.X and .3DS export problems

[AndyH]

Hi there, hope you can help.

I've put together a 3D world which I want to import and use in Blitz3D.

I've made some objects in Ac3D and when I export as .x format and load up in Blitz it is correct.

I have now imported two objects that someone has made for me in 3DS Max. He saved them as .3DS format. They come in to Ac3D perfectly. The problem starts when I export my world to .x format.

The two objects are not positioned correctly when I view the .x file in Blitz. The objects I made in Ac3D are in the right place. The first object (a bridge) I have positioned to the right of centre of the Ac3D world, looks fine in Ac3D but in Blitz it seems to have moved its own distance again further out and is completely in the wrong place. The other Ac3D objects I have created (to either side) are in the right place, just this previously imported 3DS model that is out.

My second imported 3DS model (a runway) is positioned far to the left of the centre of the Ac3D world. Likewise it is not positioned in the same place when viewd in Blitz, it is like it is 4 to 5 times further out than what it is in Ac3D.

Can you help? I can send the AC3D file with it all in if it will help (let me know the email address to send to)

I also tried to export as a 3DS file, in which case the bridge looks like it is in the right place, but the runway is a little out still. The repetition settings on the textures are also lost so this is a no starter anyway.

The .X format seems the most reliable, its just these two imported 3DS objects that are causing the problems.

[FRAME]

Hi,

I have written the X file export plugin. If the problem is in there I can help.
Could you send me the 3DS files, the AC3D files and the X files ?

You can use my private e-mail address : Frank_Meinert<at>t-online.de

Frank

[AndyH]

Thanks, have sent you the files.

[dc_zee]

Im having the same problem, but a bit worse. The version 4 exporter plugin for direct X files worked great. The version 5 plugin exporter does two things:

1. the object loads into my program in the wrong location. this might be a ac3d problem if it is reassigning the location of objects in its view window differently than version 4. That would account for the shift when loaded into my program. I used the same object ive been using with version 4, and the new export causes the object to load way off center and way below its original location.

2. my frames per second plummeted from 243 to 77 when i use the version 5 exported .X file. Even if I doubled the triangles in the version 4 object the frame rate would not take such a high hit.

I fooled around with some of the export features to see if one of them might be causing the problem, but no combination seemed to improve or correct teh problems. For now im using version 4 ac3d and its plugins. Would be nice to get a fix on this.

[Andy]

The 3DS importer has changed a lot in AC3D 5. It should be better but there may have been some problems introduced.

If you can send me the 3DS file that loads differrently into AC3D and Blitz, I'll check it.

Andy

[AndyH]

The guy whote wrote the X file exporter sent me a new version (for v4) and it sorted all the problems out, including the 3DS imported models being positioned incorrectly in the exported X file.

[dc_zee]

Hi Andy and thanks for the reply.

Do you mean he sent you the version 4 .X exporter plugin to use with version 5? I had no problems with the version 4 plugin either, but I didnt think it would work with version 5. I still have the version 4 plugin, so if it works Ill just cp it over to the ac3d5 plugin directory.

[AndyH]

No, I mean the V4 plug in that is there by default had this problem. He sent me an updated one while I was still using V4 (only about a month or so ago) and it works all the time.

I have not tried this with v5. I would assume (and hope) that the new X exporter I have in v4 is now in v5. Andy, do you know?

[dc_zee]

I see,..well the version 5 .x exporter had some serious problems for me. Hopefully a fix is forthcoming, till then im sticking with version 4 and the version 4 exporter. Version 4 always worked fine for me so perhaps they had the fixed exporter already included when i started using ac3d.

[FRAME]

Hi 'dc_zee',

there should not be any problems in newer versions of the x file exporter which are not already there in older versions.
But some changes were made which could cause new problems.

Could you send me an example file to solve the problem(s) with the x file exporter ?

It would be good to get the ac file and the exported x files of the two versions of the exporter which you tried.

You can send it to my private email address : Frank_Meinert<at>t-online.de

Thank you,
Frank

[dc_zee]

Great! Ill send u the .ac and .x versions of 4 and 5 asap.

regards

[AndyH]

I tried exporting my file that had the problem originally with V5 and it works great. Even the optimise option trims off 300K from my file.

The imported 3DS files seem to be correctly positioned, so I guess you have a different problem to what I had.

BTW - AC3D v5 is superb! All it needs now is that illusive animation feature and I will be able to do everything with one program :)