]

If you are talking about material types that have properties like 'specular highlight' and 'matte'; etc. those are material properties that are specific to 3D rendering apps.

3D games only care about meshes and textures.

[StuCollier]

Im just talking about "diffuse" - i.e. a single colour............

Our 3D artist assures us that this is the norm (he works for a well known software house) and cant see why he cant use them ?

Ive tried serveral other 3D engines that all support it.

[Acki]

Yes, you're right...
It's boring if you whant a model with just one color.
You have to define a texture for the color and apply it to the mesh...
Specular color would there be very usefull !!!


CU

[puh]

This problem already solved, but the solution needs to recompile whole engine. I hope Niko will update next release of the engine.
http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/phpBB2/ ... r+3ds#5543

[Tyn]

If you are talking about material types that have properties like 'specular highlight' and 'matte'; etc. those are material properties that are specific to 3D rendering apps.

3D games only care about meshes and textures.

Not sure what you mean there:

SColor irr::video::SMaterial::SpecularColor
f32 irr::video::SMaterial::Shininess

That's just what I quickly pulled from the API, I am pretty sure that if you can change something in 3DSM then Irr can make that material from the figures you use there ( with some playing ). Irrlicht is a 3D rendering app, it just happens that it also has functions to build a game. You can't load the material straight from the file tho.

[Domarius]

Heh, well Irrlicht is a "3D rending app" in the general sense of the term
There's a big difference between it and 3D Studio Max though!
One is a modelling app that can pre-render all sorts of special effects, that take a lot of time to draw, too complex to do in real time.
The other can draw things very fast, in real time, so you can play it as a game, but can't draw things that look as good.
(I'll let you figure out which is which)

Code: Select all

SColor irr::video::SMaterial::SpecularColor
f32 irr::video::SMaterial::Shininess

That's just what I quickly pulled from the API, I am pretty sure that if you can change something in 3DSM then Irr can make that material from the figures you use there ( with some playing ).

Why are you so sure?
I'm just going off general knowledge here, but real-time rendering algorithims are very simple, very fast, and don't look as good as the complex rendering algorithms used in modelling apps. So the information used to make those effects are completley different, and aren't carried across.

If Irrlicht can interpret 3DS materials at that level of detail, then someone let me know. But judging from the quote below, I would say it can't:

Yea the textures are loading ok no problems there

I do have problems seeing a material that has no texture i.e. a plain diffused colour

The solution is to texture the model in the modelling app (3DS) with a bitmap that is all one colour. (as mentioned above), and control the "SpecularColour" and "Shininess" settings in Irrlicht with the code.

Anyone feel free to correct me.

[StuCollier]

thanks for the commnents.

To get around the problem (if there is one) I already did what you suggest and got my 3D guy to texture with a small 8x8 coloured texture.

I also found that the lighting was getting effected drastically by using the coloured material - so I think it was best all around that textures are used.

[Domarius]

Im just talking about "diffuse" - i.e. a single colour...

...

Ive tried serveral other 3D engines that all support it.

Yeah I think I've seen the plain colour import into other programs and game engines.
It's the other properties of the material I was talking about, that generally won't carry over (ones that make it look more metal, or more plastic, or matte, etc)

But you still have a better chance if you use a texture. It IS a pain, when you just want one colour.

[Tyn]

Oh absolutly, I wasn't trying to talk down to anyone, you are absolutly correct that the renderer in 3DSM is very advanced, I have seen very few games that match it ( with good reason, very slow to render ). You are also right that the effects won't look as good in Irr as 3DSM, however creating simular effects is definatly possible using the specular colour and at the distance you are looking at in a game you could easily accept that drop in quality for speed.

I wouldn't say specular colour is a special effect really tho, it is a standard ( as far as I am awere ) of 3D renderers no matter what use. It's pretty much the only way to get a good looking metal effect ( that I have seen ) and so can be very powerful if not as powerful as 3DSM.

It is also true that you can't import those values yet with Irr, but if you knew about 3DS files ( I don't ) then you could add that functionality fairly easily.

In answer to the question, I think you probably have to add diffuse colour the same way as specular, I tried it before and couldn't get it to import so maybe it only imports the mesh and UVW coords.

Heh, well Irrlicht is a "3D rending app" in the general sense of the term
There's a big difference between it and 3D Studio Max though!
One is a modelling app that can pre-render all sorts of special effects, that take a lot of time to draw, too complex to do in real time.
The other can draw things very fast, in real time, so you can play it as a game, but can't draw things that look as good.
(I'll let you figure out which is which)

Code: Select all

SColor irr::video::SMaterial::SpecularColor
f32 irr::video::SMaterial::Shininess

That's just what I quickly pulled from the API, I am pretty sure that if you can change something in 3DSM then Irr can make that material from the figures you use there ( with some playing ).

Why are you so sure?
I'm just going off general knowledge here, but real-time rendering algorithims are very simple, very fast, and don't look as good as the complex rendering algorithms used in modelling apps. So the information used to make those effects are completley different, and aren't carried across.

If Irrlicht can interpret 3DS materials at that level of detail, then someone let me know. But judging from the quote below, I would say it can't:

Yea the textures are loading ok no problems there

I do have problems seeing a material that has no texture i.e. a plain diffused colour

The solution is to texture the model in the modelling app (3DS) with a bitmap that is all one colour. (as mentioned above), and control the "SpecularColour" and "Shininess" settings in Irrlicht with the code.

Anyone feel free to correct me.

[Domarius]

I wouldn't say specular colour is a special effect really tho, it is a standard ( as far as I am awere ) of 3D renderers no matter what use. It's pretty much the only way to get a good looking metal effect ( that I have seen ) and so can be very powerful if not as powerful as 3DSM.

It is also true that you can't import those values yet with Irr, but if you knew about 3DS files ( I don't ) then you could add that functionality fairly easily.

Yeah I would think so too. Some kind of dumbed down version. But I haven't seen it carried across to other real time engines, so I'm wondering if it's too hard to be worthwhile doing. Would be convenient though.