IBM PC 3DS to DXF
29 messages in this thread
Hi,
I noticed your DXF to 3DS convertor for the IBM PC, I was wondering do
you also do a 3DS to DXF convertor for the IBM? If you do I'd be really
interested in getting a copy if you could let me know details of cost etc.
Thanks Mateen
Almost all of our conversions are bi-directional, meaning you can both read and
write a given format, as well as transfer between any two formats. So yes, we
do convert 3DS to DXF, and we give more options than you get when you save
direct from 3D Studio. Call (414) 674-5200 for more information.
> #: 78096 S7/Syndesis [AMIGAV] > 30-Mar-94 22:13:49 > Sb: #78048-IBM PC
3DS to DXF > Fm: Syndesis Corp/J. Foust 76004,1763 > To: Mateen Greenway
100016,602 > >Almost all of our conversions are bi-directional, meaning you can
both read >and write a given format, as well as transfer between any two
formats. So >yes, we do convert 3DS to DXF, and we give more options than you
get when you >save direct from 3D Studio. Call (414) 674-5200 for more
information.
Ummm, hi John…
Ummm, IS there such a thing as .DXF to 3DS?
I have a Broderbund MessyDos package "3D Home Architect" that will supposedly
export floorplans "to dxf". BUT 3DS Rel 3 doesn't seem to know how to handle
'em.
Jeezz, the "lowly Amiga" as an intermediary 'tween to MessyDos packages??????
Luke (Pat) Montgomery "REAL" E-mail: compvid@tyrell.net
CompVid Computer Video Graphics Services CompuServe: 70274,2177
Greater Kansas City Voice: (913) 780-0222
—————————————————————————–
There's no place like home… There's no place like home… There's no…
Ah, the debacle of DXF. You never know what sort of DXF will be exported by a
given application, and it takes a lot of detective work to determine exactly
what a given application will import, and what it will import it as, if they
don't document it precisely. Offhand, 3DS prefers anything that resembles a
polygon. If your Broderbund app is exporting just a bunch of 2D or 3D lines,
changes are good that 3DS can't make any sense of it.
Hmm, ahh-soo dxf is on one of those @#$% "non-standard-standards", huh? Kinda
like the RS-232 "standard" (what pin is that on?)..
Now that I think about it, it sounds like what you described migh just be
happening. What might Interchange (?) to for the "dxf to 3DS" conversion if
the 3D Home Architect is putting out lines 'stead of polygons??
<sigh> And now there talking about "plug and play PCs"… I'll believe THAT
when I see it… :->
Regards,
Luke (Pat) Montgomery "REAL" E-mail: compvid@tyrell.net
CompVid Computer Video Graphics Services CompuServe: 70274,2177
Greater Kansas City Voice: (913) 780-0222
—————————————————————————–
There's no place like home… There's no place like home… There's no…
Without knowing exactly what 3D Home Architect is putting out, I can't tell
you. Feel free to upload a sample file to the DL 7 library, I'll check it out.
John: In message #78682 in this section I wrote regarding a problem importing
.DXF files via TIO. Do you think that the latest version of ICP might have
better luck reading the files than TIO?
For reference, the problem was the message "TIO Error 2-Premature End of File"
Regards,
Trent K. Johnson
ReAnimators
Edmonton, Canada
The TIO system is at least three years old, one known bug in the DXF import is
that the DXF files need to have Amiga-style line endings. From a Mac, the ends
of lines have only CR (carriage return) while Amiga files need only LF (line
feed). (DOS files have CR and LF, just to complicate things.)
So, run the DXF through a text filter that turns the CRs to LFs. You can do
this in some word processors, too. Or, get InterChange Plus v3.0, which has a
DXF converter that's more advanced than TIO, and handles Mac, DOS and
Amiga-style line endings without trouble.
Thanks very much for the info, John.
Regards,
Trent K. Johnson
ReAnimators
Ah, by the way – the reason I didn't see that message is that it wasn't
addressed directly to me. If you say "all", I don't see the message
immediately when I log into the forum. If you address to me directly, then
I'll almost always answer within hours… otherwise, I don't read the entire
forum for *days*.
Ahh, of course. Thanks again for the lightning-fast response. Picked up ICP
3.0 earlier this afternoon. (figured it was the noble thing to do)
Registration on its way…
Trent
Check the "Late-breaking News" file, the second line should say "February 8,
1994" if you have the latest version of ICP. Otherwise, we'll be glad to send
out a free bug fix disk.
John:
The "late-Break-date" is December 8/93 on the version I picked up the other
day. I would sincerely appreciate the update. Thanks!
ReAnimators Computer Animation Services 8906-169 Street NW Edmonton, Alberta
CANADA T5R2X1
Will mail out the registration tomorrow and FAX a temp copy tonight.
Thanks again!
ICP S/N 002418
Thanks I'll phone you next week sometime.
Mateen
PMFJI:
John: What's the latest version of ICP available? I have 2.0b.
Also have TIO 1.0.32.
Thanks a bunch!
Trent Johnson
ReAnimators
More than a year ago, we sent out the announcement of ICP v3.0. It now includes
the Wavefront, DXF and 3D Studio converters. No updates to TIO are possible,
because NewTek has never made it a priority to tell Hastings to apply the minor
changes necessary for us to include the latest translators. SeaQuest is more
important, apparently.
Today must be Update day for me. I just called and FINALLY updated to 3.0,
spoke to a gent named Jarrod??? I was hoping to get you as I didn't have
my serial # handy and had to scramble to go thru my box of disks and find
ICP to get my serial #.
BTW hows the windows version of ICP coming along? Also will registered
owners of the Amiga version get a discount on the Windows version when
it's released? Thanx for the info John.
PS How's the new 3D ROM coming along?
Yes, Jared Teche works here in the afternoons.
The Windows version is coming along. It's got a new interface, completely
different from the Amiga version. I have not committed to a price for the
release version, so I haven't considered if there will be a discount for Amiga
owners. The price will be higher than the Amiga version, so I'm sure there will
be a great wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The new 3D-ROM is on track, it'll be ready for Siggraph.
Thanx for the info John. I am not sure if you're right about "The great
Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth" since I don't think there is a product like
ICP on the IBM/Clones even tho such a product is sorely needed. Local
Beemers are constantly asking me to convert 3D models from LW for them to
3D Studio or Imagine PC.
Glad to hear the 3D ROm will be ready for SIGGRAPH.
We've also implemented our translators as IPAS plug-ins for 3D Studio. A
product manager at Autodesk thought that *each* of our converters, particularly
the high-end formats like Wavefront and Softimage, should sell for hundreds of
dollars each, sold separately. Now 3D Studio is a $3,000 program running on
$3K-5K souped-up PCs… but I thought his recommendations were a bit high.
I'm batting around the price of $495 for InterChange for Windows, and I think
some converters will be sold separately.
I'd be glad to talk with you about your ideas for pricing and bundling of
InterChange for Windows… which converters should be bundled in the base
package, what should the price of that base package be, which should be sold
separately, and for how much?
On a related topic, I checked out the price of dongles in the PC market. The
Rainbow dongles used for 3D Studio are about $40 in the quantities we'll need
at first. Not that we're dongling IC/Win… but I wanted to check it out.
🙂
Ack! not another dongle!
Thanks for not taking the Autodesk product manager too seriously John, I think
the $495 price for ICP/win is in the ballpark, it depends on what is included.
Personally, DXF, 3DS, Imagine and Lightwave formats in the same package is
ideal. I have 3DS, and the IPAS would be nice, but I've thinking lately that
something more general, a standalone converter, makes more sense.
Just my .02, and desperately in need of object conversions on the PC,
Andrew.
Yes, you are correct about a standalone converter being superior to IPAS. It
turns out they've left some gaping holes in IPAS R3… such as, you can't
create a new material, except for the name – no color, no other attributes. And
they're still limited to 255 materials per scene.
When the dongle-breaking companies have larger ads than we do in Computer
Graphics World, I am less confident about the effectiveness of dongles.
I'd say definitely include the Imagine,LW, 3D Studio and DXF converter's
with the windows version of ICP. Since you don't have any competition I
don't see any reason you Couldn't charge LIST $495.
Also the IPAS plugin converters sound GREAT. I wholey agree that the High
end Converters like Softimage and Wavefront should be "EXTRA"
Good Luck in the PC Realm.
And we're thinking about some special bundles for shows like Siggraph, bundling
3D-ROMs with IC/Win. Are you going to make it to Siggraph this year, at least
it's on your coast…
I'm planning on going to Siggraph this year, not that I love Orlando, might be
a good time to take an extended vacation on the m/c. A special 3D-ROM IC/Win
deal sounds pretty interesting.
I don't know that much about the implementation of IPAS, but quite frankly, the
whole process of assigning materials and mappings in 3DS really, oh, how to say
this politely…
Andrew.
On my coast but still doubtful. I'd Love to attend SIGGRAPH but laziness
shall prevail. Couple that to the fact that I have to "PICK" my vacation
by seniority and it makes things dicey at best. JULY is Senior man month
when it comes to vacations, a guy with a measly 6 years like me hasn't a
chance at a July vacation. The Bundle sounds like a GREAT idea, putting a
3DROM and ICP for Windows together for a special "SHOW" price.
PMFJI, but with regard to Lightwave needing a TIO update, I heartily
agree. Are there many out there who wish they could import JPEG or PAR-PEG
images into LW as well? Without running snooper-apps or writing scripts?
Such conversion power would increase an animator's productivity
significantly. (Granted, I have been batch processing for days on
end…lots of time to dream about improvements <grin>).
Stephen Bailey
Sawyer & Bailey Film and Video CIS # 72773,2451
Thanks for the info, John. That upgrade info must've slipped thru the cracks.
I'll get in touch with Syndesis for the upgrade.
TJ