too many vertexes..

the problem is :
when I use “GL_TRIANGLES”,
each face needs 3 vertexes so when
an object has n faces, openGL calculates
3*n vertexes : each vertex of the object is calculated several times.
I can of course use “GL_TRIANGLE_STRIP”
but how can I convert an object made to be
used with “GL_TRIANGLES”(a “.ase” file from
3dsMAX for example)?
Is there another solution ?

Either write a converter
or at least I know a stripifier with code on nvidia.com

If you’re reading in from an output file from a rednering program (like 3DS MAX) ie lots of vertices/faces/etc. you probably want to use a display list or a veryex array rather than calling glBegin(GL_TRIANGLES) or glBegin(GL_TRIANGLE_STRIP). Additionally, depending on the system your running, you may get signifigant performance increases with this method. Look in the red book or find online info about using display lists and vertex arrays.