3D Beginner

I'm not sure if this, or the beginner forum was appropriate. I am by no means a beginner to blitz, but up until now I've only barely done anything with the 3d commands of blitz3d.

I made a game in C over a year ago call lx1 which you can see some screenshots here http://uhfgood.artoo.net/lx1.html and I basically want to convert it to blitz3D. Well not directly porting it, rather I want to rewrite it in blitz3d. I don't mean 2d for 3d, I mean with full 3d models, but with the view as seen in the screenshots.

For modeling all I have is truespace 3.2 which was free, and since free is the only thing in my price range, I downloaded it, and am learning how to use it. So somehow I need to get truespace 3.2 .COB files inti blitz, probably with animations. Since I don't know much I may not start out with animations, but I want to be able to animate the models in the game eventually.

So can anyone point me in the right direction to some tutorials, converters, web pages, basically anything that will give a beginner to 3d like me a place to start when rewriting my game using blitz3d -- given the fact I only have truespace 3.2?

Any help is appreciated.
Keith Weatherby II

Is Milkshape out of your range? It's very cheap, and when used with characterFx(very cheap), it's a cool combo :)

This seems to have a free convertor - dunno if it works tho.

http://home.europa.com/~keithr/crossroads/

If I'm not mistaken, TS3.2 will export directly to x files
animation, textures and all.
Someone once told me that Blitz3D doesn't support Truespace
x files made with bones but that isn't true. You should be able to animate your models using loadanimmesh and animate commands with no problem.

Doggie

I wasn't aware .x files contained any animation data in them, I thought it was just for static models. But yeah, I would probably use that if .x files do contain animation. As far as milkshape, I tried the trial, and for me was kind of difficult to learn to use, so I ended up uninstalling it. I know most people say it's great and all, but I guess i'm a little slower than most people. Not that truespace is any easier, in fact I believe it's more difficult, however Ts 3.2 was free, so if I have to learn a more difficult piece of software when it's free then I will.

Anyways thanks for the reply guys.

Here's the scoop (ala 1998)

Doggie

Hmm... okay, well i'm going to look into it though. Motion data doesn't necesserily indicate animation, but then it doesn't not indicate it either. I'll check into the .x file format.

there are diffrent types of .X Animation: the old DX7 Scale/Rotate/Move animation, that is childmesh based and the newer DX8.1 Bones Animation based Format. Blitz handles only the older .X Format, but Stickmans Converter (see news page) claims to convert DX8-Anis to B3D.

Uh...I have a rigged animation straight from TrueSpace 5.2
that animates perfectly in Blitz. The model is segmented but it does have bones and they do animate in Blitz.
Maybe it's mesh deformation that doesn't work, but skeletons will dance in Blitz. Of course if I'm missing something feel free to point it out.
I'm pretty sure TS3.2 is the same.

Doggie

Has anyone done a FPS comparing X files with B3D.
To see which renders faster in a scene. It seems
a scene made with X objects has a higher frame rate.
And of coarse for animations the fastest is MD2 files.
Anyone else compared speeds? It would be nice to know
before starting a big project.