Save Mesh?
Blitz3D Forums/Blitz3D Programming/Save Mesh?
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| I've created a complicated structure ('manually') out of loaded individual entities, a town made out of buildings. Now I'd like to save it out of Blitz as a .X file. (Format doesn't matter so long as I can load it into a modeller and continue work on it.) I've tried the code archives '3D Graphics/DirectX Exporter' (multi-surface exporter) in combination with Mark's AddMesh example, but it appears to create a mesh with zero triangles, zero surfaces etc.... Doh! Anyone have any _reliable_ code which can do this? |
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| I use these when making my own meshes - you would need to call the function recursively is you wanted to save any child objects though. Function save_mesh(mesh,mesh_name$) UpdateNormals mesh file=WriteFile(mesh_name) WriteInt(file,CountSurfaces(mesh)) For surface_num=1 To CountSurfaces(mesh) temp_surface=GetSurface(mesh,surface_num) WriteInt(file,CountVertices(temp_surface)) For vertex_num=0 To CountVertices(temp_surface)-1 WriteFloat(file,VertexX#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexY#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexZ#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexNX#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexNY#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexNZ#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexRed#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexGreen#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexBlue#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexU#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexV#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) WriteFloat(file,VertexW#(temp_surface,vertex_num)) Next WriteInt(file,CountTriangles(temp_surface)) For triangle_num=0 To CountTriangles(temp_surface)-1 WriteInt(file,TriangleVertex(temp_surface,triangle_num,0)) WriteInt(file,TriangleVertex(temp_surface,triangle_num,1)) WriteInt(file,TriangleVertex(temp_surface,triangle_num,2)) Next Next CloseFile file End Function Function load_mesh(mesh_name$) file=ReadFile(mesh_name$) mesh=CreateMesh():surfaces=ReadInt(file) For surface_num=1 To surfaces temp_surface=CreateSurface(mesh):FreeBrush brush vertices=ReadInt(file) For vertex_num=0 To vertices-1 x#=ReadFloat(file):y#=ReadFloat(file):z#=ReadFloat(file) temp_vertex=AddVertex(temp_surface,x,y,z) nx#=ReadFloat(file):ny#=ReadFloat(file):nz#=ReadFloat(file) VertexNormal temp_surface,temp_vertex,nx,ny,nz r#=ReadFloat(file):g#=ReadFloat(file):b#=ReadFloat(file) VertexColor temp_surface,temp_vertex,r,g,b u#=ReadFloat(file):v#=ReadFloat(file):w#=ReadFloat(file) VertexTexCoords temp_surface,temp_vertex,u,v,w Next triangles=ReadInt(file) For triangle_num=0 To triangles-1 v0=ReadInt(file):v1=ReadInt(file):v2=ReadInt(file) AddTriangle(temp_surface,v0,v1,v2) Next Next CloseFile file Return mesh End Function |
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| Thanks for the code example, but can we just go over the basics? Suppose I have 3 houses, I want to do something like... town = CreateMesh() AddMesh house1, town AddMesh house2, town AddMesh house3, town save_mesh(town,"C;\town.x") ... does the new mesh not contain all the surfaces that your function needs? |
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| John, in the case of your example it would be exported and loaded without problems. The only REAL difficulty I can see is that Stevie's code will NOT save texture information. See the GetSurfaceBrush and GetBrushTexture commands for details on how to write that information into your save and load routines. |
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| Great - I don't mind retexturing. But what did Stevie mean by 'you would need to call the function recursively is you wanted to save any child objects'? Stevie? |
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| If the Houses are Children of a Parent Mesh or Pivot, so the whole Scene would contain several Meshes you would have to handle seperately. But if you use Addmesh first to add everything to one Mesh (you should check if it looks right) then you don't need to check for children. Have a look at the recuriseve Mesh Hierarchy displaying Examples from the 3D Code Archive. |
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| Err... Stevie G, I just took another look at your code - I don't see any definitions that look like any of the proprietory formats (.X or .3DS). The whole point of this question was 'how can I save out an AddMesh'd entity that I can then load into an external editor?' |
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| You would need to know the specific format and customize the functions accordingly. Here's one page that details the .x format - dated 1999 but still useful nonetheless. *EDIT* And another at microsoft.com (DX8.0) http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/default.asp?url=/archive/en-us/dx8_c/directx_cpp/graphics_xof_format_1h2e.asp *EDIT* This might also help, although it's in C, but it's DirectX 7 stuff http://www.gamedev.net/reference/programming/features/d3d7im4/page2.asp |
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| Wonderful ;) So can I just repeat the question one more time - Does ANYBODY have a mesh > .X or mesh > .3DS file saver that actually works? Cheers. |
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| Have you tried the .X exporter in the code archives? here |
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| There's: 'Saving meshes x file format' http://www.blitzbasic.co.nz/codearcs/codearcs.php?code=111 which only saves single sirfaces, and 'DirectX Exporter' http://www.blitzbasic.co.nz/codearcs/codearcs.php?code=631 which as I said appears to save zero triangles, zero faces etc. Ho-hum. |
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| I should learn to read all of people's posts :) |
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| Also, just tried: 'Save mesh to .asc file format' http://www.blitzbasic.co.nz/codearcs/codearcs.php?code=280 which only saves the first entity in a mesh. Anybody??????? |
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| I've just posted a tidied up version of my directX file exporter in the code archives. @John if you have a problem with the function please send me the file it saves and I'll see if its something I can fix. email jm.keay@... |
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| John, Perhaps I should read your question in future. You probably wouldn't be able to load this format into an editor. I just use it to create my own meshes to load into my own B3d programs. Sorry.. |
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| @Stevie G - understandable, but I have created a complex shape using Blitz primitives. @Shambler - no change on the new code. Zip on its way to you (Mark's Addmesh example + your code with textures defs removed.) Thanks. |
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