hi i was just wondering if i made a game using the MD2 file format do i have to pay ID any licensing fees?

Carmack has responded to a question like this saying that you can use the format, but that doesn't cover the copyright of the actual models.

So you can make your own models and ship a game with them in MD2, but you can't use someone else's models in your game without permission.

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Original post by Mercury Carmack has responded to a question like this saying that you can use the format, but that doesn't cover the copyright of the actual models. So you can make your own models and ship a game with them in MD2, but you can't use someone else's models in your game without permission.

thats a given obvious. i'm just programming a game right now, and i'm looking for what file format to use. i tried importing max files but i soon realized that you can add any bones to it, unless i wanted to write my own file format. anyway so md2 file format is open source then? i dont have to pay any royalties at all?

You are confusing "open source" and "free". Anyway open source can't apply to a format, it isn't a software.

PS: Yes, you can freely use the MD2 format. [smile]

As long as you don't use iD tools to create the MD2 models, and don't use iD code to load in the models, you can freely use the MD2 format in your project.

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Original post by Thanhda i tried importing max files but i soon realized that you can add any bones to it, unless i wanted to write my own file format.

MD2 uses no bones, try MD3 or even better MD5

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Original post by Kwizatz Quote: Original post by Thanhda i tried importing max files but i soon realized that you can add any bones to it, unless i wanted to write my own file format. MD2 uses no bones, try MD3 or even better MD5

well i actually used bone. i created it in 3dsmax placed bones in t make animations, then loaded it to md2 file. it may not have bones but it does animate. =D

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Original post by Thanhda well i actually used bone. i created it in 3dsmax placed bones in t make animations, then loaded it to md2 file. it may not have bones but it does animate. =D

Yeah, thats the way you usually build them, but the MD2 file itself contains no information about bones, that information is lost when you export your model, making it hard to import back.

Instead the MD2 file contains one static model per animation frame, interpolation is achieved thru vertex morphing.

Back in the days this method saved CPU time since almost no calculations needed to be done each frame, but was heavy on system memory, nowadays with SIMD CPUs and Video Memory, it is more eficient to use bone based formats.

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Original post by Kwizatz Quote: Original post by Thanhda well i actually used bone. i created it in 3dsmax placed bones in t make animations, then loaded it to md2 file. it may not have bones but it does animate. =D Yeah, thats the way you usually build them, but the MD2 file itself contains no information about bones, that information is lost when you export your model, making it hard to import back. Instead the MD2 file contains one static model per animation frame, interpolation is achieved thru vertex morphing. Back in the days this method saved CPU time since almost no calculations needed to be done each frame, but was heavy on system memory, nowadays with SIMD CPUs and Video Memory, it is more eficient to use bone based formats.

yes like i said, i know that. but what i meant to say before was that 3ds cant have animations. BTW any good MD5 loaders? and exporters?

If you are planning on making a commercial product, then why not do things right in the first place?
If you need bones, then create a file format for that.
Then make another file format for the geometry.

Those 2 will be read by your program. That's what some games do and others put both together.

If it's freeware or open source, then don't worry about it.