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From: rych@festival.ed.ac.uk (R Hawkes)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: 3DS: Where did all the texture rules go?
Message-ID: <34958@castle.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 29 Apr 93 10:40:08 GMT
References: <4857.132.uupcb@tfd.coplex.com>
Sender: nntpusr@castle.ed.ac.uk
Lines: 34

eric.vitiello@tfd.coplex.com (Eric Vitiello) writes:

>TO: rych@festival.ed.ac.uk (R Hawkes)

>RH>I've noticed that if you only save a model (with all your mapping planes
>RH>positioned carefully) to a .3DS file that when you reload it after restarting
>RH>3DS, they are given a default position and orientation.  But if you save
>RH>to a .PRJ file their positions/orientation are preserved.  Does anyone
>RH>know why this information is not stored in the .3DS file?  Nothing is

>    This is because the PRJ (Project) format saves all of your settings,
>    right down to the last render file's name.

>RH>I'd like to be able to read the texture rule information, does anyone have
>RH>the format for the .PRJ file?

>    Sorry... Don't have anything on that or the CEL format.

Well, I dived in feet first and reverse engineered the .PRJ file as much
as I needed to - extracted the mapping icon information - which is
when it dawned on me that 3D Studio is useless for my needs. I need
a mapping icon per applied texture.  I want to use a special purpose
graphics computer for rendering the 3DS models and it requires a texture
rule/plane to be specified in 3Space, i.e. position/orientation of the
mapping rule.  Since only one mapping icon is used in 3DS to apply
textures to ALL objects/faces, it renders (no pun intended) 3DS totally
unsuitable for my needs.

Anyone got a contact for Alias Upfront or any other good modeller for a
PC?  I must be able to specify texture rules (one per texture) and this
must be saved in a file which I can read.  I haven't found any info on Alias
in the copy of the faq that I have.

Rych
