3D Max to OpenGL

Which is the best wasy to export .max files to OpenGL, through the maxscript or does anyone know the file format for .max files. Is there any advice on which is the best file format to use for OpenGL animations and ‘objects’?

If you want to export the data to your own file format, you should probably try using maxscript first, instead of messing with the sdk. It’s a lot easier to learn.

But the .max format is not documented anywhere because it’s discreet’s own format, plus I don’t think the file stores all the actual geometry, I ‘think’ it just stores the instructions for building the scene, I might be wrong though.

If you want to just export the data to an existing format, for statics scenes just export to either .3DS or .OBJ, .OBJ is easier because the text file is ascii, and not all that binary jargin.

For animated models, you could download plugins to export to .MD3 or .MD2 (QUAKE format), or you could try writing your own, which is alos a pain in the butt. Or you could download one of the free animation libraries on the internet that already have their own exporter, Cal3D or Ogre, both have their own export format that supports all the animations. Hope this helps.

Look here : http://www.codercorner.com/Flexporter.htm
This is a free export plugin, that exports much stuff out of max. You can also write your own fileformat, but the one provided is very well too.

cu
Tom

for first tests you can also use the max ASE format. it’s ASCII and simple to understand. (and the source for the exporter is also included in the SDK)
this is a good way to understand, how to export stuff in max, but for a serouis application i suggest writing your own exporter. only this way, you will get exactly what you want out of max.

http://sparks.discreet.com/ is the place to be for Max coding. OpenGL.org is not.

If you decide to write your own exporter (which is a valuable skill, in many ways) then I suggest using the IGameExporter API, as it makes things a lot easier.

@jwatte:
i have tried it, but it seems that i have no advantage in comparison to the way i do it - the tricky indexing into 3dsmax’s multiple arrays of verts,uvs,faces&Co has not gone, it seems.
Discreet claims that this is the best way for gamedev’s to use this interface, but i can’t see any reason why i should use it ?!?!
erm, yes, may result of that i have invested ton’s of hours to step into the “original way of doing the export” and that i’m now unable to swith over to a less complex way g

I won’t continue this OT thread in this forum, sorry. Ask Neil on the Discreet boards, he can probably explain much better than me, anyway.