3DS smoothing groups

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    • 3DS smoothing groups

      Hi,

      I have written a 3DS (binary) file importer for my OpenGL based 3D engine. It works fine and is able to correctly import files containing multiple meshes. At the moment I am calculating my own vertex normals for the meshes. I would like to incorporate the smoothing group information into my vertex normal calculation code. Does anyone have any ideas as to how smoothing groups work? If someone could explain the general algorithm to me I would be much appreciated. I am using the 3DS code in the ATI GLSL SDK as a reference.

    • RE: 3DS smoothing groups

      I just did a quick flip throught the manuals and I can't find the 3DS format description. However, if you export to ASCII you can include face normal information using MAXScript. This is covered under the topic "How To ... Output Geometry Data To Text File - Part Two" in the online MAXScript Reference, though Part One is probably good reading, too.

      Hope that's almost useful....

      Rich
      "Your job is not to die for your country. Your job is to make some other poor sod die for his."