3D Exploration README

3D Exploration v1.5.30 Release Notes

Welcome!
Thanks for your interest in 3D Exploration. This document contains important information that should be read before running the software.

3D Import:

3ds	3D Studio Binary	animation
prj	3D Studio Project	animation
asc	3D Studio ASCII
cob	Caligari objects	binary and ASCII
scn	Caligari scenes	binary and ASCII/animation
lwo,lw	LightWave object / LightWave layered object/ LightWave 6.0 object	LightWave object+UV files supported
lws	LightWave scene	animation
obj	Alias WaveFront objects
objf	Stripe objf file format
off	Object file format
geo	AOFF File Format
raw	RAW File Format
rax	RAX File Format
x	Direct X	binary and ASCII/animation
wrl	Virtual Reality Markup Language VRML 1.0, VRML 2.0	ASCII only
c4d	Cinema 4D	version 6.0 not supported
3dm,3dmf	3D Metafile	binary only
iob	Imagine
dxf,dxb	AutoCAD DXF
stl	StereoLitho
3dm	Rhinoceros	All NURBS and MESH objects
pro	Power Render
mts	Metastream file	version 1.0 only
flt	OpenFlight Scene Description Database	Multigen API DLL's not required
ase	3D Studio MAX ASCII Scene Export	animation
dwg	AutoCAD DWG	2000 not supported
ndo	Nendo v1.0/v1.1
mdl	Quake I model
md2	Quake II model	animation
md3	Quake III model
mdl	Half Life model	animation
xsi	SOFTIMAGE XSI	animation
spx	SPX file format
peo/geo	Homeworld geometry	with LiF textures
map	Quake map files	textures are not supported yet
iv	Open Inventor files	ASCII only, partially support
iso	ISO G Code

3D Import Notes:
Other formats.
Inform me about the other formats, necessary to you, and they will appear in the future versions.

The following is skipped in all formats:

The vertex and face normals - normals are calculated automatically
The vertex and face colors

Textures and 2d Import:

bmp	Windows Bitmap	Windows and OS/2. 1/8/16/24/32 bpp. RLE and uncompressed
gif	Graphics Interchange Format
jpg	JPEG JFIF
png	Portable Network Graphics	All sub-types supported
tiff	Tag Image File Format
tga	Targa TGA	All sub-types supported
pcx	ZSoft Publisher’s Paintbrush
ppm	PPM Image
cel	Autodesk CEL file
iff	EA/Amiga Interchange File Format	1-24 bpp
rgb	SGI Image Format	8-32 bpp; no colormaps. RLE or uncompressed
fli,flc	Autodesk FLI/FLC file	First frame only
pic	SOFTIMAGE pic
psd	Photoshop document
tim	Playstation TIM picture

Export:

asc	3D Studio ASCII
cob	Caligari objects	binary and ASCII
obj	Alias WaveFront objects
off	Object file format
raw	RAW File Format
dxf	AutoCAD DXF
stl	StereoLitho	binary and ASCII
x	Direct X	With animation
cpp	Open GL cpp code	APP, Gen list, arrays
bmp	Windows Bitmap
jpg	JPEG JFIF
ppm	PPM Image
lwo	Lightwave 6.0 / Lightwave 5.6 +.uv files
3ds	3D Studio Binary
wrl	VRML 2.0
xsi	SOFTIMAGE XSI	With animation

Archives:

zip	ZIP archive
rar	RAR archive

Enterprise license
Since the 1.5.3 version 3D Exploration will contain special features accessible only with the 3D Exploration Enterprise license. With 3D Exploration Enterprise license you may export Keyframe animation. Now it is supported for .x and .xsi file formats. The next version will support 3ds, cob, lws and other formats.

Standard license allows you test export of animation, but you can't save more than first 8 keys of object animation.
The 3D Exploration Enterprise license costs $99, upgrade from Standard license costs $59. Once registered, you remain a registered user for this and all future versions of 3D Exploration.

http://www.xdsoft.com/explorer/registration.htm

Open GL and Hardware Acceleration
3D Exploration can work with 3D Acceleration graphics card that support hardware Open GL acceleration. For this purpose from the Render, API submenu select Open GL. The speed of 3D acceleration is 3 to 5 times faster compared with 3D Exploration on an identical 3D card without acceleration.

Why you need to register your copy of 3D Exploration ?
The current version does not contain any limitations and the registered version differs only by absence of the UNREGISTERED text. Registered version also shows your name and email as the registered user.
If you register your copy 3D Exploration you will help us in development of new versions of 3D Exploration. 3D Exploration is trialware and you must register the program to continue using it after 30 day trial period . The registration fee is only $40. Once registered, you remain a registered user for this and all future versions of 3D Exploration. Registered users will receive information about latest versions of the program via e-mail.
All problems, which will arise for you and all your wishes will be considered first of all.

Product History
Version 1.5.3

Windows 2000 bugs are fixed: Refresh Folder, Render to AVI.
LightWave import: added .uv files version 2.17
LightWave Export/Import: discontinuous UVs in LWO 6.5 now supported
Export to LightWave 5.6 + .uv added
descript.ion - now supported
Windows system icons are used for all not supported formats
Picture viewer: bilinear filtering added
New obj export filter
Demonstration of functionality of Enterprise license added.
"Save Frames" command added

Version 1.5.1

Lineart TIFF Import fixed
Fixed Bad parity problem in 3DS Export
VRML 2.0 Export added
XSI Export added
RAR support added
Merge option added
Lights OFF - bug fixed
ASE import fixed

Version 1.5

Changes in user interface
Many other changes and fixes
More shell integration

Version 1.4.80 BETA

Multiselection now supported

LightWave import now support .uv files
Open Inventor .iv files added

Fixed bugs in OBJ,LWO,trueSpace export and in HalfLife,LWS import
New animation TrackBar
Added export of DSW/DSP files in Open GL Cpp export and other changes in CPP export
LWO import - generating texture coordinates without subdividing object by surface now supported
ZIP - passwords support added
Render to AVI and render to image sequence

Version 1.4 BETA

New geometry pipeline supports:
- Camera animation
- Usage of scene cameras
- Walk trough 3D scene
- Perspective correction texture mapping
AutoCAD DXF:
- New import options (Object creation methods: by block, split objects by layer, material creation methods: by block, by layer ...)
- New export options (export by block & by layers: by material and by objects)
- Text entities support
Image viewer
- Zoom to fit, shrink to fit functions added
- Significantly increased image displaying speed.
Materials editing capability added: edit,create,apply,delete material.
Import of trueSpace animation added.
Additional Open GL options.
ZIP support added.
Quake MAP files added (textures are not supported yet)

Version 1.3.05 BETA

Cameras & Lights support added
3DS Export
LWO Import - significantly increased loading speed, up to 3 times
LWO 6.0 Import/Export added
LWS Import added
AA Z Buffer, Raytraced rendering added
"Glossiness" and "Specular Level" now supported
Added detection of non flatness quadrangles (trueSpace, WaveFront files...)
VRML 1.0/2.0 several bug fixes
Open GL CPP export : Fixed normals export, textures now supports in display lists, GL_SHININESS - now supported in material definition, documentation added
Homeworld geometry export added
PhotoShop import added

Version 1.2.54

3DS import , added: support of instances, detecting of Bad Parity problem within 3D Studio files
Cinema 4D - the local matrixes now are processed correctly
Homeworld geometry import added

Version 1.2.50

Batch conversion added
Camera customization added
LW textures support added and many fixes in LW import
Select object by name added
Fixes in obj, cob export
Minor changes and fixes

Version 1.2.11

SPX file format import added
Alternate Open GL rendering added
Minor changes in Open GL cpp export filter
Background image added

Version 1.2.03

Softimage XSI, Softimage PIC import added
Beta version of "Geometry Inspector" added
Minor changes in JPEG, NENDO and DWG import filters
LightWave 3d layered object and MetaNURBS(tm) patches now supported

Version 1.2

Completely rewritten DXF Import converter. Now support ASCII and binary dxf
DWG import added
Nendo v1.0/v1.1 import added
Direct X import rewritten. Now with animation support
[Ctrl]+Mouse Click - command added
Direct X export - top frame feature added
New feature: Transformation before saving
Many other minor changes and fixes.

Version 1.2 (BETA 2)

Several bugs fixed
Stripe OBJF file import added
Rhino notes support added
Auto hide alpha channel button added

Version 1.2 (BETA)

Open GL cpp code export significantly improved ( Now with textures and materials export)
Direct X export added
Rhinoceros Layers support added
ASE import added
OpenFlight import added (while not available)
Windows help changed to HTML help
New registration code required
Auto reload textures feature added
View R,G,B and Alpha channels for bitmaps
More thumbnails options added
FullScreen mode - auto show/hide objects list added
Command line options added and view mode added
TrueSpace export - rescale option added
WaveFront export - normals export added
Always on top option added
World / Screen coordinate system switch added (for scene rotation only)
Cinema4D - texture coordinates import added
Many other minor changes and fixes

Version 1.11.6 (BETA)

Rhinoceros Import improved (Mesh import fixed , NURBS tessellation accelerated up to 2 times, some minor changes.)
2D Image viewing improved

Version 1.11.5 (BETA)

Rhinoceros Import added
RGB Import added
Power Render (*.PRO) import added

Version 1.11 (BETA)

METASTREAM Import added
THUMBNAILS for 2D files now works
Changes in material(MAP) dialog

Version 1.10

VRML and Quake 3 Import added
Open GL cpp code export added
List of external files ( textures, inline files ...)
Windows Explorer context file menu
Drag from 3D Exploration
Many bugs fixed

SDK
The 3D Exploration SDK will be available. Mail to info@xdsoft.com for more information.

3D Exploration Library
Add 3D Viewing capability to your VB / C++ application. Mail to info@xdsoft.com for more information.

Portions of this software are based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

This software uses the PolyBoolean library
(C) 1998-1999 Michael Leonov (http://members.xoom.com/msleonov/pb.html)

Rhinoceros Import Module based on Rhino IO toolkit
Rhino IO toolkit Copyright (c) 1993-1998 Robert McNeel & Associates. All rights reserved.
Rhinoceros is a registered trademark of Robert McNeel & Assoicates.

MetaStream Import Module based on MetaStream IO FILE SDK
Portions Copyright c Intel Corporation (1998,1999).
Portions Copyright c MetaCreations Corporation (1998,1999).
MetaStream is a trademark of MetaCreations Corp.

Latest Versions
Necessarily visit our server for obtaining the latest version.
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WWW:   http://www.xdsoft.com/explorer/
eMail:    info@xdsoft.com

Copyright (c) 1999-2000 X Dimension Software
eMail:    info@xdsoft.com