Forum: 3D Modeling


Subject: Dxf

Melansian_Mentat opened this issue on Dec 18, 2003 ยท 14 posts


Melansian_Mentat posted Thu, 18 December 2003 at 2:21 AM

Greetings, everyone. I need some help with Dxf files. I'm a Bryce user, and I can't seem to get certain dxfs to work. I hear that there are progs that can convert dxfs to other formats. Any ideas?


nomuse posted Thu, 18 December 2003 at 2:26 AM

When a dxf fails to load in bryce it is often because of too little memory. If you have a mac, try dialing up bryce's memory to as much as you can afford until after the object is loaded and the file saved.


Melansian_Mentat posted Thu, 18 December 2003 at 2:50 AM

I have a PC, I'm afraid. If there's a way to convert a dxf into an obj, that would be wonderful.


Teyon posted Thu, 18 December 2003 at 3:42 AM

Attached Link: http://www.rhino3d.com

Let me guess, you're having trouble coloring/texturing the model in Bryce? Here's an idea, download the trial version of Rhino, which is good for 25 saves before it locks up the save feature, and use it as a converter. Rhino reads and writes almost every single format available, including DXF. When last I checked, Rhino was only able to write OBJ but with version 3, that may have changed to read and write. Not that it matters, as you only want to read a DXF and then write an OBJ. You can also explode the models into seperate pieces using Rhino if the model wasn't made as a whole. Give it a try and then take the OBJ into Bryce.

Teyon posted Thu, 18 December 2003 at 3:43 AM

Oh, and doesn't Bryce have an exporter? I remember I was able to export terrains once in 3DS and LWO from Bryce....


Melansian_Mentat posted Thu, 18 December 2003 at 11:34 AM

Many many MANY thanks!!!! That one's been a real thorn in my side!


nomuse posted Thu, 18 December 2003 at 1:30 PM

I've also used Poser as a file converter. Not assuming you have Poser....but many people on this board seem to.


pakled posted Thu, 18 December 2003 at 9:54 PM

I think that Anim8tor has the ability to convert the files..dxf tends to show up as practically insubstantial in Bryce..and anim8tor is free..the link is at the top of the page..hope this helps

I wish I'd said that.. The Staircase Wit

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EricofSD posted Tue, 23 December 2003 at 12:04 AM

Crossroads is a freebie. Try that.


pearce posted Thu, 25 December 2003 at 4:30 AM

Attached Link: http://www.micromouse.ca/

...or Accutrans. Mick ;)

bonestructure posted Sat, 27 December 2003 at 2:30 PM

DXFs use huge amounts of memory. I don't know why. I convert any DXF file I have to a 3ds. I've had complex DXF files take up to half an hour to load into MAX.

Talent is God's gift to you. Using it is your gift to God.


pearce posted Sat, 27 December 2003 at 3:57 PM

They are big. Also, aren't they just pure geometry ? -- i.e. no UV info etc. I never use them myself. m.


bonestructure posted Sat, 27 December 2003 at 4:50 PM

DXF, when it comes down to it, is just a simple text file, coded to instruct the program how to use the text file content to construct the model in the program. The weird thing is, if you use a program like Paint Shop Pro to view a DXF file, you'll actually get a wire frame image. DXFs are very weird. But sometimes, the onlt version of a model I want comes in DXF. I have a model of a video camera that was only in DXF. I converted it immediately, but then, I can use Polytrans to convert it, which is much much faster than trying to get it into the 3D program.

Talent is God's gift to you. Using it is your gift to God.


pearce posted Mon, 29 December 2003 at 4:57 PM

DXF seems to be a kind of universal industry standard that's been around a long time, so there will be lots of models in that format. The funny thing is that OBJ files are also text files, yet pack much more info into a far smaller space (if you don't count associated material files). DXF must be very inefficient. Makes sense to convert, though, as you've observed. m.