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Date: Fri, 23 Dec 1994 02:01:08 -0600
From: Jim Lammers <trinity@tyrell.net>
Message-Id: <199412230801.AA08226@tyrell.net>
To: 3dstudio@autodesk.com
Subject: 3D Studio file format described
Status: RO
Here's something I saw on alt.3d I thought you'd all be interested in:
------------------------------
3D Studio File Format (3ds).
Autodesk Ltd.
Document Revision 0.8 - December 1994. First Public Release.
If you have any additions or comments to this file please e-mail me.
A lot of the chunks are still undocumented if you know what they
do please email me. As I get more information of the file format
I will document it for everyone to see. I will post this regularly
to alt.3d and I can be contacted there if my email does not work.
Disclaimer.
This document describes the file format of the 3ds files of 3D studio
by Autodesk. By using the information contained within you agree not
to hold me liable if, from its use, you f^Hmuck something up. OK?
Oh and just to make it clear I DO NOT work for Autodesk if you have
any problems with their programs direct it to them not me!
Get to it!
Now with the joviality's aside all this info I have obtained with
lots of work hacking at 3ds files with a diskeditor and diff.
It has taken many months of hard work and piddling around with them
so I hope that it is appreciated.
Remember information wants to be free!
* Jim Pitts. - 18 December 1994
Contact me at jp5@ukc.ac.uk
1.
The 3ds file format is made up of chunks. They describe what information
is to follow and what it is made up of, its ID and the location of
the next main block. If you don't understand a chuck you can quite simply
skip it. The next chunk pointer is relative to the start of the current
chunk and in bytes.
* A Chunk.
start end size name
0 1 2 Chunk ID
2 5 4 Next Chunk
Chunks have a hierarchy imposed on them that is identified by its ID.
A 3ds file has the Primary chunk ID 4D4Dh. This is always the first chunk
of the file. With in the primary chunk are the main chunks.
* Main Chunks
id Description
3D3D Start of object mesh data.
B000 Start of keyframer data.
The Next Chunk pointer after the ID block points to the next Main chunk.
Directly after a Main chunk is another chunk. This could be any other
type of chunk allowable within its main chunks scope.
For the Mesh description (3D3D) they could be any multiples of.
* Subchunks of 3D3D. - Mesh Block
id Description
1100 unknown
1200 Background Colour.
1201 unknown
1300 unknown
1400 unknown
1420 unknown
1450 unknown
1500 unknown
2100 Ambient Colour Block
2200 fog?
2201 fog?
2210 fog?
2300 unknown
3000 unknown
4000 Object Block
7001 unknown
AFFF unknown
* Subchunks of 4000 - Object Description Block
- first item of Subchunk 4000 is an ASCIIZ string of the objects name.
Remember an object can be a mesh, a light or a camera.
id Description
4010 unknown
4012 shadow?
4100 Triangular Polygon Object
4600 Light
4700 Camera
* Subchunks of 4100 - Triangular Polygon Object
id Description
4110 Vertex List
4111 unknown
4120 Points List
4160 Translation Matrix
* 4110 - Vertex List
start end size type name
0 1 2 short int Total vertices in object
2 5 4 float X value
6 9 4 float Y value
10 13 4 float Z value
.. .. . .. ..
.. .. . .. ..
bytes 2 .. 13 are repeated [Total vertices in object] times for
each vertex.
* 4111 - unknown
start end size type name
0 1 2 short int Total vertices in object ?
2 3 2 short int unknown
. . . .. ..
. . . .. ..
bytes 2..3 are repeated for X times as described by
short int at start of record.
* 4120 - Points List
start end size type name
0 1 2 short int Total polygons in object - numpoly
2 3 2 short int Point 1
4 5 2 short int Point 2
6 7 2 short int Point 3
. . . .. ..
. . . .. ..
Repeats 'numpoly' times for each polygon.
These points refer to the corresponding vertex of
the triangular polygon from the vertex list.
Points are organized in a clock-wise order.
* 4160 - Translation Matrix
This structure describes a matrix for the object.
It is stored as a 3 X 4 matrix because it is assumed that
the right most column is 0,0,0,1
start end size type name
0 3 4 float matrix 1,1
4 7 4 float matrix 1,2
8 11 4 float matrix 1,3
12 15 4 float matrix 2,1
16 19 4 float matrix 2,2
20 23 4 float matrix 2,3
24 27 4 float matrix 3,1
28 31 4 float matrix 3,2
32 35 4 float matrix 3,3
36 39 4 float matrix 4,1
40 43 4 float matrix 4,2
44 47 4 float matrix 4,3
* 4600 - Light
start end size type name
0 3 4 float Light pos X
4 7 4 float Light pos Y
8 11 4 float Light pos Z
after this structure check for more chunks.
id Description ( full description later )
0010 RGB colour
0011 24 bit Colour
4610 Spot light
4620 Light is off (Boolean)
* 4610 - Spot Light
start end size type name
0 3 4 float Target pos X
4 7 4 float Target pos Y
8 11 4 float Target pos Z
12 15 4 float Hotspot
16 19 4 float Falloff
* 0010 - RGB colour
start end size type name
0 3 4 float Red
4 7 4 float Green
8 11 4 float Blue
* 0011 - RGB colour - 24 bit
start end size type name
0 0 1 byte Red
1 1 1 byte Green
2 2 1 byte Blue
* 4700 - Camera
Describes the details of a camera in the scene.
start end size type name
0 3 4 float Camera pos X
4 7 4 float Camera pos Y
8 11 4 float Camera pos Z
12 15 4 float Target pos X
16 19 4 float Target pos Y
20 23 4 float Target pos Z
24 27 4 float Camera Bank
28 31 4 float Camera Lens
* 7001 - unknown chunk
nothing known about this chunk except for its Subchunks.
This chunk also exists as a Subchunk in chunk B000 (keyframer info).
id Description
7011 unknown
7020 unknown
* B000 - Keyframer Main chunk.
Subchunks are
id Description
B00A unknown
7001 unknown
B008 Frames
B009 unknown
B002 Start object description
* B008 - Frame information
simple structure describing frame info.
start end size type name
0 3 4 integer start frame
4 7 4 integer end frame
* B002 - Start of Object info
Subchunks
id Description
B010 Name & Hierarchy
B011* Name Dummy object
B013 unknown
B014* unknown
B015 unknown
B020 Objects pivot point?
B021 unknown
B022 unknown
( * only on dummy objects )
* B010 - Name & hierarchy descriptor
start end size type name
0 ? ? ASCIIZ Object name
? ? ? short int unknown
? ? ? short int unknown
? ? ? short int Hierarchy of object
The object hierarchy is a bit complex but works like this.
Each object in the scene is given a number to identify its
order in the tree. Also each object is ordered in the 3ds
file as it would appear in the tree.
The root object is given the number -1 (FFFF).
As the file is read a counter of the object number
is kept.
Is the counter increments the object are children of the previous
objects. But when the pattern is broken by a number that will be
less than the current counter the hierarchy returns to that level.
for example.
object hierarchy
name
A -1
B 0
C 1 This example is taken
D 2 from 50pman.3ds.
E 1
F 4 I would really recommend
G 5 having a look at one of
H 1 the example with the
I 7 hierarchy numbers to help
J 8 work it out.
K 0
L 10
M 11 (if you can describe it
N 0 any better please let
O 13 me know. )
P 14
A
+-------------------+---------------+
B K N
+---+---+ + +
C E H L O
+ + + + +
D F I M P
+ +
G J
Still not done with this chunk yet!
If the object name is $$$DUMMY then it is a dummy object
and therefore you should expect a few extra chunks.
* B011 - Dummy objects name.
Names a dummy object. ASCIIZ string.
* B020 - Pivot Point?
The objects pivot point. Not quite sure what the first
five floats do yet (ideas?).
start end size type name
0 3 4 float unknown
4 7 4 float unknown
8 11 4 float unknown
12 15 4 float unknown
16 19 4 27 4 float Pivot Y
28 32 4 float Pivot Z
*****
This file is not copyrighted, give it to whoever you want. If you do
something with it you shouldn't. Tough. Don't come crying to me!
This is the first public release and its later so expect some errors.
If you copy this file please keep all the footers and headers intact.
Regards
Jim Pitts
19th december 1994
3:42 am!
jp5@ukc.ac.uk
*****
<EOF>
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