3ds vs b3d

Im wondering what the difference is between B3D and 3DS file formats. I dont mean the file structure, what I mean is whats best to use and why.

I know from what iv seen that 3DS is a bit smaller.

Other than that I dont really know much about B3D.

B3d supports skeletal animation. 3ds doesn't.

B3d supports long texture names. 3ds doesn't.

B3d supports all of Blitz's material properties. 3ds doesn't.

Most programs that can save b3d's save the vertex normals correctly. Most programs that can save b3d's don't.


Maybe a few other things, but those are the ones that spring to mind. I now use b3d for both static and animated geometry unless I have a really good reason not to. And I can't think of a really good reason offhand.

...And .3DS file format has max 64K vertex / polygon limit, and does not support multiple UV sets etc etc...

.3DS fileformat is ancient crap which like VooDoo cards still refuses to die completely and vanish from the face of the earth for some strange reason. :)

Fair play.

So you sugest I export to b3d then :P

Without a doubt.

I'm pretty sure they're actually faster, too.

one thing that 3ds format does that .b3d does not is keyframe based animation, (you can set the sub-meshes in a 3ds object to be colidable. .b3d format can't do that and as far as I know, you can't make the mesh of a .b3d poly pickable.

Actually you can ( I do ) but it only works on static meshes. Animated meshes will return pick data based on their original pose. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to be picking meshes with skeletal animation anyway. It would presumably be pretty slow.