How to get my 3ds Max models in iPhone 3D game?

Question

I wrote a couple of applications that are currently published in the application store. However, I would like to start writing games that use OpenGL ES. I know how to model objects in 3D Studio Max, but I don’t know how to get my models in the OpenGL ES application on iPhone / iPad, and then manipulate these objects to create gameplay.

Can someone point me in the right direction to start with this?

Just to clarify ... I don't mind writing code; I am not looking for point and click solutions.

I would suggest that I would need to export my models to some format. What is this format and how to include it in the game on iPhone / iPad?

Answer 1

While more involved than you are looking for, Stephen Jane is a great entry on how he exported textured models from LightWave in COLLADA format for use in OpenGL ES on iPhone.

Bill Dudney put in some effort to create the Wave Front OBJ loader for the iPhone some time ago, but I think Jeff LaMarche’s project to do the same may be the farthest.

UPDATE (8/10/2011): Jonathan White recently published his TouchOpenGL code , which includes an OBJ analyzer.

Answer 2

I used this one before with some luck. However, I would say that in my experience there are no easy answers. All of them required some encoding / connection for me.

Answer 3

This is a nightmare process. My past approach to this was probably not the best. I worked on a PC using 3DS Max to create an exporter using MaxScript. I dumped what I needed into a text file - in the format that I just came up with for my needs as an intermediate.

Then I switched to a Mac and wrote a command line tool that used NSFoundation to read this text file and converted it to a binary format optimized for my opengl rendering. This is normal for basic and static grids. But I had a hell that sold animated figures that used skeleton animation with key frames (the math for this stuff is intense).

It really worked, but I really think I made the most difficult approach.