Text Format SOD

[Anonymous]

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 4:33 pm

Last edited by Anonymous on January 3rd, 2011, 4:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

This idea involves allowing a user to create a SOD file in a text format, so it can be easily modified by a text editor.  It'll take up more hard disk space than a binary format, but for development purposes, the text format wouldn't hurt that much.  Then an application could be used to compress the SOD file into a binary format.  A gmax plugin to export the SOD file would be easy to build because gmax has a thing called "max script" that can be used to build the file.

EDIT:  Wit max script, a DLL is not required.

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 4:54 pm

Easily modified by a text editor? In what way would it be easy?

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 6:58 pm

Why would you want too?????

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 7:09 pm

Me? I don't see any benefits nor use for such feature, hence my previous question.

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 7:14 pm

There would be a benifit.  We wouldn't need a modeling program or HEX editor to modify the model.  Or, just give us the file structure of the SOD so it can be edited in a HEX editor.

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 7:30 pm

I'm really not sure it's possible to describe such complex 3D models including hardpoints, sprites, animated textures and model animations in a text file that can be easily edited by anyone.

More to the point as everyone else says why would you need to? If you want to edit a SOD ask whoever made it for the source .max or .ms3d file. If they don't want to share then should you really be editing it anyway?

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 7:31 pm

Right... Do you even have any idea what 3D object files contain? Perhaps you should do a quick google search before praising the easiness of editing 3D object files with a text editor.

SOD file format (Just because you happened to mention it, if you would have done a quick google search you would have found it yourself)

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 7:34 pm

You can already open them in text programs like Notepad++ (I tried opening one out of curiosity before). Open an sod in Notepad++ and try to edit it, then tell us how easy it is.

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 7:42 pm

It's possible.  But the more detail you put into it, the harder it is to keep track of.  The only binifit would be to fine-tune the model before final compression.  Plus, you wouldn't need a HEX editor

The text format would give developers the ability to modify a SOD file that they made using a text editor and fine-tune the SOD.  Then using a special application, would compress the SOD into a binary format.

I know what a 3D model file contains.  I've worked with other formats before (Orbiter MSH file for example).  Thanks for the link.

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 9:59 pm

Yes, I think it would be possible. But you just don't want to do that. Trying to model something in 3D with nothing more than notepad is as easy as writing an airplane software in Assembler. Or wait, it's actually a lot harder.   See, I'm not even sure if you know what an unsigned 32 bit integer is. And that is one of the most easy things a CS person can imagine. I'm not trying to make you look stupid or something, I just try to explain that, even if such a tool existed, you could only use it if you studied computer graphics. And even then, you wouldn't want to work with it.

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 10:12 pm

I know most of the data types.  Including "int", "float", "double", "bool", and "char".  The only difference between "signed" and "unsigned" is that one can be a negative value, the other cannot.

Fine-tuning a model, like perfecting the position of a specific hardpoint, isn't that hard when you know how the hardpoint is structured and how the binary values change the position and/or orientation.  I wouldn't use it for building or modifying the actual model, but I would use it for moving a hardpoint to a specific location.

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 10:29 pm

I know most of the data types.  Including "int", "float", "double", "bool", and "char".  The only difference between "signed" and "unsigned" is that one can be a negative value, the other cannot.

Fine-tuning a model, like perfecting the position of a specific hardpoint, isn't that hard when you know how the hardpoint is structured and how the binary values change the position and/or orientation.  I wouldn't use it for building or modifying the actual model, but I would use it for moving a hardpoint to a specific location.

Not going to lie, I don't know any of those; but I know my way around modelling software and I would hate to have a single text interface.

Now, as you say, you wouldn't use it for building/modifying a model (good!  ), but at the same time even such a simple thing as a hardpoint movement will be invariably complex - or at the very least become a great time sink. Reason being, you may say that you would move said HP to a specific location  but that location will be determined by a set of co-ordinates that will be accessible only by either trial and error, or opening the model in a high end (maybe - MS3D can't tell me a point but Max certainly can) program. And then, by the time you open the program, you may as well just add the hardpoint the old fashioned way.

I honestly can't see any reason for doing something like this. More so, I doubt it would be a simple change and require a complete overhaul of all of the geometry files. Then what do you do about models for stock?

posted on January 3rd, 2011, 11:09 pm

The text format would be optional and mostly for developmental purposes.  The binary format would be more for a release.  Once you have the model just the way you like it, compress it into a binary format and release it.

Speaking of hardpoint software, I know this has been asked before, but could someone build a SOD importer/exporter for gmax?

posted on January 4th, 2011, 1:58 am

Use 3ds max and use snaps if you want things to be completely accurate. Besides you can work with the actualy numaric positions in milkshape if you wanted too. And if thats still not enough you are going to have to write the tool yourself because i dont imagine anyone else will be intrested in editing a model in notepad.

posted on January 4th, 2011, 2:26 am

At least get the gmax SOD plugin built.  I can't afford 3DS Max and gmax is extremely similar to 3DS Max anyways.