Issue with lua hierarchy file and 3d objects positions

[enetheru]

you forgot 3do

isn't that the same path as s3o?

[jK]

no, 1st it got its own parser 2nd it got its own predraw initialization (the rendercode itself is shared with s3o)

[enetheru]

https://github.com/spring/spring/tree/d ... ing/Models

Based on this folder there is:
* 3DO
* Assimp(many)
* iModel
* OBJ
* S3O

assimp is capable of these formats http://assimp.sourceforge.net/main_feat ... rmats.html

So far I'm kinda leaning towards kloots obj pathway because its easy to understand, very common format, I expect a seperate meta file no matter what format is chosen..

Any arguments that can change my mind?

[SpliFF]

OBJ's biggest drawback is that it can't store tree hierarchies in the model so unless you are generating the metadata from an export script it requires more work. Assimp is pretty good at reading all required metadata and hierarchy from hints in the model so it's a better choice if you want to set hierarchy and radius/height visually (like in UpSpring). In short Assimp does not require a metdadata file at all and if you do provide one all the fields are optional and only pieces you want to modify need to be specified.

Assimp's downside is that it has less testing and documentation and it may be less stable as a consequence.

In the long run Assimp may be the better choice since the better formats like Collada and MD5 can also store animations, shaders, textures and lighting and perhaps in the future the engine could use this data and/or provide access via Lua rather than relying on external resources and custom formats.

[enetheru]

ahh. SpliFF you are in my timezone(or close enough) :)

I would like to make sure the documentation correctly reflects the capabilities of the engine so that others dont have to have so much trouble with the learning curve, smooth out the potholes in the road as it were.

I have kloot's obj pathway all worked out now because I was almost there anyway.

I'm not a fan of using file formats like blend or max in a final product, they IMHO contain too much bloat. which of the assimp loadable formats do you recommend as the 'most' compatible with spring engine?

[SpliFF]

I don't recommend `.blend` for releases as the assimp support for that format is beta but it may be useful during testing to try out simple ideas since you avoid a seperate export step.

I recommend Collada (.dae) as it is an open, modern, well-supported, fully-featured format. 3DS is also well supported but the format has an issue where the model may become rotated by 90deg due to different 3DS tools disagreeing on which directions are 'forward' and 'up'.

Collada models are basic XML which may seem innefficient but actually works quite well and compresses to 7z (.sd7) with excellent compression anyway. The XML pays off when you want to check what values are stored in the model (when debugging import/export issues).

[enetheru]

alright, i'll have a look at using collada then as another option..