rwm

hi there!

ive got a problem, i have to figure out how an animation file format works, its a binary format, and i have no idea how to figure out how to extract this information.

i have to write a plugin to export animation data from maya, but i cant go ahead until i know how the binary format works.

heres what i get when i open the file in a binary viewer.


can someone explain to me what i must do to figure out the file format?

im stumped! I dont have a clue as what to do!

i hope someone can help me out here! that would be very much appreciated!

thx!

Arevos

The first step would be to research what information already exists online about the particular file format you're trying to convert (you also don't mention in your post what format this is). Exporting 3D animation data is not an uncommon problem, and Maya is a popular animating package, so it's reasonable to assume that there will be some information already available on it.

DaWei

You might begin here.

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rwm

hey!

thx for the quick replies! well the file is generated by Massive - and there is NO documentation online, i only have the demo version and have to figure out how our pipeline is going to work, we will only get the commercial licence IF we get the job we need Massive for.

The demo give no documentation, its impossible to learn anything from it, so have been looking through all the files included with the demo scenes.

The only file i cant figure out is the animation binary....

No, there arent any plugins/apps online for this problem... Unfortunately...

Mmm that link was to a maya API tutorial, thats not the problem for me, its the actual binary file format thats presenting the problem-- how do i figure out how to write this format given animation data?

hope you guys can help me out!

ta!

DaWei

You're not going to figure out a binary file format by staring at the values. The file may have a magic number. It may have a section defining the layout of the rest of the file. To pick it apart, you will need a very small file with one or two things described. You'll need to know what the things are in order to recognize a description. Consequently, you probably need to generate a file with only one or two objects/things. Then you generate it again, with a variation. Maybe then you can see how it works, to some degree. This is not a trivial process. It's purposely made difficult. People don't want everyone ripping existing models and animations out of their products.

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rwm

jeez - its not like im doing anything wrong - im trying to write an animation exporter - thats all!

but ill try what you suggested!

thx!

DaWei

No one's accusing you of doing anything wrong. I'm telling you, from experience, what the outlook of the industry is, and how they react. I didn't give you that link as an answer. I gave you that link because the procedures, though different, apply. Everyone is always in a hurry, and often rightfully so, but if you don't take some time to think, you ainnanevahgonna get there.

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Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code.
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rwm

like i said its not coding maya thats the problem - its the file format

oh well nevermind, the demo doesnt even let me save the animation binary....

so nothing i can do until we actually get the job or not...

thx anyway!