New Free Modeler Found!

[Athlon_Jedi]

hey all, I ran across this while looking at flipcode.com......


this one exports to .3ds and others , runs on windows,linux or Beos and looks very promising to me.....i have downloaded it but not tried it yet but looks useful.....

its called ppmodeler http://www.ppmodeler.com

[thesmileman]

Nice but severly limited in several aspects. Look at his todo list under features and you will understand. But a very nice start especially for one programmer. also it is nice that he has so many import and export features. for free though I would stick with Wings3D or Blender until this is more mature

[Athlon_Jedi]

yep thats what i was thinking , but for someone who has never done any modeling it might be a good start.....just doin my part lol

[craouette]

Hi,

I'm the programmer of ppModeler.
The todo list is not up to date. Try the beta, available on the web site
here.
If some tools are missing, just ask for them. And tell me what is good, what is not, by trying the program, not just with the todo list...
For example, in the beta, the bridge tool is there, the edge loop/ring, vertex loop/ring and face loop. The interface is new and (i hope) better (?).
The exporting scripts are now split in two part, rendering and exporting so that is is possible to render the current working view with an external renderer like yafray, toxic, pov, virtualight...

craouette

[Athlon_Jedi]

I am currently trying out your program and i must say it is quite impressive keep up the good work.....!!!!!!!!!!!! I think very soon you will have an open source program that equils or even surpasses a big commercial package such as lightwave 3d or maya.....kuddos....

[vermeer]

It looks really promising.

I tried very long ago, but seems it has evolved a lot...

One thing that would be very good for many game engines -specially for Irrlicht- would be bones export in x files....

Also joint pinning; fixing a joint in space so that it does not ove while you pose the remaining bones...but I am going to try the beta as I don't know the program

Thanks for your efforts

[Guest]

For the x exporter, what I can do right now is move the exporter from internal C source to scripted exporter so that it will be possible to add bones to the exported data. The bones information can be reached by scripts, so... It should not be a problem and if it is, I can help.

craouette

[spongebob]

ppModeler looks great! great job!

[craouette]

Where can I found the format of the x file supported by irrlicht ?
I found it in the source of the reader, and can use it, but with a file description, it will be quicker

craouette

[craouette]

and another question about directX x files:
there can't be more than one uv per vertex in the file.
That's means that the vertices where there is a two uvs must be duplicated, right ?
For example, if you map a leg, the map will be rolled around the leg model. At the seam, two uvs are needed, so the vertices need to be duplicated. Is it right ?

[l0calh05t]

and another question about directX x files:
there can't be more than one uv per vertex in the file.
That's means that the vertices where there is a two uvs must be duplicated, right ?
For example, if you map a leg, the map will be rolled around the leg model. At the seam, two uvs are needed, so the vertices need to be duplicated. Is it right ?

If the format does not support per-face uv's, you'll have to duplicate the verts.

[Guest]

with x file I am almost totally sure you can do shared uv vertices.(you cant with *.3ds without duplicating verts, I think)

As I export them from other packages and see them in viewers and I see no geometry seams: it'd be impossible that there would be in those creases duplicated vertices if i see them as continuous smoothing.

Certainly though, some softwares do unweld the models during export, or import, but that's softwares bugs. One end up getting familiar with which are the ones to produce that problem and fix it. Sometimes, this problems kills a workflow, as with some formats , there are no tools to bring back the correct situation.

Non related with this, but I also have been asked about, is the possibility fo x files having two uv channels -for lightmaps- .Yes it has support for them using the FVFData template. In dx 8.1 and dx 9.x.

Best source of information is the sdk of directx 8.0 or 8.1.

The one from dx 9 is ok, but allways if the exported x weighted and boned file is compatible with dx8, as most engines and 3d packages are mainly compatible with dx 8.x.

I am not a programmer myself. I am not into any Irrlicht project, but i like helping this comunity, and so I thank you for helping with the x format, and of course, for giving free such a great free 3d package

As i am not a programmer, I don't even know if following links match your needs about the format, but is the best I have been able to find. The other good source I am afraid is the Microsoft SDK (that like x format itself, is absolutely free in every way, no catch. An dI use to look deep into things to see if they are really free ) ...where it is usually adviced to have a deep look into the skinned mesh sample and its related documentation. I think you will not have any problem

BTW, links I think that can be helpful -maybe I'm wrong-

DirectX 8.0 (C/C++)
X File Format Reference
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/defau ... t_1h2e.asp

Binary Format (DirectX 8.1 C++ Archive)
( ** BUT WHAT IRRLICHT READS IS TEXT X FORMAT ** )
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/en-us ... Format.asp


DirectX 8.0 (C/C++)
X Files
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/defau ... d_11uu.asp

DirectX 8.0 (Visual Basic)
X Files
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/defau ... d_11uu.asp

Microsoft DirectX 8.1 (Visual Basic)
Direct3D Appendix
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/defau ... pendix.asp

Microsoft DirectX 8.1 (C++)
X Files
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/defau ... XFiles.asp

This one seems centered in dx9 x files, but as I said, irrlicht loads dx 8.x, I think, (and in text format, not binary).
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/defau ... xfiles.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/defau ... coding.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/defau ... erence.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/defau ... erence.asp


Microsoft DirectX 8.1 (C++)
X File Format Reference
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/defau ... Format.asp

more
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/defau ... XFiles.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/defau ... d_6ko6.asp


dx 8.0
http://gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1835.asp

dx9
http://www.flipcode.com/articles/articl ... hmod.shtml

dx9
http://www.flipcode.com/articles/articl ... maze.shtml

How to parse .X files
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articl ... le1493.asp

Building an .X File Frame Hierarchy
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articl ... le1495.asp

Working with the DirectX .X File Format and Animation in DirectX 9.0
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articl ... le2079.asp

dx9 Working with the DirectX .X File Format and Animation in DirectX 9.0
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articl ... le2079.asp

Implementing Skin Meshes with DirectX 8
http://gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1835.asp

Working with the DirectX .X File Format and Animation in DirectX 9.0
http://gamedev.net/reference/articles/article2079.asp

implementing skinmeshes with dx8 (in depth explanation, I think.Source code download provided. )
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/progra ... efault.asp


I hope it helps some way...

[vermeer]

argh...

that guest was me.

[craouette]

I found the answer here:

Allow Vertex Geometry Alteration for (u,v) Texture Coordinates

Due to a limitation of the DirectX file format polygon vertices have to be duplicated in order to properly output the (u,v) texture coordinates. For example, if a corner of two abutting polygons share the same vertex coordinate but have two different (u,v) coordinates then this vertex coordinate will have to be duplicated two in the exported DirectX file.
If this option is enabled (checkmarked) then the converter will properly output (u,v) texture coordinates by duplicating (altering) the vertex coordinate data. If this option is disabled (un-checkmarked) then the converter will not alter the vertex coordinates and thus the (u,v) texture coordinate may or may not be output properly.

NOTE: The destination program can undo this vertex duplication by way of the "VertexDuplicationIndices" which can be exported to the .X file when the "Output vertex duplication list" option is enabled. This is a new option for DirectX 8.

craouette

[vermeer]

"...a new option of directx 8.."

perhaps it all refers to directx 7??

It could be...as I is very strange to me. I mean: I export from Ultimate Unwrap, and once I load in Deep Exploration Demo, the model has no seams (when a vertex is duplicated, it breaks the mesh there;it is not built an edge bewteen two vertices, anyway they should be in the very exact same position...) in smooth shading...this would be impossible with duplicated vertices...

For some reason, Character Fx, instead, whateve ir export, be it OBJs, 3DS frames, or weighted x files, or md2...it always breake the mesh where it finds duplicated vertices.

But the funny thing is...seems Blender x exporter and Ultimate unwrap, do export the model welded, and their x files are seen continuous both in deeep exploration viewer, as well as in the Microsft sdk viewers: mview and skinned mesh tools.

I guess that is only then character fx doing that wrong thiong to me: I use to just export the cfx file as x, load into Ultimate Unwrap, and there, "weld model"(only 'vertices' checked), export again as x...and ...it loads perfect in any x viewer later on!

So I guess it depends on if the exporter of each package is supporting that "new" feature of dx8 (we're near to see released dx 10 ) that seems to allow to overcome that problem during export...a format feature, it could be.

But i say only what I suspect from my experience as artist.