This report is also available as an Acrobat file.
Appendix
3D2
| Extensions: |
3d, 3d2, 3d4 |
| Creator: |
Antic Software |
| Description: |
Used by the Stereo CAD-3D 2.0 package for the Atari ST.
Each format can store up to 40 objects and contains all information
about the objects, including the lighting and colour palette. |
| Programs: |
Stereo CAD-3D 2.0 |
Another form of the 3D2 specifications can be found at http://www.mediatel.lu/mmedia/render/h_3d2.html.
3DMF (3D Metafile)
| Extensions: |
3dmf |
| Creator: |
Apple |
| Description: |
Used by the Quickdraw 3D package from Apple. |
| Programs: |
Quickdraw 3D |
Additional documentation of the 3DMF format can be found at http://www.info.apple.com/qd3d/3DMFspec.HTML.
3DS (3D-Studio)
| Extensions: |
3ds |
| Creator: |
Autodesk |
| Description: |
Used by the AutoDesk 3D-Studio modelling, rendering and
animation package on the PC. The 3DS format consists of chunks which
describe what information is to follow, its ID, and the location of the
next main block. |
| Programs: |
AutoDesk 3D-Studio |
An "unofficial" 1.0 specification is also available. A more
recent format specification may be available from http://www.mediatel.lu/mmedia/render/h_3ds.html
and http://www.mediatel.lu/mmedia/render/h_3DS_details.html.
Additional information may be found on the comp.graphics.packages.3dstudio
newsgroup. Other information may be found at the Autodesk Web site.
3DX
| Extensions: |
3dx |
| Creator: |
|
| Description: |
The purpose of this new object format is to provide an
optimised object, for the different displaying modes, with expansion
possibilities, and information for 3D clipping, animation, and so on. |
ART (Another Ray Tracer)
| Extensions: |
art |
| Creator: |
Tom Wilson <twilson@sunny5.dab.ge.com
> |
| Description: |
Used by the ART ray tracer which comes with the public
domain VORT package for Unix. |
| Programs: |
ART ray tracer |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm and now contains
filters to convert to and from the following formats: NFF, POV-Ray,
Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386 PLG, Renderman
RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and RenderWare RWX. |
AVS (Application Visualization System)
| Extensions: |
geom, prop, scr |
| Creator: |
Advanced Visual Systems, Inc. |
| Description: |
Used by the AVS commercial high-end visualization
environment by Advanced Visual Systems, Inc. |
| Programs: |
Application Visualization System (AVS) |
BIFF
| Extensions: |
biff |
| Description: |
The BIFF format defines an image to be a sequence of 2D
bands. Every band may have its own size and pixel type (even allowing
the pyramid representation to be used). There are also separate
parameters for positioning and magnification of each band. Any amount
of ASCII text may also be stored in the file. |
BIN
| Extensions: |
bin |
| Creator: |
Silicon Graphics |
| Description: |
The Silicon Graphics BIN format is supported by both
Showcase (TM) and the powerflip demonstration program. BIN files are in
a simple format that specifies only independent quadrilaterals. |
| Programs: |
Showcase, powerflip |
BRL (Ballistic Research Laboratory)
| Extensions: |
brl |
| Creator: |
BRL-CAD |
| Description: |
|
| Programs: |
BRL-CAD |
| Filters: |
A filter is available to convert IGES into BRL-CAD format. |
Other information: The BRL-CAD home page is at http://web.arl.mil/software/brlcad/index.html.
BYU (Brigham Young University Format)
| Extensions: |
byu |
| Creator: |
Brigham Young University |
| Description: |
Used by the Brigham Young University Movie BYU program. |
| Programs: |
Movie BYU |
COB (Calgari Object)
| Extensions: |
cob (objects), scn (scenes) |
| Creator: |
Calgari |
| Description: |
File format used by the Calgari trueSpace2 program. |
| Programs: |
trueSpace2 |
Other information: Specifications are available from http://www.mediatel.lu/mmedia/render/files/calgari.pdf
in Acrobat format.
Cyberware
| Extensions: |
cy, tmesh |
| Creator: |
Cyberware |
| Description: |
"Range map" files used by Cyberware 3D digitizers
and the Cyberware Echo scanning software. |
| Programs: |
Echo |
| Filters: |
Filters are available from ftp://ftp.cyberware.com/.
These include:
-
byutodxf - Used to convert a Cymage MOVIE.BYU file to a .dxf polygon
mesh.
-
byutotmesh - Used to convert a Cymage MOVIE.BYU file to Echo format.
-
cy2iv - Converts Echo files to OpenInventor format.
-
cyconvert - Used to convert Echo files to MOVIE.BYU, Wavefront, or
Digital Arts format file.
-
cyges - Used to convert Echo files to IGES, entities 106, 110, or 112.
-
cytomesh - Used to convert Echo files to an AutoCAD mesh script.
-
cytoslice - Used to convert Echo files to an AutoCAD slice script.
-
echoascii - Used to convert Echo files to ASCII.
|
|
Viewers: |
plyview |
Other information: More information may be available from the Cyberware
Web site at http://www.cyberware.com/.
DEM (Digital Elevation Model)
| Extensions: |
dem |
| Creator: |
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) |
| Description: |
A Digital Elevation Model (DEM), consists of a sampled
array of elevations for ground positions that are normally at regularly
spaced intervals. |
Other information: Specifications can be found at http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/glis/hyper/guide/1_dgr_dem.
DKB
| Extensions: |
dkb |
| Creator: |
DKB-Trace ray tracer |
| Description: |
Used by the public domain DKB-Trace ray tracer. The POV-Ray
ray tracer (see below) is an extension of DKB-Trace, however they use
somewhat different object file formats. |
| Programs: |
DKB-Trace ray tracer |
| See Also: |
POV format |
DVS
| Extensions: |
viz, biz, vtx |
| Creator: |
Division Ltd. |
| Description: |
Used by the dVS package from Division Ltd. |
| Programs: |
dVS |
DWB (Designer's Workbench)
| Extensions: |
dwb (binary), dwba (ASCII) |
| Creator: |
Coryphaeus Software |
| Description: |
The binary DWB format is used for input and output by the
Designer's Workbench, EasyT, and EasyScene database modeling tools
produced by Coryphaeus Software. |
| Programs: |
Designer's Workbench, EasyT, EasyScene |
| Filters: |
Filters are available from ftp://www.coryphaeus.com/pub/:
-
asctodwb - converts DWBA (ASCII) to DWB (binary) format.
-
dwbtoasc - converts DWB (binary) to DWBA (ASCII) format.
-
dwb2oflt - converts DWB files to OpenFlight format.
-
oflt2dwb - converts OpenFlight files to DWB format.
-
pstovfn - converts Postscript Type 1 fonts to VFN outline format.
|
Other information: Additional information may be available from the
Corphaeus Web site at http://www.coryphaeus.com/.
DXF (Drawing Interchange File)
| Extensions: |
dxf |
| Creator: |
AutoDesk, Inc. |
| Description: |
Used by AutoDesk's AutoCAD and other CAD packages. |
| Programs: |
AutoCAD |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
Other information: Version 10.0 of the DXF format is also available.
There is also a minimal format specification at
http://www.mhri.edu.au/~pdb/interchange/min3d.html
to help you create DXF 3D object files. Further information may be
available from AutoDesk
FHS
| Extensions: |
fhs |
| Creator: |
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft |
| Description: |
Used by in-house VR software by the Fraunhofer
Gesellschaft. |
| Viewers: |
fhsview |
Other information: More information, filters, and viewers may be
available at http://www.igd.fhg.de/www/igd-a4/projects/fhs/.
FLT (OpenFlight Format)
| Extensions: |
flt |
| Creator: |
Multigen |
| Description: |
A 3D format from Multigen The OpenFlight format is a binary
format used for input and output by the MultiGen and ModelGen database
modeling tools produced by MultiGen. It is used mainly for flight
simulation. |
| Programs: |
MultiGen, ModelGen |
Other information: The original format may be found at http://www.multigen-paradigm.com/support/dc_standards.shtml.
GDS
| Extensions: |
gds |
| Creator: |
McDonnell-Douglas |
| Description: |
McDonnell-Douglas GDS Format. The GDS format (also known as
the "Things" format) is used in at least one CAD system. |
GFO
| Extensions: |
gfo |
| Creator: |
Silicon Graphics |
| Description: |
The Silicon Graphics GFO format is the simple ASCII format
of the barcelona database that is provided in the IRIS Performer sample
database directory. |
| Programs: |
barcelona demo, IRIS Performer |
| Filters: |
A filter /usr/share/Performer/src/lib/libpfdb/libpfgfo/pfbin.c
for Silicon Graphics IRIS Performer is available with the Performer
distribution. |
GKS (Graphics Kernel System)
| Extensions: |
gks, cgm |
| Description: |
GKS is a standard specifying the input and output
primitives for displaying 2D and 3D graphical data. Although GKS has no
native file format, the CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile) format is
often closely associated with its use. |
GLC
| Extensions: |
glc |
| Description: |
GLC object file format. |
IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification)
| Extensions: |
iges |
| Creator: |
IGES/PDES Organization (IPO) |
| Description: |
IGES - Initial Graphics Exchange Specification - is an
American National Standard that defines a neutral data format for the
digital exchange of information among computer-aided design (CAD)
systems and other applications of graphic (vector) presentation nature.
The standard is developed and maintained by the IGES/PDES |
| Organization (IPO); |
a program area of the U.S. Product Data Association. |
| Programs: |
AutoCAD, Alias |
Other information: More information may be available at http://elib.cme.nist.gov/nipde/stds/wh-iges.html.
IM
| Extensions: |
im |
| Creator: |
Silicon Graphics |
| Description: |
The IM format is a simple format developed for test
purposes by the Silicon Graphics IRIS Performer engineering team. As
new features are added to IRIS Performer, the IM loader is extended to
allow experimentation and testing. |
| Programs: |
IRIS Performer |
Infini-D
| Extensions: |
|
| Creator: |
Infini-D |
| Description: |
Used by the Infini-D package on the Macintosh. |
| Programs: |
Infini-D |
| Extensions: |
iv |
| Creator: |
Silicon Graphics |
| Description: |
Used by Silicon Graphics IRIS Inventor 3D graphics toolkit. |
| Programs: |
IRIS Inventor |
| Filters: |
Source code for a filter which reads the Inventor format
comes with IRIS Inventor in the libpfdb/libpfiv source directory. |
| Viewers: |
There is a program called ivview that is available on SGI
machines and is written using Inventor libraries. |
| See Also: |
VRML format |
Other information: Inventor format is a superset of the VRML networked
graphics data format.
IRTP (Interactive Real-Time PHIGS)
| Extensions: |
irtp |
| Creator: |
AAI/Graphicon |
| Description: |
The AAI/Graphicon IRTP format is used by the TopGen
database modeling system and by the Graphicon-2000 image generator. |
| Programs: |
TopGen, Graphicon-2000, IRIS Performer |
| Filters: |
The Silicon Graphics IRIS Performer is distributed with a
loader in the /usr/share/Performer/src/lib/libpfdb/libpfirtp
directory. |
LSA, LSB (Lightscape A and B Formats)
| Extensions: |
ls, lsa (ASCII), lsb (binary) |
| Creator: |
Lightscape Technologies |
| Description: |
Lightscape Technologies LSA and LSB Formats. The Lightscape
Visualization System is a product of Lightscape Technologies, Inc., and
is designed to compute accurate simulations of global illumination
within complex 3D environments. |
| Programs: |
Lightscape Visualization System, IRIS Inventor |
| Filters: |
Programs pflsa.c and pflsb.c are available with Silicon
Graphics IRIS Inventor in /usr/share/Performer/src/lib/libpfdb/libpflsa
and libpflsb directories. |
LWOB (Lightwave Object Format)
| Extensions: |
iff, lwob |
| Creator: |
LightWave |
| Description: |
Used by the LightWave animation software. LightWave 3D
objects are stored as IFF files with a FORM type of LWOB. Other chunks
stored in a FORM LWOB file are PNTS, SRFS, SURF, CRVS, and POLS chunk. |
| Programs: |
LightWave |
Other information: Another source for the LWOB format is http://www.mediatel.lu/mmedia/render/h_lightwave.html.
There is also a comp.graphics.apps.lightwave
newsgroup.
MAZ
| Extensions: |
maz |
| Creator: |
Division Ltd. |
| Description: |
The MAZ format is used by the dVise package by Division
Ltd. |
| Programs: |
dVise |
MEDIT
| Extensions: |
medit |
| Creator: |
Medit Productions |
| Description: |
The MEDIT format is used by the Medit database modeling
system produced by Medit Productions. |
| Programs: |
Medit, IRIS Performer |
| Filters: |
A loader is available for Silicon Graphics IRIS Performer
in the /usr/share/Performer/src/lib/libpfdb/libpfmedit
directory. |
| Extensions: |
rwx |
| Creator: |
Immersive Systems |
| Description: |
Used by the Meme commerical virtual reality system for the
IBM PC by Immersive Systems. |
| Programs: |
Meme, IRIS Performer |
| Viewers: |
A Meme viewer demo is available for the PC at http://www.immersive.com/memedemo.htm |
| See Also: |
RWX format |
MGF (Materials and Geometry Format)
| Extensions: |
mgf |
| Creators: |
Greg Ward <
GJWard@lbl.gov> of LBL, in association with Rob
Shakespeare of Indiana University, Ian Ashdown of Ledalite Corp. and
Holly Rushmeier of NIST |
| Description: |
A simple ASCII representation of surface geometry and
materials for the purpose of visible-light simulation andrendering.
Similar to Wavefront's .OBJ file format. |
| Filters: |
Translators from 3D Studio and Radiance rendering formats,
and to Inventor, VRML and Radiance as well as a parser for the MGF
format is available at ftp://hobbes.lbl.gov/www/mgf. |
| See Also: |
OBJ format |
Other information: MGF documentation and examples are available at http://radsite.lbl.gov/mgf/HOME.html.
MDL (MoDeL)
| Extensions: |
mdl |
| Creator: |
Moray |
| Description: |
Moray modeler file format. |
| Programs: |
Moray |
MSDL (Manchester Scene Description Language)
| Extensions: |
msdl |
| Creator: |
University of Manchester |
| Description: |
Used by the Computer Graphics Unit at the University of
Manchester in graphics packages developed there. |
| Filters: |
Libraries and filters are also available via ftp at ftp://ftp.mcc.ac.uk/pub/cgu/MSDL. |
Other information: An intro to MSDL is available from the Computer
Graphics Unit at the University of Manchester. MSDL specifications,
scenes, and parser may be available at ftp://ftp.mcc.ac.uk/pub/cgu/MSDL/.
MTV
| Extensions: |
nff, mtv |
| Creator: |
MTV ray tracer |
| Description: |
Scene description used by the MTV ray tracer. For all
intents and purposes, the format is the same as the NFF format, with
the exception that polygonal patches must be triangles. |
| Programs: |
MTV ray tracer |
| See Also: |
NFF format |
| Extensions: |
nff, enff |
| Creator: |
Eric Haines <erich@eye.com> |
| Description: |
The NFF format is a minimal scene description language
written by Eric Haines and was designed in order to test various
rendering algorithms and efficiency schemes. It is used by a variety of
programs including several public domain raytracers. ENFF is the
Extended Neutral File Format. |
| Programs: |
Standard Procedural Database |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
| Viewers: |
There is at least one NFF previewer program written using
the VOGLE graphics library, but it doesn't allow you to rotate or move
the object, and only displays the scene as a wireframe. |
| See Also: |
WTK format |
Other information: NFF specifications can be found at http://www.mediatel.lu/mmedia/render/h_nff.html.
NURBS (Nonlinear Uniform Rational B-Splines)
| Extensions: |
txt, nurbs |
| Creator: |
Computer Science Department, University of Utah |
| Description: |
Spline surface format. These models were created using the
Alpha_1 geometric modeling system at the Computer Science Department,
University of Utah. |
| Programs: |
Alpha_1 |
| Extensions: |
obj (for ASCII), mod (for binary) |
| Creator: |
Wavefront/Alias Technologies |
| Description: |
Used by the Wavefront suite of commercial high-end
animation packages. |
| Programs: |
Wavefront |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
Other information: A Postscript version of the specifications with
graphics is also available.
ODL (Object Description Language)
| Extensions: |
off |
| Creator: |
Digital Equipment Corporation |
| Description: |
OFF was developed in 1986 at Digital Equipment
Corporation's Workstation Systems Engineering for the and archiving of
3D objects. OFF is an ASCII-based format and is independent of
languages, devices, and operating systems. |
| See Also: |
OOGL format |
Other information: The OFF archive is available at ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/DEC/.
This archive contains the format specification, tools, and objects. It
is not currently supported and is copyrighted.
| Extensions: |
oogl, off, list, tlist, grp, quad, mesh, inst, bez, vect |
| Creator: |
Geometry Center, University of Minnesota |
| Description: |
These files can be displayed using the public domain
Geomview program for SGI, X, and other platforms, written by written by
staff members of the Geometry Center at the University of Minnesota.
OOGL uses the OFF format for its polygonal files. An extension of the
MESH and OFF files are used by the Meshview program developed at
Indiana University. |
| Programs: |
Geomview, Meshview |
| See Also: |
OFF format |
Other information: A tutorial of the OOGL format is also available.
PHD (PolyHedra Database)
| Extensions: |
phd |
| Creator: |
Silicon Graphics |
| Description: |
The PHD format was created to describe the geometric
polyhedron definitions derived mathematically by Andrew Hume and by the
Kaleido program of Zvi Har'El. This format describes only the geometric
shape of polyhedra; it provides no specification for color, texture, or
appearance attributes such as specularity. |
| Programs: |
Kaleido, IRIS Inventor |
| Filters: |
Source code for this format is distributed with Silicon
Graphics IRIS Inventor in /usr/share/Performer/src/lib/libpfdb/libpfpoly/pfphd.c |
PLY
| Extensions: |
ply |
| Creator: |
Stanford University |
| Description: |
Used by the ZipPack polygon mesh "zippering"
package on the Silicon Graphics platform written at Stanford
University. |
| Programs: |
ZipPack |
| Filters: |
The zipper program and code for reading and writing the PLY
format can be found at ftp://graphics.stanford.edu/pub/zippack. |
Other information: More information about ZipPack can be found at http://www-graphics.stanford.edu/software/zippack.
POL
| Extensions: |
pol |
| Creator: |
InnovMetric Software Inc. |
| Description: |
The POL 3D file format was created and is maintained by
InnovMetric Software Inc. The POL format was created to fill the need
of storing data representing multi-contour, simple, planular, polygons
using a binary file format. |
| Filters: |
IMCompress, IMFilter (polygon reduction software) |
Other information: Questions regarding this format should be directed
to Marc Soucy at msoucy@imetric.qc.ca.
Polyray
| Creator: |
Polyray ray tracer |
| Description: |
Scene description used by the Polyray ray tracer. |
| Programs: |
Polyray ray tracer |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
POLY
| Extensions: |
poly (ASCII), bpoly (binary) |
| Creator: |
Side Effects Software |
| Description: |
Side Effects POLY format. The Side Effects Software PRISMS
database modeler format supports both ASCII and binary forms of the
POLY format. |
| Programs: |
PRISMS |
| Extensions: |
pov |
| Creator: |
POV-Ray ray tracer |
| Description: |
Used by the POV-Ray ray tracer for the Mac, PC, Amiga, and
Unix. |
| Programs: |
POV-Ray ray tracer |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
Other information: The original specs should be available at http://www.povray.org/
Additional information can be found on the comp.graphics.rendering.raytracing
newsgroup.
PTU (Performer Terrain Utilities)
| Extensions: |
ptu |
| Creator: |
Silicon Graphics |
| Description: |
Silicon Graphics PTU Format used by IRIS Performer. |
| Programs: |
IRIS Performer |
QTVR (QuickTime Virtual Reality)
| Extensions: |
qtvr |
| Creator: |
Apple |
| Description: |
QuickTime VR is a virtual reality delivery platform for the
Web and CD-ROM and is used to deliver both photographic and
computer-generated virtual reality objects and scenes. Scenes are
typically texture-mapped cylinders which are viewed from within.
Objects are 3D models which can be rotated and manipulated inside of a
scene. |
Other information: Additional information is available from http://qtvr.quicktime.apple.com/.
You can find the QuickTime VR FAQ at http://dev.info.apple.com/techqa/qtvr/qtvr.html.
QRT
| Extensions: |
qrt |
| Creator: |
QRT ray tracer |
| Description: |
Scene description used by the QRT ray tracer. |
| Programs: |
QRT ray tracer |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
Other information: A context free grammar for the QRT scene files is
also available.
Radiance
| Extensions: |
rad (ASCII), oct (binary octree) |
| Creator: |
Greg Ward |
| Description: |
Used by the Radiance public domain radiosity renderer for
Unix. The ASCII files are converted into an octree format for
rendering. |
| Programs: |
Radiance renderer |
| Filters: |
Information on Radiance translators can be found at http://radsite.lbl.gov/radiance/man_html/Notes/translators.html.
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
Other information: Documentation of the scene description files and the
Randiance package are available at http://radsite.lbl.gov/radiance/HOME.html.
RayDream
| Extensions: |
ray, shade |
| Creator: |
Ray Dream, Inc. |
| Description: |
Used by the RayDream commercial animation package by Ray
Dream, Inc. The specs for this format are not available. |
| Programs: |
RayDream |
Other information: More information can be found at the RayDream site.
RAY (Rayshade)
| Extensions: |
ray, shade |
| Creator: |
Craig Kolb |
| Description: |
Used by the Rayshade public domain ray tracer for Unix. |
| Programs: |
Rayshade ray tracer |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
RIB (RenderMan Interface Bytestream)
| Extensions: |
rib |
| Creator: |
Pixar |
| Description: |
Used by the Renderman commerical renderer by Pixar. |
| Programs: |
Renderman |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
| Extensions: |
rwx |
| Creator: |
Criterion Software Ltd. |
| Description: |
The RWX script file format is used by the RenderWare
graphics package from Criterion Software Ltd. |
| Programs: |
RenderWare |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
| See Also: |
MEME format |
S1000
| Extensions: |
s1k |
| Creator: |
United States ARMY |
| Description: |
The S1000 format is used by the United States ARMY SIMNET
distributed simulation system for armored vehicle training. |
| Programs: |
SIMNET |
SCENE
Extensions:
|
scene
|
Description:
|
The SCENE format is for the storage and interchange of 3D geometric
information. The format is under construction.
|
Other information: Comments are being called for from interested
parties, these can be emaied to pdbourke@ccu1.auckland.ac.nz. The draft
document is avialable via the Web from http://www.mhri.edu.au/~pdb/interchange/scene.html
and is located in the "Computer Graphics" directory.
| Extensions: |
scn, rtrace |
| Creator: |
RTrace ray tracer |
| Description: |
This format was designed to replace a very simple format
called SFF used by the RTrace ray tracer. There is a filter that
converts SFF to SCN. |
| Programs: |
RTrace ray tracer |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
| See Also: |
SFF format |
Other information: Many other converters are available to convert to
and from this format available via anonymous ftp from ftp://asterix.inescn.pt/pub/RTrace.
For more information about the RTrace package and information about its
author, see http://diana.inescn.pt/acc/acc.html.
Sculpt
| Extensions: |
scene |
| Creator: |
Sculpt3D |
| Description: |
Used by Sculpt3D on the Amiga. |
| Programs: |
Sculpt3D |
SDL (Scene Description Language)
| Extensions: |
sdl |
| Creator: |
Wavefront/Alias Inc. |
| Description: |
Used by the Alias suite of commercial high-end animation
packages. SDL is actually a language, and as such is very tricky to
convert to other formats. However, Alias can import and export a
variety of formats. |
| Programs: |
Alias |
Other information: The Alias Web site is http://www.alias.com/.
More information may be found on the comp.graphics.apps.alias
newsgroup.
SDML (Spacial Data Modeling Language)
| Extensions: |
sdml |
| Creator: |
University of Toronto |
| Description: |
SDML is a spatial description language used for storing CAD
and GIS data, such as found in Landscape Planning, Design, and
Architectural databases. SDML currently exists in two versions: the old
SDML format and the new (Version 1.0) format. The old format is derived
from the ASCII-based format used in the CLRview and PolyTRIM software
environments. The new format, released in 05Feb95, is a more detailed,
capable, and size-optimized revision of the old SDML and supports all
the features of the CLRMosaic software. |
| Programs: |
CLRView, PolyTRIM, CLRMosaic |
Other information: The updated version of the SDML format can be
obtained from http://www.clr.toronto.edu:1080/CLRMOSAIC/SDML.html.
More information about CLRMosaic can be found at http://www.clr.toronto.edu:1080/CLRMOSAIC/SDML.html.
SDTS (Spatial Data Transfer Standard)
| Extensions: |
sdts, tvp |
| Creator: |
US Geological Survey |
| Description: |
The SDTS is a language for communicating spatial
information. It was developed to allow U.S. Federal agencies to share
spatial data among applications which use different hardware, software,
and operating systems. It was adopted in 1992 as Federal Information
Processing Standard (FIPS) 173 and is the standard for spatial data
exchange for U.S. Federal Government agencies. |
Other information: More information can be found at ftp://sdts.er.usgs.gov/pub/sdts/www/html/sdts.html.
| Extensions: |
sff |
| Description: |
Scene description used by the RTrace ray tracer. This
format has been replaced by the SCN format. Filters are available for
converting SFF to SCN. |
| See Also: |
SCN format |
| Extensions: |
sgf |
| Creator: |
United States Naval Academy |
| Description: |
The SGF format is used at the United States Naval Academy
as a standard graphics format for geometric data. The description of
the standard graphics format is described by David F. Rogers and J.
Alan Adams in the book Mathematical Elements for Computer Graphics. |
| See Also: |
SPF format |
SGO and Flip File (Silicon Graphics Object)
| Extensions: |
sgo |
| Creator: |
Silicon Graphics |
| Description: |
Used by the IRIS Showcase package for Silicon Graphics
workstations. The Flip File format is a very simple format which
supports only quadrilaterals (four-sided polygons). |
| Programs: |
IRIS Showcase |
Other information: A more complete SGO specification is also available.
Softimage
| Extensions: |
soft |
| Creator: |
Softimage (Microsoft) |
| Description: |
The Softimage format is used in the Softimage|3D modeling,
animation, and rendering package and related programs. |
| Programs: |
Softimage|3D |
Other information: The Softimage Web site is at http://www.softimage.com/.
The Softimage users Web site is at http://vizlab.beckman.uiuc.edu/softimage/.
Additional information may be found on the comp.graphics.apps.softimage
newsgroup.
SOL
| Extensions: |
sol |
| Creator: |
Enabling Technologies, Inc. |
| Description: |
SOL format was used primarily by Enabling Technologies
Clip3D package for Windows. |
| Programs: |
Clip3D |
| Filters: |
Clip3D |
| Viewers: |
Clip3D |
| Extensions: |
spf |
| Description: |
The SPF format is used at the United States Naval Academy
as a standard graphics format for geometric data. The description of
the standard graphics format is described by David F. Rogers and J.
Alan Adams in the book Mathematical Elements for Computer Graphics. |
| See Also: |
SGF format |
STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product Mode Data)
| Extensions: |
stp, step |
| Description: |
STEP (ISO 10303) is a set of standards which provide for
the exchange of engineering product data. It was created specifically
for exchanging models and is most mportant in Europe as one of the few
solid model exchange formats. |
| Programs: |
Trispectives, UniGraphics |
| Filters: |
Trispectives - to and from, UniGraphics - from |
Other information: A Web site with a wealth of information about the
STEP format is http://www.igd.fhg.de/www/igd-a2/hyperstep/.
STEP format specifications can be found at http://www.igd.fhg.de/www/igd-a2/hyperstep/iso-10303/gen.html.
A short description is available at http://www.steptools.com. A lengthy description of
the whole ISO 10303, now referred to as STEP is avaiable at http://rpksun1.mach.uni-karlsruhe.de/public/Mitarbeiter/Polly/ISO10303/StatusList.html.
STL, STLA (Stereolithography Interface Format)
| Extensions: |
stl (binary), stla (ASCII) |
| Creator: |
3D Systems |
| Description: |
The STL format is used to define 3D solids to be imaged by
3D lithography systems. The ASCII version of this format is known as
STLA and has a very simple structure. STL files are the native file
format of the SLA CAD software created by 3D Systems of Valencia, CA,
USA. STL files may be ASCII or binary in form, although binary is far
more common due to the very large resulting size of the CAD data when
saved to the ASCII format. |
| Programs: |
SLA CAD |
Strata
| Extensions: |
??? |
| Creator: |
StrataVision |
| Description: |
Used by the StrataVision package on the Macintosh. |
| Programs: |
StrataVision |
SV (SuperViewer)
| Extensions: |
sv |
| Creator: |
John Kichury of Silicon Graphics |
| Description: |
The SuperViewer (SV) format is one of the several database
formats that the I3DM database modeling tool can read and write. The
I3DM modeler was developed by John Kichury of Silicon Graphics and is
provided with IRIS Performer. |
| Programs: |
I3DM, IRIS Performer |
| Filters: |
The source code for the SV format importer is in the file
pfsv.c of the IRIS Inventor distribution. |
TDDD (3D Data Description)
| Extensions: |
t3d, tddd, iff |
| Creator: |
Impulse |
| Description: |
Used by the Impulse's Imagine and Turbo Silver 3.0
raytracers for the Amiga. TDDD files contain 3D object definitions and
can be extended to describe different types of object information. TDDD
data is stored as FORM TDDD chunks using the Amiga and Electronic Arts
Interchange File Format (IFF). Imagine 3.0 also supports a Texture File
Format stored as a FORM TFORM chunk in an IFF file. |
| Programs: |
Imagine, Turbo Silver 3.0 |
Other information: There is also a specification for the texture file
available. The TDDD specifications can also be found at http://www.mediatel.lu/mmedia/render/h_imagine1.html.
The specifications for the texture file format can be found at http://www.mediatel.lu/mmedia/render/h_imagine2.html.
TPoly (Triangulated Polygon)
| Extensions: |
tpoly, tnpoly |
| Description: |
Triangulated polygon files.
UNC (University of North Carolina Walkthrough Format) |
| Extensions: |
unc |
| Creator: |
University of North Carolina |
| Description: |
The UNC format was once used at the University of North
Carolina as a format for geometric data in an architectural walkthrough
application. |
VID
| Extensions: |
vid |
| Creator: |
VideoScape |
| Description: |
Amiga VideoScape format. |
| Programs: |
VideoScape |
Vivid
| Extensions: |
??? |
| Creator: |
Vivid |
| Description: |
File format for the Vivid ray tracer. |
| Programs: |
Vivid |
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
VRT, VCA
| Extensions: |
vca (objects), vrt (worlds) |
| Creator: |
SuperScape |
| Description: |
Used by the SuperScape VRT package. |
| Programs: |
VRT ray tracer |
Extensions:
|
wrl, vrml
|
Description:
|
VRML is a subset of the Silicon Graphics OpenInventor file format for
use in Internet applications. This particular format has become the
standard Internet Modeling Language format for the World Wide Web.
|
See Also:
|
Inventor format
|
Other information: Specifications for this format (v1.0) can be found
at http://vrml.wired.com/vrml.tech/vrml10-3.html. The
Moving Worlds proposal which was officially accepted as the standard
for VRML 2.0 can be found at http://vrml.sgi.com/moving-worlds/index.html.
WLD (WorLD Format), PLG (PoLyGon Format), FIG (FIGure Format)
| Extensions: |
plg, wld, fig
Creators: REND386, VR386, AVRIL, Gossamer |
| Description: |
Used by the REND386, VR386, AVRIL and Gossamer graphics
libraries for the PC. |
| Programs: |
REND386, VR386, AVRIL, Gossamer |
|
| Filters: |
The SPD (Standard Procedural Database) package is available
at http://www.eye.com/triwrld/Free/freebies.htm
and now contains filters to convert to and from the following formats:
NFF, POV-Ray, Polyray, Vivid, Rayshade, RTrace SCN, Art, QRT, REND386
PLG, Renderman RIB, AutoCad DXF, Radiance RAD, Wavefront OBJ, and
RenderWare RWX. |
| Extensions: |
nff (ASCII), bff (binary) |
| Creator: |
Sense8 |
| Description: |
The WorldToolKit Neutral File Format which has both binary
and ASCII representations. This format is used by package. Sense8's NFF
format was loosely adapted from the Videoscape (.geo) format, with the
addition of 12-bit color, per-polygon texture application, and portals.
It was later extended to support vertex normals, 24-bit color, and
vertex uv coordinates. The binary BFF format layout and order is
identical to the ASCII version, with the exception that only 24-bit,
and not 12-bit, colors are not supported. Note that this format is
totally different than the NFF format by Eric Haines. |
| Programs: |
WorldToolKit |
| See Also: |
NFF format |
Other information: More information can be obtained on the Sense8 Web site.
X3D
| Extensions: |
x3d, obj
Creators: x3d 2.0, xdart |
| Description: |
Used by x3d 2.0 and the xdart renderers. |
| Programs: |
x3d 2.0, xdart |
Other information: Both renderers are available via ftp from ftp://dpls.dacc.wisc.edu/graphics.
XOF
| Extensions: |
xof |
| Creator: |
RenderMorphics (Microsoft) |
| Description: |
XOF is used by the RealityLab 3D renderer by
RenderMorphics, which was aquired by Microsoft in February 1995.
RealityLab is now a core component of Windows95. |
| Programs: |
RealityLab |
XOR (External Object Representation)
| Extensions: |
xor, tri (triangles) |
| Creator: |
Royal Institute of Technology |
| Description: |
External Object Representation (XOR) allows objects in an
object-oriented programming environment to exist outside the memory
address space in which they were created, e.g. in external files,
communication channels and databases. |
Other information: Documentation can be found at http://www.bion.kth.se/tests/xor/report/report.html.
E-mail harald@bion.kth.se for
more information.
YAODL (Yet Another Object Description Language)
| Extensions: |
ydl, yaodl |
| Creator: |
Silicon Graphics |
| Description: |
Used by Silicon Graphics Powerflip program. |
| Programs: |
Powerflip |
Graphics Multimedia
Virtual Environments Visualisation
Contents
