Hi folks! I have recently completed a high-powered Direct3D 8.1b application that runs in a windows desktop window and on any MS-Windows platform (that supports D3D8, of coarse). It is a .X file viewer. The project name is simply D3D X-File Viewer version 1.0. The project is completed. I have a few people testing it right now with very few bugs on all their systems. What the program does is allow you to view your game world and 3D game objects in a Direct3D 8 application so you can see exactly what these game objects are going to look like in the actual game. This gives programmers a big advantage because they can now view their 3D models such as objects...and even full 3d levels without needing the use of a fully developed game engine at their disposal. The project currently views Microsoft''s .X file format. X-files are wildly popular among game programmers because X-file tools and functionality are programmed into the DirectX SDK so you don''t have to write your own file formats from scratch, simply use .X files! They are really easy to use, and all major 3D modeling packages have converters available out there which allow you to convert your 3D creations to .X files quickly and easily. In fact, converters can be downloaded from the Microsoft website free of charge for 3ds max, maya, lightwave, etc. I currently use 3ds max 4.2 for all my 3d models and use the utility program that I downloaded from Microsoft, called conv3ds.exe, to convert all of my scenes to .X files. They can instantly be viewed using the D3D X-File Viewer. The D3D X-File Viewer doesn''t just allow you to view .X files...it does WAY, WAY more. You can: 1.) Reposition your camera anywhere in the 3D world 2.) Change, repositon the camera target to any place in the 3D world 3.) Lock / Unlock the camera target. Locking allows you to move the camera anywhere and still it will be focused on the coordinates that you set it on. 4.) Rotation along the X, Y, Z axis'' using simple key strokes 5.) The camera can move forward, backwards, left, right, up and down using keystrokes and can be moved at variable speeds, depending upon what the user wants. 6.) Scene depth can be changed to whatever value you please 7.) FOG! Yes that''s right, FOG can be toggled on or off to give you an idea of how it will fit into your game scheme! Not only that, but the fog is completely controllable. You can change it''s color (by manipulating the RGB values to your liking), changing the starting point at which fog is first noticable, and the ending point at which objects disappear into the fog. Cool huh? 8.) You can also change the background color of the 3D scene to whatever you want by simply changing the RGB value of the background. 9.) And the best part is all of the above features can be accomplished at run-time, and are NOT preset options...none of that stuff. This application is very useful to me and the few people that I have allowed to use it. Well, I would like to see the project distributed and in the hands of as many people as possible. If you are interested in either distributing the project, or simply buying the entire project from me outright along with all the rights, please contact me at wilnadon@yahoo.com. Any other details that you may need, including screenshots, can be given to you upon request. Thank you for your time! William N. Donaldson DSC wilnadon@yahoo.com

I am sorry. I won''t do it again. The only reason I did it in the first place was because I didn''t know for sure which forum to place it in. So I put it in both.
~W~N~D~

Um, if someone wanted to see what an .X file mesh would look like in their Direct3d-based game scene with fog and whatever other options...Why wouldn''t they just load the .X file into their game engine and have a look? Its like 4 lines of code to load and display an X File mesh if you use D3DX....

I don''t mean to be overly negative, but I don''t really see much use for this, sorry. Maybe back a few years ago this would have had some usefulness, but considering how easy D3DX makes it to do everything you''ve listed...

It is true that much of the functionality is already placed in the D3D8 API, but it still has to be programmed to a certain amount. Loading X-files themselves is very simple indeed...but setting up scene options takes time for anyone to do. And instead of manipulating all the options by using hard-coding, this application can do everything at runtime, and it is in a simple Windows desktop Window. So, when you wish to change options you don''t have to modify any code, or type in any command-line parameters, instead simply click a few times and the changes are made instantly. I see your point however. This tool is VERY USEFUL to me because I do not have to type in any code in my 3D game engine to view these X-files. All I have to do is run the program and open the file. Then, I can do whatever I want with the scene to get a good idea of how it is going to look in the game. :-)