Importing objects into Alice 3.0

[sfunk]

I haven't really checked into Alice 3.0, but started pondering whether or not the object files would be the same extensions as the .ASE or .A2C? If not what would they be? since I haven't even tried the beta yet, I don't know if they are the same, but since I like to create models for the community when I can, it would be nice to know which format the model should be in?

[arty-fishL]

Alice 2 objects are zip files containing lots of stuff in a hierarchical structure, with main info, binaries, data at the top in several files and then the same, but in subdirectories, for each subpart.

Alice 3 objects seem to just be a zip object (literally with the extension .zip) with a single element.bin file inside.

I'm guessing element.bin is actual model data (polys etc), the only other information it uses is the model name (unlike Alice 2 objects, which store lots, like author name and dimensions), which it can get by splitting off the extension from the filename.

The closest I can find for a match to the element.bin file is the indices.bin and vertices.bin files inside a2c files, but they are two separate files and they exist for every subpart, whereas Alice 3 models do keep track of subparts, but everything seems to be stored inside that one file.

An alternative explanation as to the purpose of element.bin is that it is a complete compiled Java class, stored in some format I am unaware of. The classes for models in Alice (2) use lots of encapsulation, but the basic class that holds all the stuff you need about a model is the Element class, which fits in nicely with element.bin .

That being said, Alice 3 is fresh code and I'm not too sure how the Element class in Alice 2 translates to Alice 3, it might be completely different.

In conclusion, the results are inconclusive. It can be asserted that there is no direct correlation between models in Alice 2 and Alice 3, but ... there might be ... or not.

[arty-fishL]

Fast working on a way of hacking in and getting myself a console (a command line style interpreter) in there so I can run custom code. From there I can understand more than I get from the Java decompiler.

[arty-fishL]

OK, after quick inspection of the Alice 3 code I have found that it has loaders for these files:
- ASG, Alice Scenegraph, supported by Alice 2 as well, not sure what its for though.
- BIN, binary, I'm not too sure, but its related to the models.
- OBJ, Wavefront, a standard 3D model format, Alice 2 had support for this, but it was rubbish, hence it was hidden within the code.
- VFB, 3DS Max V-Ray Frame Buffer (maybe), again related to models.

They are in an IO package, but I'm not sure if they are all in and out, or just in or out. Either way, harnessing them would be the way to get models in and out.

I also found the code that loads the actual Alice 3 objects, but its long and confusing, so I will look at it another time.

Sorry for the triple post.

[sfunk]

well with the information you posted, it looks like models formatted in .A2C will not be compatible, however, if it supports .obj, that would be nice since Blender exports as wavefront. Thanks arty

[Mr Kidnapper]

Alice 3 has OBJ support? Let's try porting it to 2.2.