B3D File Format

The B3D file format is an ASCII format for 3D objects, similar in structure to VRML and Open Inventor files. It was designed primarily for use with the OpenGL Performer library for virtual reality applications. It is not related to the Blitz3D engine's .b3d files - the 'B' here doesn't stand for anything, other than "Ben's 3D Format."

Features:

OpenGL Performer Loader

This is a plugin for the OpenGL Performer library, provided as source and as a precompiled binary for Linux OpenGL Performer 3.2.
There are some (optional) parts of the code that rely on new features in Performer, such as vertex and fragment programs. If you would like to use the loader with older versions, e.g. Performer 2.7, etc, you can easily modify the source ( see below ).

Installation Instructions : From Source

  1. download the source tarball
  2. unpack it:
    gunzip b3dImporter-src.tar.gz
tar -xvf b3dImporter-src.tar
  3. build it:
    cd b3dImporter-src
make
  4. install it. this requires root access.
    su make install

Installation Instructions : Binary

Linux 2.6.8, Performer 3.2, GCC 3.3.4, GLIBC 2.3.3
Compiled on Suse 9.2
  1. download the .so file
  2. copy it into /usr/lib/libpfdb (where Performer puts the loader plugins)
    su
cp libpfb3d.so.5 /usr/lib/libpfdb
  3. create a symbolic link. .so.5 means this is 'version 5' (for Performer 3.2). Every Performer version will get a different .so.# number. the base library name - libpfb3d.so - should be a symlink to the correct version.
    cd /usr/lib/libpfdb
ln -s libpfb3d.so.5 libpfb3d.so

Maya Exporter

The Maya Exporter has two files: the plugin itself, and a MEL script with the options. Since Alias spawns new versions of Maya at an alarming rate, and plugins are version-specific, it's probably best to download the source and compile; but, feel free to try the precompiled versions if you like.

Installation Instructions : From Source

  1. Quit Maya
  2. Download the source tarball
  3. unpack it:
    

    gunzip b3dExporter-src.tar.gz
tar -xvf b3dExporter-src.tar

    

  4. build it
    

    cd b3dExporter-src
make

    

  5. install it (requires root access)
    

    su
make install

    




Installation Instructions : Binary 


    

  1. Quit Maya

  2. Download B3DExporter.so and b3dExportOptions.mel

  3. Install them (requires root)
    
B3DExporter.so goes into /usr/aw/maya/bin/plug-ins.  b3dExportOptions.mel goes into /usr/aw/maya/scripts/others.

    cp B3DExporter.so /usr/aw/maya/bin/plug-ins
cp b3dExportOptions.mel /usr/aw/maya/scripts/others

    



Using the Exporter



    

  1. Launch Maya

  2. Load the plugin.  Go to Windows->Settings and Preferences->Plugin Manager.  Look for "B3DExporter.so".  Check "Load" and "AutoLoad".  Close plugin manager.

  3. Make some models.  

  4. File->Export Selection->[] or File->Export All->[]

  5. Set "File Type" to "B3DExport"

  6. Click "Export"

  7. Enter a name; the exporter adds '.b3d' automatically.




Files





b3dImporter-src.tar.gz72.55 KbApril 6 2006 08:57:20 PMsource code for the B3D Performer loader
libpfb3d.so.5102.81 KbApril 6 2006 08:59:58 PMprecompiled B3D Performer loader (Linux 2.6.8, Performer 3.2, GCC 3.3.4, GLIBC 2.3.3)
b3dExporter-src.tar.gz72.81 KbApril 6 2006 08:57:13 PMsource code for the B3D Maya Exporter
B3DExporter-Maya6.so112.66 KbOctober 11 2005 07:16:54 AMMaya Exporter (linux, Maya 6.0)
B3DExporter-Maya7.so125.26 KbApril 6 2006 08:58:09 PMMaya Exporter (linux, Maya 7.0)
b3dExportOptions.mel9.18 KbOctober 11 2005 07:16:59 AMMEL Script for exporter options