CompuServe Messages

Check out NAVFlyer.zip in the Software Development Kit Library, an interactive CDK flyer that we need this color info to work on 3D Studio created DXF files. >>>>When my company's translation product, InterChange, converts a 3D model to DXF format, …….In other words, we could read the 3DS file, interpret wireframe colors as separate materials, then export to DXF with materials mapped to pens or layers, and you'd get what you want.<<<< Right! Thats what we need! What is InterChange and is it a shipping product I could refer people too so I wouldn't have to write this? It would have to write color info from both material and wireframe colors. I prefer the diffuse color of material to be the deciding color, myself. (ambient being to shadow oriented and specular to bright). Does that make sense to you? >>> In other words, I don't think there's a definite way to assign colors within DXF. If I'm mis-informed, please tell me! :-)<<< Yes, in a DXF file, as in AutoCAD, color information can be contained in the layer definition, block definitions, or in entities themselves. The tuple code is 62. When it falls on the first part of a polyface mesh entity it colors that entity accordingly. I believe that if it falls within the entitiy somewhere along it's VERTEXes it will color just that face, but I am not sure about that, I forget. We have it in our code reading color correctly whether the entity from AutoCAD is colored BYLAYER, BYBLOCK or a specific color index (5 for blue, etc.). Even nested blocks are working well. But there is no correct color info in the dxf files that come out of 3DStudio, since (as -G- points out) they are only interested in getting the rat's nest mesh back to AutoCAD. So we will probably write our first useful (at least for us) IPAS routine to write out dxf files with correct color info unless someone else has an alternative out there???? If we write it we will upload it here for all who would like it. I know most 3D Studio users use 3DS files, intelligently, since it sure is a great file format compared to DXF. And we have no problems using 3DS files, they work great. But this shareware version only reads DXF files so far. If there is enough demand from 3D Studio users we will include 3DS file input in the registered version ($49). Please let me know about InterChange, maybe I could save some time. Also check out the NAVFlyer.zip and give us any feedback you have. Thanks. Angela Pate