I want do bone animation reading from the file, but what kind of file format?

[suniuin]

Hello, everyone!

I have a dream that displaying animation by myself(using opengl :D )　：）. From what I know the best way is first building the model using some 3d software, then read it according to its format, at last draw it(what a good scene if I could do it!).

Now I have some knowledge about the bone animation. My question is which software or file format I should choose. I must be carefull because as you know to understand a file format and then read it is not a trivial thing :(

I know little thing:(. Quick 3's file (.md3) supports bone animation. Is it ok? Later can I generate (.md3) file of my own's?

Any suggestions are hoped! 　

[jide]

First, I wonder how far this is related with gl. Anyway, that's nice enough for me to try to answer your question.

If I remember well (as usual), Quake 3 uses some hybrid technologies, mixing keyframes with some bones. If that's what you planed to do, then do some search on a network engine, there's plenty information about this model.

But I don't know which modeler can do some md3. I know some were able to do some md2. Try searching for that '3D export' and so on.

Hope that helps you.

[suniuin]

I want know which format is the most popular stuff for model animation. I mention md3 just because I know some of it :)

[skynet]

I suggest Doom3´s MD5mesh/MD5anim file format. It is easy to read/understand and can be rendered quite straight forward. It is best suited for doing the skinning on the cpu.

[Ehsan Kamrani]

The best and good reference is the book OpenGL Game Prrogramming. Study chapter 18: working with 3D models. It has explained the MD2 file with it's details.
-Ehsan-

[knackered]

I suggest the microsoft X file format, simply because it's got lots of commercial support.
There's a recent article on gamedev about loading them without using any directX libraries, and is geared towards skeletal animation.
Here's the link:-
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/programming/features/xfilepc/

[zed]

I know little thing:(. Quick 3's file (.md3) supports bone animation.no it doesnt
btw why are they called bones? i call them pivots, in body termnology surely joint is better than bone

[knackered]

Probably because the transform of a bone affects one group of vertices, whereas if you associated the transform with a joint it could be said to affect 2 groups of vertices. Just resolves the ambiguity when talking about skin transforms I guess.

[suniuin]

Thanks everyone!


Originally posted by Ehsan Kamrani:
[QB]The best and good reference is the book OpenGL Game Prrogramming. Study chapter 18: working with 3D models.QB]OpenGL Game Programming? Is this full name?
I have Beginning OpenGL Game Programming. But it only have 13 chapters!

Can you point more detail about this book, please?

[SirKnight]

OpenGL Game Programming w/CD by Kevin Hawkins:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...=books&n=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0761533303/qid=1116905318/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl14/102-1321025-9458553?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

3D Game Programming All in One (Course Technology PTR Game Development Series) by Kenneth C Finney:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...=books&n=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/159200136X/qid=1116905318/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i5_xgl14/102-1321025-9458553?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

More OpenGL Game Programming by Dave Astle, Kevin Hawkins (not yet released):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...=books&n=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1592008305/qid=1116905318/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-1321025-9458553?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

-SirKnight

[jide]

Originally posted by suniuin:
Thanks everyone!


Originally posted by Ehsan Kamrani:
[QB]The best and good reference is the book OpenGL Game Prrogramming. Study chapter 18: working with 3D models.QB]OpenGL Game Programming? Is this full name?
I have Beginning OpenGL Game Programming. But it only have 13 chapters!

Can you point more detail about this book, please?There are many web pages treating of that:

for md2: http://tfc.duke.free.fr/old/models/md2.htm

for md2/md3:
http://www.ozersenturk.com/opp/default.asp?show=opengl

for md3 (java)
http://md3view.fragland.net/archivednews.html

others

http://www.planetquake.com/polycount/resources/quake3/tools.shtml

hope that helps.

[CrazyButcher]

be aware that md2/md3 are not bone-animation with skinning, but regular vertex animation. ie every frame of the model's animation is stored.

[der_ton]

Here is a thread on the doom3world.org forum about the MD5 format:
http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=2884