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

Hello, everyone!

I have a dream that displaying animation by myself(using opengl :smiley: ) :). 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 :frowning:

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!

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.

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

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.

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-

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/

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

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.

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?

OpenGL Game Programming w/CD by Kevin Hawkins:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det…=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

More OpenGL Game Programming by Dave Astle, Kevin Hawkins (not yet released):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det…=books&n=507846

-SirKnight

Originally posted by suniuin:
[b]Thanks everyone!

[quote]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?[/b][/QUOTE]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.

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.

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