Hi, I would like to make some simple 3D wireframe models - such as Elite spaceships, Mercenary buildings, Battlezone etc. I'm talking 80-90's retro wireframe modles here.

Rather than writing my own, I'd like to find something out there which will let me create relatively simple models and export vertex and line information to a simple file format or even C arrays etc.

I don't really want to use something as complicated as Blender if I can avoid it.

Can somebody recommend such a tool?

Thanks.

Hi, I would like to make some simple 3D wireframe models - such as Elite spaceships, Mercenary buildings, Battlezone etc. I'm talking 80-90's retro wireframe modles here.

Rather than writing my own, I'd like to find something out there which will let me create relatively simple models and export vertex and line information to a simple file format or even C arrays etc.

I don't really want to use something as complicated as Blender if I can avoid it.

Can somebody recommend such a tool?

Thanks.

why can't you simply set draw mode to wireframe?
(OpenGL: glPolygonMode, DX11: rastdescriptor.fillmode)

why can't you simply set draw mode to wireframe?

..and use Blender you mean?

why can't you simply set draw mode to wireframe?
(OpenGL: glPolygonMode, DX11: rastdescriptor.fillmode)

Create/model, not draw.

why can't you simply set draw mode to wireframe?

..and use Blender you mean?

yes.

why can't you simply set draw mode to wireframe?
(OpenGL: glPolygonMode, DX11: rastdescriptor.fillmode)

Create/model, not draw.

I assume his end goal is to draw those models like they were wireframed. instead of adding the overhead of generating a bunch of redundant vertices for his model in line mode, to instead just use built in api features for drawing models as wiremeshs.
if this is not his end goal, then disregard my comment.

I assume his end goal is to draw those models like they were wireframed. instead of adding the overhead of generating a bunch of redundant vertices for his model in line mode, to instead just use built in api features for drawing models as wiremeshs.
if this is not his end goal, then disregard my comment.

Fair point :)

Also, check PM :P

I assume his end goal is to draw those models like they were wireframed. instead of adding the overhead of generating a bunch of redundant vertices for his model in line mode, to instead just use built in api features for drawing models as wiremeshs.
if this is not his end goal, then disregard my comment.

Thanks. Yeah.. I haven't decided yet to be honest. I realise I can do wireframe in OpenGL and load objects via ASSIMP etc but I haven't decided whether to do it this way or draw lines. I'd like to do hidden line removal so it probably would make more sense I guess. At the moment I'm just wanting to create simple objects that I can potentially load back into old Amiga/Atari ST games in whatever format they're stored currently.. I have a number of plans and side projects. :-)

"Can somebody recommend such a tool?"

[ Anim8or ] is pretty old school, clean and simple (exports to a c file format)

may need to be ran in WinXP compatibility mode.

From here you could easily write a conversion tool(macro at that) to generate custom line indices from the standard (triangle/quad) face list.

I understand that you're not looking for a marginally relative modern concept explanation or a history lesson.

You're MOD-ing an old game and would probably like to keep the current content format.

Sounds like fun. Maybe after you get that out of your system, you might shoot for something for the rest of us without Amiga's

Personally, if I were you, I'd go with Blender and script up my own exporter.

You still will have to custom re-write to your index format that your existing engine expects to see.

If you want to be 'professional' hard core, do it in max or maya.

Although, the Blender Army groweth.

[ Anim8or ] is pretty old school, clean and simple (exports to a c file format)

your artwork can't get much more secure than that

Thanks Goliath - I just gave this a try. It worked OK on Win8 in XP compatability mode. The only problem is that the C file seems to contain way more than what I was after. I tried adding a cube primitive and expected to see 8 vertices somewhere in the C output but it was full of heaps of mesh information. All I want are vertice coordinates and then a table of which vertices are used to make an edge if you know what I mean. I should check the formats that Blender does produce - I know it exports quite a few and there may be a few plugins too I guess? Specifcally what I am looking for is vertices and edge information - I just had a look at an example OBJ file and they are similar to the anim8or C files - textures/faces are described with vertices rather than edges.

The only problem is that the C file seems to contain way more than what I was after. I tried adding a cube primitive and expected to see 8 vertices somewhere in the C output but it was full of heaps of mesh information. All I want are vertice coordinates and then a table of which vertices are used to make an edge if you know what I mean. ... Specifcally what I am looking for is vertices and edge information - I just had a look at an example OBJ file and they are similar to the anim8or C files - textures/faces are described with vertices rather than edges.

So that's different from what you originally asked.

At first you were asking for a tool to make meshes and a simple file format. Now it looks like you are trying to find a point cloud in a file format, but in a format that looks like a C array. No idea why.

If you're just looking for points, it seems like any modern art tool could work, just create a simple box and export the collada file. But you mentioned wanting it in the format of a C array, or as "C output", for some reason.

Can you describe more of what, and WHY, you are looking for this? Perhaps the reason that a Collada file or similar wouldn't work, perhaps why you're looking to load data as code, or what the thoughts are behind it? Really, can you provide information so we can figure out something that might fit your needs?

Usually data like this is handled as data. And rendering data is often handled as vertex arrays since that's what the graphics APIs tend to work with. What are you trying to accomplish that is different?