How to use DXF files

[Shadow]

I whant to know i to draw my dxf files on an opengl window ???

[glDesktop]

You can use 3D Exploration to convert 3d files to C display list code. Here is a link to there web site:
http://www.xdsoft.com/

It worked quite nicely for me anyway http://www.opengl.org/discussion_boards/ubb/smile.gif

[Sam_dup1]

If you want to load the files directly, you will have to write a dxf file loader.

There is good documentation on DXF files at the Autodesk (?) homepage (www.autodesk.com or something like that). It looks confusing, but you don't need 80% of the information provided. Simply look for the ENTITIES section, it's the only part that contains geometry data.

I hope I could help you,
greetings,
Sam

[Shadow]

Thank you for your help!

[Shadow]

I've got the 3D Explorer : very nice http://www.opengl.org/discussion_boards/ubb/smile.gif
But now, can you tell me how to use that .cpp files (the big lines will be ok)

[Rob The Bloke]

A piece of advice from someone whose had to use DXF's.....

They're lame

Don't bother loading in DXF's for the following reasons.....

* they only store vertices
* you therefore have to calculate normals
* you have to calculate texturing co-ordinates
* You'll end up doing more work trying to utilise them and blag your way round them to make them look good.

Go to www.wotsit.org (http://www.wotsit.org) and find a file format that is a better one to use, eg *.obj, *.rib ...

In my experiance, files that allow you to take out things such as, normals, texture co-ordinates etc. Prove to be far more useful, it speeds up the modelling process and make the models look a hell of a lot nicer.

Try and see if your modelling package will export into any other format and use that. Trust me it'll be worth it in the end....

[This message has been edited by Rob The Bloke (edited 06-21-2000).]

[Shadow]

humm ...well ! very good advice, thanx http://www.opengl.org/discussion_boards/ubb/smile.gif