2010-04-02, 04:35 PM
I'm looking at the MDL files under a microscope. If anyone knows something they're holding back now is the time to share.
I'm working under the assumption the format starts to look very much like the popular .mdl format at one point or another.
I'd like to determine where the header ends and datablocks begin asap. I'm going to be in town(s) a bit this weekend / won't have very regular internet access from this point on. I will have my computer / dig into this a bit more myself if I end up stuck with nothing else to do at some point.
Off the top of my head, it looks like the following guesses might hold water...
First two octets: These are a "magic number" which seem to differ based on the folder where you'll find the file (different numbers may indicate different header layouts etc.)
Next octet: seems important, probably the number of discreet entities in the file.
Next 3 octets: I'm guessing this is a global additive RGB colour. It is always 1,1,1 which would makes sense because we don't see coloured models (that I know of) and 0,0,0 would probably make the entire file transparent.
Next 2 octets: Not sure, probably important.
Next 4 octets: These appear to be 0 in all the files I've examined. Possibly a reserved field, maybe a 32bit number or more than one number of unknown significance.
Next 4 octets: This appears to be two 16bit values (the headers may differentiate at this point)
Next 512 bits and onward: This looks like a string of 32bit values, either file offsets or meta data. This might be the point where the header begins to converge with the traditional mdl format. I will look into this possibility asap.
I could benefit from some simple mdl files if someone would be kind enough to prepare/share some. The non-discreet info is compressed via lookup tables however for simple planes and such the indices should overlap in a meaningful way. If possible please provide all the info you can about any such files. Things like a cube, square, triangle, etc.
EDITED: Nvm, we are only able to make MDO files yes? The Mdo and Mdl files appear to be fairly differently encoded. Does anyone have a guess that the Mdo format might be based on a popular format?
I'm working under the assumption the format starts to look very much like the popular .mdl format at one point or another.
I'd like to determine where the header ends and datablocks begin asap. I'm going to be in town(s) a bit this weekend / won't have very regular internet access from this point on. I will have my computer / dig into this a bit more myself if I end up stuck with nothing else to do at some point.
Off the top of my head, it looks like the following guesses might hold water...
First two octets: These are a "magic number" which seem to differ based on the folder where you'll find the file (different numbers may indicate different header layouts etc.)
Next octet: seems important, probably the number of discreet entities in the file.
Next 3 octets: I'm guessing this is a global additive RGB colour. It is always 1,1,1 which would makes sense because we don't see coloured models (that I know of) and 0,0,0 would probably make the entire file transparent.
Next 2 octets: Not sure, probably important.
Next 4 octets: These appear to be 0 in all the files I've examined. Possibly a reserved field, maybe a 32bit number or more than one number of unknown significance.
Next 4 octets: This appears to be two 16bit values (the headers may differentiate at this point)
Next 512 bits and onward: This looks like a string of 32bit values, either file offsets or meta data. This might be the point where the header begins to converge with the traditional mdl format. I will look into this possibility asap.
I could benefit from some simple mdl files if someone would be kind enough to prepare/share some. The non-discreet info is compressed via lookup tables however for simple planes and such the indices should overlap in a meaningful way. If possible please provide all the info you can about any such files. Things like a cube, square, triangle, etc.
EDITED: Nvm, we are only able to make MDO files yes? The Mdo and Mdl files appear to be fairly differently encoded. Does anyone have a guess that the Mdo format might be based on a popular format?