3DS to DIF Conversion
by Tim Hutcheson · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 04/21/2005 (2:33 pm) · 10 replies
I'm a little new to Torque but I have a 3ds file of a parking garage that I want to drop in to Torque as a .dif file, similar to say the tower1.dif file in the racing game. Can anybody tell me how to do this? I have been trying various software exports and imports, using 3D Studio Max and the usual cast of characters like Quark Army Knife and Milkshape, etc but can't get a good file.
Also have the same file in .max format if that helps.
Thanks.
Also have the same file in .max format if that helps.
Thanks.
About the author
#2
04/21/2005 (3:03 pm)
Thanks for the tip, I checked it out. That said, is it possible that I am missing something and should instead just try to drop a .dts version into my game? I can easily generate that by exporting from MS3d, as I can import .3ds into that w/o problem. IF so, what caveats regarding polygon vs. planes come into play? Any thoughts?
#3
Otherwise, use GLB or a standalone DIF construction kit like Quark.
04/21/2005 (3:47 pm)
If you don't plan on colliding with said parking garage (eg have it as a static background element) then DTS will work fine. Or if the collision is extremely simple, since DTS can only have 9 convex collision meshes for the entire object.Otherwise, use GLB or a standalone DIF construction kit like Quark.
#4
04/21/2005 (4:08 pm)
Got it. Thanks, I'm intending to drive and collide inside the parking garage. There wasn't any mention of all the types of files that GLB can import, do you know if it will import a .3ds file? Otherwise I have to figure out why I had so much trouble getting QAK to do the job.. or I have to chuck the .3ds/max file I have and start from scratch in something like GLB.
#5
You had posted in another thread that "I would avoid the use of DTS for large collidable objects like a wall." So I am kind of confused, if you have large collidable objects but have simple collision shapes a DTS would work fine or not. The reason I ask is that I have some building in my level that are unenterable and were created as DIF's because I was under the impression that large collidable objects should be DIF's. But, if those buildings would work fine as DTS's it would be give us some flexibility.
04/22/2005 (8:09 am)
@AlexYou had posted in another thread that "I would avoid the use of DTS for large collidable objects like a wall." So I am kind of confused, if you have large collidable objects but have simple collision shapes a DTS would work fine or not. The reason I ask is that I have some building in my level that are unenterable and were created as DIF's because I was under the impression that large collidable objects should be DIF's. But, if those buildings would work fine as DTS's it would be give us some flexibility.
#6
Ok, I've downloaded free GLB2 to see what it GLB does. But since it is a set of plugins for 3ds, and let's me build structures easily, I still don't see how that helps answer the original question. Perhaps there are some exporters included with GLB3 that I don't see.
@Anybody
Suppose I do use GLB to build my structures, I still have .3ds outputs to try to get into Torque and I want those to be .dif files. What is the workflow that gets me from A to B. This has got to be simple because (most) everybody must do it at one time or another.
04/22/2005 (8:47 am)
@AlexOk, I've downloaded free GLB2 to see what it GLB does. But since it is a set of plugins for 3ds, and let's me build structures easily, I still don't see how that helps answer the original question. Perhaps there are some exporters included with GLB3 that I don't see.
@Anybody
Suppose I do use GLB to build my structures, I still have .3ds outputs to try to get into Torque and I want those to be .dif files. What is the workflow that gets me from A to B. This has got to be simple because (most) everybody must do it at one time or another.
#7
Ok, I've downloaded free GLB2 to see what it GLB does. But since it is a set of plugins for 3ds, and let's me build structures easily, I still don't see how that helps answer the original question. Perhaps there are some exporters included with GLB3 that I don't see.
@Anybody
Suppose I do use GLB to build my structures, I still have .3ds outputs to try to get into Torque and I want those to be .dif files. What is the workflow that gets me from A to B. This has got to be simple because (most) everybody must do it at one time or another.
04/22/2005 (8:50 am)
@AlexOk, I've downloaded free GLB2 to see what it GLB does. But since it is a set of plugins for 3ds, and let's me build structures easily, I still don't see how that helps answer the original question. Perhaps there are some exporters included with GLB3 that I don't see.
@Anybody
Suppose I do use GLB to build my structures, I still have .3ds outputs to try to get into Torque and I want those to be .dif files. What is the workflow that gets me from A to B. This has got to be simple because (most) everybody must do it at one time or another.
#8
04/22/2005 (8:58 am)
GLB should output .map files which can then be compiled with map2dif. 
#9
04/22/2005 (4:18 pm)
If I recall correctly GLB uses a modified version of 3ds2map. You can use this tool in conjunction with map2dif plus to convert a 3ds into a dif (I tested a few simple maps with it but nothing beyond that so you are on your own).
#10
04/22/2005 (4:36 pm)
Thanks, I'm slowly getting some of the workflow issues organized but there's a lot of permutations caused by slight variations in file formats, in addition to the number of formats in the matrix. 
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