excellent Free 3d modelling/animation software...

[snaga]

...needs export plugins.  (java and directx)

I mean, I am an old artist (well, not so old) , I mean, somehow experienced, and this is one is an easy to learn while powerful package. Really,a jewel.  It needs export plugins to become a great free game art tool. It can already be used for levels and objects, but would be simply wonderful if we could use it for real time game characters.

http://aoi.sourceforge.net

It does suport skinned mesh characters. That is bones and weights, so the arms, legs, etc, bend smoothly and animations are seen many times better than softwares with only rigid asignments of vertex to bone.

Even more! is made in java. You can make plugins for it in java language. It also has an easy scripting language, but  a java programmer surely prefer java.

I am into gaming but for non java based engines (though this may change in the future ) ...so I need directx 8 skinned meshes export. (that is, *.x file export with weights, including animation)

I have not much hopes of people here making a conversion  to the direct x format, but I finally decided  to post for general interest.

They also provide a good manual.

Why I am asking for directx export? see the list of engines that I could output artwork for :

-Irrlitch Engine
-Urgh engine
-Dark Basic Pro
-GameStudio (latest)
-Tv 3d engine
-Blitz3d (if you have Ultimate unwrap purchased, also, as so can convert directx animations to b3d and md2)

directx 8, 8.1 , (perfectly read in dx9 engines, I have a friend who is making a dx9 one and could load it) is very good to port character animation between packages (max 5,6, maya, lightwave, xsi...have free plugins to export directx *.x files. Is just I want a free package that allows with enough features to make good quality character animations. Never AOI is near to the power of those thousand dollar pacakges, but I have seen it can give me the quality I need.)

Anyway, if you are not interested in this directx plugin (you could make it in Java)  at least, I am almost sure there would be people interested in the package, as it is very good and complete.

It's done all in Java,  and is open source, sources provided for download, the stable versions. And I suppose in cvs the unstable.

A recent art challenge, in rendering (indeed, is a tool headed for high res redening, it makes really nice images)  was won by a AOI user.

It has bones, joint pinning, weights,  other things very useful for real time animations. besides 3d modelling tools, many of them and well done.

It can import uv mapped models, in OBJ format. And output also in obj format.

AOI forums :

http://aoi.sourceforge.net/forums

AOI documentation :

http://aoi.sourceforge.net/documentation


AOI Java plugins documentation :

http://aoi.sourceforge.net/documentation#pluginstut

PS:  If any of you , for some reason, decide to make a plugin for export in directx format (the weighted, animated dx8 format) please, say in the forums. As I already said there, and other places, and would not want that two persons end up working in the same.

[princec]

I'd very much like XML export. Doesn't have to be compact, just easy to parse. Then I can use XSLT to transform it into any other format or just read it directly into my own Java object classes and serialize them back out. Now that would be useful!

<edit>Ooh, that looks like a neat-o tool. Would you mind making a Webstartable version for download please? I have a deep aversion to downloading JARs...

Cas

[snaga]

oh...I am not a coder. Just a 2d/3d artist...

I was posting here because I think is just crazy that such a good tool remain unknown to the masses

And also, to see if someone can do the conversion to directx 8 format. But somehow, making a plugin in java (or AOI's own scripting system)  to finally save (and know) a directx file, I guess for a java developer would not have much  sense

The scripting system is said to be good for making export formats, in case some one interested.

My main interest in it is not as a java software, but as a very good 3d software iself , by its capabilities.

--- edit-- I am not AOI creator. I am not able to code a single line in any language...

[princec]

I must say that generally speaking we're not too keen on Direct X in Java-land But XML floats our boat. A generic XML file format would mean it would be easy for anyone using a variety of tools to transform it into all sorts of other formats. (Theoretically )

Even so thanks for the heads-up on this tool. Same problem as everyone else... no marketing :/

Cas

[snaga]

Thanks a lot for the reply, Cas

You see, I'm neither quite happy with Microsoft (I used to like more my Mandrake(at work red hat crashed only 3 times(my fault) in a year) than Windows partition, but life forces you...)  but the fact is x files can get to different oses, I think Loki games or other people were using it...

The xml format is very apreciated in open source projects. Quite a lot. So I'd expect from AOI forums much possible to get an xml format than a dx one.

Well, anyway, I see it encouraging. A 100% java modelling/aniamtion application totally blowing up any other free 3d one made in c or c++ (with one brilliant exception, but that one is no where near AOI's ease of use)  out there...even better than several that cost $$$ ...

I think in the future (or right now, dunno how 3d games in java are doing) it'd be a great open source tool for 3d games developers, java authors and all the others.