Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!news
From: "Nathan Miller" <KiRyu@aol.com>
Newsgroups: scea.yaroze.programming.3d_graphics
Subject: Re: TOD vs VDF files...?
Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 12:40:41 -0500
Organization: PlayStation Net Yaroze (SCEE)
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Steven,

>Well, yes and no.  I believe that one could write a .TOD to .VDF
>conversion program.  Consider this: if the position of one vertex
>changes with respect to another, don't you think that it will change
>with respect to the world?  (assuming they didn't all move, which can
>probably be "detected" by fixing one point and taking all other
>positions relative to them).


Okay, now I understand why you are interested in a conversion program.  If I
remember correctly, Softimage exports a TOD animation file.  This would have
been good info to have for my first response!  No, I haven't run across any
file converter that does what you want it to.  Looks like you will have to
write your own (like most of us end up doing anyway!)

>Where could I find a spec for a VDF or the MIME format?  I'd like to
>try to write a conversion program (not that I'm ignoring your advice,
>just read my next point)


I think Craig Graham has the basics of his MIME file format on his page.  I
haven't looked there in a while, but it used to be there.  I am pretty sure
it comes with the download of RsdAnim 1.6 if it is not on his site.
Basically, you can derrive one of your own based on the info on GteMIME.
You just set up the file to be divided into frames and then set all the diff
data for each frame (with a header of the number of frames and whatever info
that you may have)

>If you had access to Softimage Extreme, wouldn't you rather use it?
>(No offense to Craig intended, from what I've been seeing and >reading, he
gets a lot of props in my book... just that  somehow I >don't think he
himself has set out to compete against Softimage :)


I have played with Softimage and it is cool!  I see where you are coming
from, Softimage has some very good animation tools.  I don't think that
Craig mentioned taking over the 3d animation world....yet! :-)

Nathan