3dp File Converter

[nedfumpkin]

I found this program that will view RT3 3dp files and convert them to and from other formats. You need the licenced version to make it really work, but it will save as 3dp on the unregistered version.

At least you can see the files now.

http://web.t-online.hu/karpo/

[Hawk]

$50.00 seems a bit steep, doesn't it?

[nedfumpkin]

I agree. It does seem pricey, and there are some cracks out there but be careful because the one I tried ended up having a trojan in it. It is still quite useable in the rial version though.

[Stoker]

I have done some research and discovered that the .3DP format was developed by Harvard 3D back in the 90s. This company was absorbed by the Serif company, and they offer a free version of their 3D modeling program "Serif 3D Plus", which I am currently downloading from their site here : http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/softw ... tures.asp
I have the free version of 3D Object Converter- and it works great for viewing RRT objects, but the $50 price tag for the functional version is exactly $50 over my spending limit for modding RT3. Too bad, this program looks like you can convert buildings drawn in .DXF .DWG and .3DS, of which there are thousands of free buildings and objects available. I have dozens of houses I have designed in AutoCad, and have libraries of hundreds more that could be used if not for the .3DP conversion problem. Hopefully this Serif #D PLus program will allow something along these lines, I will give an update when I have given it a try in a little while. Fingers are crossed!

[nedfumpkin]

Yes, do keep us updated....this looks promising no?

[Stoker]

Well, no dice. The information in the website indicated that this program would support .3dp format objects- but it does not. It uses a new format called 3d2 , I even tried renaming 3dp files to 3d2 to see if they were compatible but no luck. It appears the only program with any promise of being able to convert .3DP to usable formats is still the Object Converter. I have tried Ogre, this Seriff program, AutoCad, TurboCad, Blender and Maya- all with negative results.

[Stoker]

Another update. I found a slightly older version of 3D Model Converter here http://3d-object-converter-for-windows. ... r.com/4.0/ that will save open RT3 .3dp files and save them as dxf. I am able to open and edit them in TurboCad, no word on whether it is possible to re-convert them to .3dp, but I am hopeful about this. More updates forthcoming soon...

Edit: Here is how I am making it work. This is a roundabout method, but it seems thus far to be working. I open a .3dp in the newer "view only" version of 3d Model Converter, which will save .3dp as .3ds- BUT, this file is not recognized by any CAD or 3d programs I have tried EXCEPT the older version of 3d Model Converter. The older version of 3dMC will NOT open .3dp files, but it will open these odd ".3ds" files from the newer version. Once these are opened, I can save them in .dxf, and these files are recognized by the CAD programs I have tried. Now all I have to do is figure out how to reverse the process.....

[Stoker]

Here is the results of my experiments thus far: I can open a RT3 .3dp file in 3D Object Converter v4.4, save it as a .3ds file, but this file isn't recognized by any CAD software i have tried. I can however open this .3ds file in an older version of 3DOC that allows converting files. This older version will not open .3dp files! But it WILL open these ".3ds" files from the newer version, and it will convert them into .dxf files that I can open in a CAD program. I can save these files as .dxf or 3ds from here, re-open them in 3DOC v4.4 and it WILL save them as .3dp files. These .3dp files will function in RT3. BUT, when I modify the file while in CAD, and save/convert I get an error message from RT3 "Invalid 3dp file header".
Here is the Meat Packing Plant opened in TurboCad!

SO CLOSE!!!!
Here is the Hex code for the original .3dp on the left(this happens to be the file AFTER converting to .dxf- saving from CAD, reconverting back to .3dp- it is identical to the original .3dp), and the .3dp after modifying in CAD and then converting to .3dp. Everything seems to have changed.

[Itsa Timmy]

Your problem is with 3D Object Converter, it saves the file as a 3D Professional .3dp file, not a RT3 .3dp file. If you open a RT3 file then save it right away, you end up with a file unusable to RT3.

[Stoker]

Yes, i know. The "problem" I am having with 3d object converter is that I am using the free version which won't actually convert or save in .3dp for you unless you pay $50 for the full version. The new free version will OPEN these 3dp files from RT3 and it will convert them to .DXF, and an older free version of 3DOC will NOT OPEN .3dp's but will SAVE a .dxf in the correct 3dp. I was trying to find some way to bridge the two but was not successful. I was however successful in getting the .3dp model files to open up in full 3D in TurboCAD.

[Itsa Timmy]

According to their format list here, 3D Object Converter will only load RT3 files, what you are seeing on the right is a 3D Professional file which unfortunately uses the same filename.

I may be on to something though, it seems that RT3's .3dp files are modified .3ds files, meaning if you manually change the file header in tiny hexer, you may be able to load the model in RT3.

I was able to import the model into blender using the .off file type. The .3dp is the original, the .3ds is exported out of blender.

Edit: uhh, I just rotated an engine using blender and copying the points from the .3ds into the .3dp file!

Crap, I need to get to bed!

[Stoker]

Great work! I had looked at the hex code of .dxf files thinking that the proprietary .3dp RT3 uses might be some derivative of them, but hadn't tried 3ds. This is big news, perhaps new buildings and Locos can be imported after all. So, to open the .3dp in Blender you just changed the filename to .off?

[Itsa Timmy]

Yea, the free verson of 3DOC allows you to export to the Object File Format, or .off.

Copying the points from the .3ds into the .3dp file works but you can't add or remove points as it screws up the texture triangles.

Just made a F40PH and it took me far less time then it would have hex editing! All I had to do is hide the front handrail and one of the fans and shorten the body a bit, still need a bit of work though.

[bombardiere]

Hello

Well this looks interesting. Milo made a thousand years ago converting program that made possible to convert RRT3 models to Blender. But we were never able to figure out how convert those back to RRT3.

Itsa Timmy. Your first trial looks highly interesting. Upside floating engine remeins me of some of my eraly experiments, which included a gigant midair rotating engine wheel.

[Gumboots]

Eh what? I just found this, having never been that interested in modding buildings. So it has been known for years that you can use 3D Object Converter to save a .3dp as .off and import it into Blender, then edit it in Blender all you like, then export as .3ds and copy the resulting hex into an RRT3 .3dp file and it will work?

Why isn't this front page news? This place needs a modding FAQ/docs section for stuff like this. Get all the really useful info in one place, rather than hidden in different locations in various sub-forums. That would rock.

And of course I'm downloading Blender now. I'm gonna play with this.

[Gumboots]

Ok, this aint as easy as those posts above made it appear. I've exported from .3dp to .3ds and the hex for them is completely different when checked in HxD. No correlation at all. So, copy/pasting hex values from the .3ds back into the RRT3 .3dp is obviously not going to work.

Also, Blender will supposedly import the .3ds but there's no way I can get it to show in Blender, even though importing it doesn't generate any error messages. Then again, Blender is built by Linux enthusiasts, who are known to take great pleasure in making awesome things theoretically possible, while making simple things totally impossible for normal humans. You think their manual might include basic info on how to get a look at a file you have just imported? No chance, mate. It stays resolutely stuck on Blender's default screen and I can't find any way of changing it.

Short version: unless you have already spent at least a year learning how to use Blender, it's probably faster to just hex code everything and be done with it.

[Hawk]

Since this thread is about 3 years old, it could be that version changes/updates/upgrades in Blender may be the reason it no longer works as it used to.

I don't know. I'm just bringing that thought to light.

[Hawk]

I have some older versions of Blender on my hard drive.

2.43 - from 2007
2.45 - from 2008
2.48a - from 2009

If you're interested.

[Gumboots]

Could also be a change in the 3D Object Converter app. Not sure. Anyway thanks, but I think I'll give it a miss for the moment. Blender obviously has a steep learning curve before you can use it for even basic things. For the moment I think I'll just use a CAD app I'm familiar with, pull the coordinates out of that, and hex code the bits I need.

[Hawk]

You're right. Blender does have a pretty steep learning curve.
I never did get the hang of it so I just stuck with 3D Canvas and Train Sim Modeler.