Difference between .3ds and .b3d

Miscellaneous Forums/Content Creation Tools/Difference between .3ds and .b3d

Makis (Posted 1+ years ago) #1

Hi What is the difference,advantages and disadvantages of .3ds and .b3d file formats? Thanks

Hotshot2005 (Posted 1+ years ago) #2

I think.....When come Textures...it automatic texture on .B3D where on .3DS...you have put texture on them manual when come to coding I think......I could be wrong though

Drak (Posted 1+ years ago) #3

.3ds files don't contain bones, so you can only use them for unanimated props such as scenery or buildings. If you want to use boned animations for characters or npcs you'll need to use .B3d files that support the bones. Almost every modeler out there will export to .3ds, but none will export to .b3d without special plug-ins. There is a very simple way around this, though. What I do for animated characters is model the character and export the file in .3ds format. Then I use Pacemaker, which is free, to animate the model and export it in the .b3d format. Pacemaker is free and cn be found in the Toolbox section of this site. (You can also load in static meshes in pacemaker and export them as .b3d files if you'd like to keep them all the same.)

Drak (Posted 1+ years ago) #4

Oh and as far as the textures go, I believe Hotshot said it backwards. You can texture your model in any modeler and export it as .3ds, and when loaded it will automatically load the textures onto the model, so long as the textures are in the same directory as the model.

Makis (Posted 1+ years ago) #5

Thanks guys!

Matty (Posted 1+ years ago) #6

3ds does not have a 2nd uv channel which is often used for lightmapping, b3d does.

Makis (Posted 1+ years ago) #7

Which is the best format to use then?

Hotshot2005 (Posted 1+ years ago) #8

B3D Because you dont have mess about coding on texture for 3DS but if that doesnt bother ya then both of them even thought 3DS as you have code manual for Texuring them!

Makis (Posted 1+ years ago) #9

Thanks for the info lads.

Yasha (Posted 1+ years ago) #10

3DS also doesn't store vertex normals, so it's not very good for models with hard edges unless you have either high poly count or separate surfaces for each hardedged area. (Or you correct the normals after loading.) This is the reason for older low-poly models loading in B3D with weird dark streaks down the sides.