Watch3D OpenGL Program

Here’s a link to the original WW pages describing Watch3D an OpenGL program I developed a while ago to import and convert objects.

Watch3D

Watch3D is an OpenGL program I developed a while ago to import and convert objects.

Watch3D

Crossroads is a graphics library described in “3D Graphics File Formats” by Keith Rule. Published by Addison-Wesley Developers Press, 1996. There is an enhancement to the library on the web circa 1998.

coversm

Crossroads provides a very complete infrastructure for 3D graphics based on the VRML model of objects. There are input and output routines for about a dozen file formats.

Watch3D User Interface

mainwindow
Main Window

Watch3D provides an OpenGL user interface to display objects as well as modify them. The view object code is distantly based on OpenGL example code by Ron Fosner, 1996.

The toolbar items from left to right are:

  • New file. Clears to the default torus object.
  • Open a file. Calls Crossroads conversion routines. Not completely tested. 3DS, OBJ and DXF files have been used extensively. Materials are not correctly imported with DXF files.
  • Save file. Only Save As is supported. 3DS, OBJ and DXF have been used.
  • Details. Display the details dialog.
  • Animate. Spin the object. Animate need not be used to just move the object. Use SHIFT to move and CTRL to zoom. With Animate selected, release the mouse while the object is moving to give it a spin.
  • Use OpenGL display lists. May significantly speed things up. Create a display list when the object changes and then use this display list instead of creating OpenGL commands for every frame.
  • Printing is not supported.