XeNTaX

Posted: **Tue May 23, 2006 4:33 am**

It does not look difficult at all. Here it is:

shape 16000

scale 300,300,300

; roty 180

dopoint 100,0,0,-246
dopoint 101,-2,0,-224
dopoint 102,-81,0,-246
dopoint 103,-81,0,-219
dopoint 104,-10,0,-155
dopoint 105,-17,0,-111
dopoint 106,-18,0,0
dopoint 107,-231,0,-88
dopoint 108,-231,0,-54
dopoint 109,-86,0,48
dopoint 110,-90,0,62
dopoint 111,-90,0,97
dopoint 112,-63,0,97
dopoint 113,-63,0,62
dopoint 114,-18,0,95
dopoint 115,-18,0,196
dopoint 116,-8,0,232
dopoint 117,0,0,242
dopoint 118,3,0,-224
dopoint 119,82,0,-245
dopoint 120,82,0,-218
dopoint 121,11,0,-155
dopoint 122,18,0,-110
dopoint 123,18,0,0
dopoint 124,232,0,-87
dopoint 125,232,0,-53
dopoint 126,85,0,49
dopoint 127,89,0,63
dopoint 128,89,0,98
dopoint 129,62,0,98
dopoint 130,62,0,63
dopoint 131,17,0,96
dopoint 132,17,0,196
dopoint 133,7,0,232

drwpoly 190,100,101,118
drwpoly 190,102,103,101
drwpoly 190,120,119,118
drwpoly 190,121,118,101
drwpoly 190,104,121,101
drwpoly 190,101,103,104
drwpoly 190,121,120,118
drwpoly 190,105,122,104
drwpoly 190,121,104,122
drwpoly 190,106,123,105
drwpoly 190,122,105,123
drwpoly 190,114,131,106
drwpoly 190,123,106,131
drwpoly 190,115,132,114
drwpoly 190,131,114,132
drwpoly 190,116,133,115
drwpoly 190,132,115,133
drwpoly 190,117,133,116
drwpoly 190,106,113,114
drwpoly 190,106,109,113
drwpoly 190,108,109,106
drwpoly 190,107,108,106
drwpoly 190,110,113,109
drwpoly 190,111,112,110
drwpoly 190,113,110,112
drwpoly 190,130,123,131
drwpoly 190,130,126,123
drwpoly 190,125,123,126
drwpoly 190,125,124,123
drwpoly 190,130,127,126
drwpoly 190,129,128,130
drwpoly 190,127,130,128

return
end

Anyone perhaps familiar with this format and perhaps know what program to use to read it and edit? It looks so simple that I am tempted to do it by hand. But before, perhaps there is already program for it?

Posted: **Fri Dec 08, 2006 2:43 pm**

I am the creator of the 3D Object Converter. It is a polygon based 3d object file format converter program. It supports 440 file formats !

I think I can support this format in my program.

Can you send me (zoltan.karpati@t-online.hu) any sample files ?
Can you tell me (URL) where I can find the program that generated this file ?

Posted: **Sun Dec 10, 2006 2:40 pm**

Thank you Zoltan for addressing my question. It is very nice ouf you and in fact "my prayers have been answered" as I was about to contact you regarding some other pressing matters. One thing at the time though.

First, let me prepare some materials regarding *.sh file first. Stand by.

At the moment I just say that the file is from TAW (abandonware Total Air War by DiD) and the program which created it unfortunately does not exist. However, in the course of our internal TAW investigation we determined that the 3D file for that game was not precisely the one above *.sh but *.3 file format. That one we started to investigate and dissect "3" here:

http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boards ... 001209;p=1

But this is not end of the story ...there is much much more I wanted you to ask

Posted: **Sun Dec 10, 2006 3:32 pm**

Regarding "3" file ....
In the link I posted I myself find material put down in very let us say mildly ...spontaneous and very disorganised form. Sorry. Few of us went on the quest and we were like schoolchildren on the trip admiring the views. The result and records are "mishy-mashy". Since then little more was done, but never even posted and eventually subject "cooled off".

Many things (posts, hex code sinppets, drawings) perhaps need organising and reshaping, which I try from my end. So bear with us, but please ask us any pertaining question. With you help we would love to revive this subject.

Posted: **Mon Dec 11, 2006 2:19 pm**

Back to *.sh files.
Here is one, perhaps one of the the simplest sh file labeled "arrow". I believe that it depicts simplified symbol of the aircract for one of the screen of the game (AWAC window) . Here is the picture with the exact file text output on tje left, picture from the game below and my graphic representation below.
NB: cannot figure how the "tail" of the airplane symbol is made, but perhaps that could be clarified later in the course of this thread.

In the next step I will pack all sh files and send to you Zoltan for further investigation and possibly inclusion of this format into your converter.

PS. Once again I note that this is not the main 3D file of the game which is "3" format mentioned earlier. *.3 files are much more itricate and it would be really cool to include them in the converter.

TBC.....

Posted: **Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:48 pm**

Xela,

'arrow.sh' seems only to be used in the 2D AWACS view. This can be readily seen by changing:
dopoint 401,0,0,6

to dopoint 401,0,0,20

.....or similar.

The 3D triangle with tail must be created in some other way.

Posted: **Tue Dec 12, 2006 6:48 pm**

Xela,

Thank you for your .sh sample files.

I added the .sh loader module to my program and I uploaded the latest developer package (non beta) to my web page.

You can download it using the following link:
http://web.t-online.hu/karpo/3dc32390x_dev_20061212.zip

Posted: **Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:04 pm**

Great news Zoltan and thanks,
would you be interested in reviewing other 3D format of the game "*.3"? I have gone back to our earlier threads and started cleaning in order to make things clearer. I realise that whats there may be of not much value to create the professional converter, but I am keen to do whatever necessary in order to make those old game files editable. And learn something in process.

What kind of research groundwork is needed for the converter to be made possible? Is the hex reverse engineering of the file of any help?

Posted: **Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:37 pm**

I need any sample files and the file format description, but I think this model format is unpublished...

Posted: **Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:48 pm**

the file format description

This is what we are trying to do by our "home made" reverse hex engineering probe. But I do realise that this is not perhaps how the things should be done in most efficient and painless way.

Is there any standard template for format description?I guess the answer would be no as there are many different formats. As additional backup to this I may quote the link to one of the file formats sites which are many, that one just caught my eye.

http://www.wotsit.org/
or
http://www.martinreddy.net/gfx/3d-hi.html

I think I'll send you few samples as you never know whether something can turn out to be familiar. I want to keep in touch with this and other 3D issues.

On behalf of all TAW modders thank you anyway once again for sh file.

Posted: **Tue Dec 12, 2006 11:01 pm**

It is a very simple doc:

Vertice_Record {
float X,Y,Z,
float U,V
}

Face_Record {
Integer P1,P2,P3
Integer Material_Pointer
}

Integer (4 bytes): Vertice Counter
Vertice Counter * Vertice_Record

Integer (4 bytes) : Unknown1
Integer (4 bytes) : Unknown2
Integer (4 bytes) : Unknown3

Integer (4 bytes): Face Counter
Face Counter * Face_Record

Posted: **Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:43 pm**

I am gathering all informations and materials pertaining to "3" format. Most of it is on SimHQ.com TAW forum , which so happen is temporarily offline.

Posted: **Mon Dec 18, 2006 4:10 pm**

Gathering all informations about 3D format is one thing and puting them into file specification is quite another. This small echange of ours made me to find and visit some place which can serve as an example of proper 3D file documentation. Place I am talking about is Multigen Paradigm here:
http://www.multigen.com/support/dc_standards.shtml

I thought I'd share this link even if you knew this format before already (yes I am sure Open Flight (*.flt) format is included in 3D Object Converter).

BTW. while mucking with 3DG file format (Janes JF/A-18) we have found strong link between FLT format and 3DG. Perhaps that info can be used in developing 3DG write module in your 3DObjConv.

XeNTaX

Shape file *.sh

Shape file *.sh