SoftImage XSI

#1 I do not believe there is an exporter directly to DTS for XSi models for Torque. Can you import it into another supported package?

See Torque Game Engine DTS Exporter Matrix for details on the tools that are know to be used with Torque.

#2 The Xsi export direct OBJ format, and others. where I find a complete list of files type to work?

#3 All the major 3D packages support Kaydara's Universal FBX format. Wouldn't it be a good idea for Torque to support a universal format like that?

http://www.kaydara.com/products/fbx/index.php

Support for XSI would be nice now with the new $500 version out.

#4 Softimage XSI 4 support for Torque is in the works. XSI 4 has FBX support as well...

#5 Can't wait.

#6 XSI support in the works! YES! My team is building a game for Torque for our senior project. Unfortunatley, our school teaches Softiamge XSI.....

This would really take alot of the stress off us....we wouldn't have to try to learn another package on top of everything else we have to do at school..

I am eagerly awaiting this!

#7 XSI support would be fantastic. The cost of XSI's packages is much more reasonable for us Indies.

Anyone else have any news on timelines?

#8 The exporter is going very well. I should have an update on the timeline for the XSI DTS exporter in my next .plan

#9 I wonder how the animation on the character would go and the material suport also :)

#10 Almost all of the animation system in XSI will be able to be exported to DTS and for some of the things that cant be used directly you'll be able to use shadow rigs to remap the animation to a simpler rig for export.

Material support is handled by custom properties on the materials used in the object or scene.

All of the settings needed for export can be managed from the helper tools for the exporter and everything can be configured manually as well.

It will be very straight forward and powerful.

#11 As the software itself. wonder if there will be an xsi for torque developers, like halflife has :)

#12 I doubt there will ever be an EXP version for Torque, but the foundation license of XSI is really a fair price and you
get everything you need for game development in that one package.

$495

BTW - they just upgraded to v4.2

#13 Will the XSI support extend to an older version like 3.5, the free tool for Half-Life 2?

#14 Not any time soon, I'm sure. Especially without a lot of money changing hands.

#15

Quote:It will be very straight forward and powerful.

Now there's a no beating-around-the-bush answer. Thanks Matt, you're efforts are going to save what little sanity I have left in regards to content creation. XSI Foundation for $495.00 and a soon to be .dts exporter from DI? Being an Indie just got better! 8^)

#16 Being that we are working in version 4.x and we are useing allot of the new features in the SDK for version 4.x of XSI to write the exporter most likely will only support the latest version of XSI (4.0 and higher).

Like wise we will not be supporting the free versions of XSI because they do not fully support the XSI SDK. This is logical since they are free are meant to give you a taste of the app before you buy it. And besides that the Foundation version of XSI 4 is only $495 which is pretty much a steal for a professinonal level 3d app.

I'll be posting a progress report on GG soon....

Later

#17 I wonder where do you start writing an exporter for Torque (XSI exporter for example); what tools do you need and so on...

#18 Hello! any updates on the XSI exporter? I am eagerly awaiting its arrival. Hope everything is going smoothly. Thanks Matt!

#19 @Matt, any news? I too am eager to try out your XSI exporter. Your Truespace/Gamespace exporter and docs are really excellent BTW.

@Gramofon, I am not speaking from personal experience, but I read somewhere there is a C or C++ library for creating DTS files for Torque models. This library combined with strong knowledge of the APIs for your host modeling program - is basically the tools.

Some exporters, like Blender, are written entirely with a scripting language like Python. That's actually more difficult though because you aren't leveraging a "libdts" tool.

#20 I downloaded the demo for XSI 4, and I'm quite impressed; I plan on buying it pretty soon.

I'm looking forward to the exporter too (or at least a beta of it). I'm willing to wait, though, since I'm not on any sort of schedule in this. I'm just glad to know its being worked on.

@Gramofon, Softimage has an SDK on their website for making exporters, and something called an "FDK" for reading dotXSI files, for making file converters. Either of those could be useful for creating DTS files.