How do I load 3d models (.3DS or .X etc) into an OpenGl Program? What file type should I use?
RASAP
Write your own code or search the net for some.
If you’re programming in Visual C++, you might want to try Display3DS as a starting point. It makes decoding and displaying 3DS meshes almost trivial.
If you want to use a third party GDK to load your models you can use Spider3D(it’s free). It assumes you know how to set up OpenGL. Go here to check it out: http://www.spider3d.com
I released the source code to v1, you can find some 3ds loading routines in the s3d_3ds.cpp file if you want to write your own model loader.