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FSXA 3ds format not working

mmann

mmann

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604
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ca-britishcolumbia
I have tried several versions of ModelConverterX and I haven't been able to use the 3ds format without receiving errors. I'm using Windows 7 64bit and I have tried various models. To keep it simple I loaded into ModelConverterX a bgl object that was a simple box using a single 1024x1024 texture sheet. The object loads fine and I can save or load as a mdl or Wavefront OBJ and all is well.

The problem is only with the 3ds format; ModelConverterX will save the model with no problems indicated, but if I try to load the 3ds model back into ModelConverterX I receive the following three warnings:

Unknown Chunk: ***UNKNOWN*** (0x0000A08A)
***STOPPED READING - INVALID CHUNK SIZE***
***STOPPED READING - INVALID CHUNK SIZE***

and the model doesn't show in ModelConverterX.

I don't seem to remember having these problems when I was using ModelConverterX in Windows XP 32bit.
 
Hi,

Do you have a sample object for me so that I can check? Sounds like a bug indeed.
 
Hi, Arno;

You won't need a sample object as all objects do this on my system! Load any BGL model into ModelConverterX then without any changes save it as a 3DS then try to load that same 3DS back into
ModelConverterX. If you can do this (without warnings), then the problem isn't with ModelConverterX but with my setup.
 
I had the same problem when exporting an FSX model. MCX would not read the exported model.
 
I'll have a look if I can reproduce it as well, then something might have broken.
 
Hi,

I can't reproduce it here. I do get a few warnings about unknown chunks now and then, but the object still loads in the end. I tried a simple object and one with animations.
 
Try the attached. Export Taxilight_LM as an FSX model and try to re-import the model.

Unfortunately, the file is too large.

I have attached the exported mdl.
 

Attachments

Thanks for testing, Arno. Obviously it is my system and not ModelConverterX that is at fault.

Do you know what dependencies or requirements the 3ds format has that would cause this problem? Like I say, the Wavefront OBJ works just fine and that is what I use to bring my models into 3ds Max, but I still find it interesting that I have no luck at all with the 3ds format!
 
Hi George,

I have tried the model you attached. Exported it to 3DS and then import it again. Works fine on my machine.

For reading the 3DS file the lib3ds.Net is used, which comes with MCX. There should be no other dependencies. Let me see if I can think of other differences.
 
That's weird, I didn't change anything related to the 3DS reader. Maybe some file in the zip was corrupt or so.
 
That's a different error which happens when you read an mdl from the root folder of a drive. I have fixed that yesterday.
 
arno said:
That's weird, I didn't change anything related to the 3DS reader. Maybe some file in the zip was corrupt or so.
Click to expand...

Like I said in my original post, it does this with various versions (I tried about half a dozen) of ModelConverterX. It must be something in my system software.

Does the 3ds format in ModelConverterX utilize any external calls that aren't used by Wavefront OBJ? Are there any special restrictions in model and/or texture naming for the 3ds format?
 
Like I said in my earlier post there is only one extra library used for 3ds export, but it comes with MCX.

What OS do you use?
 
The 3ds format uses 8.3 character notation for texture names, but MCX takes care of that. I'm not aware of other restrictions.
 
I'm using Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit. Previously (on another computer) I was using Windows XP Home SP3 32-bit and didn't have any problems with MCX.

Just to be certain I deleted everything in my MCX folder and unzipped the latest development release into that folder. But I get the same warnings and no model showing in MCX. Note that this folder (which I creatively call ModelConverterX) is located by itself on my D: drive and not within the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folders.

My system:
Intel i7-4770 (3.9GHz)
ZOTAC GTX 750 Ti 2GB
1TB Seagate Hard drive (7200rpm)
8GB RAM
 
hi when I import an mdl model then export as 3ds are the animations exported .
when I import 3ds model I get chunk errors and the model does not import this is the latest release on windows 10
 
Animations are not yet exported. I have worked on that before, but couldn't get it working.
 
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