Microsoft is pushing users to the .dds file format for textures.   This format has compression and mipmapping.  JPG's and .bmp's can be easily converted into the .dds format by the Microsoft tool DxTex.

I don't seem to be able to apply .dds textures to models in 3DC.

What am I doing wrong?

So, these textures don't load when converted to a format that 3D Canvas supports?

Richard

From your reply, it sounds like 3DC doesn't support the .dds file format.

If that is the case, have you thought about supporting this format for texturing in 3DS (tne neverending feature request list)?

I haven't considered it. But I will consider it for 6.0.

Richard

Can I make a new request for them to be added to 7.0?

The conversion to a DX8.1 renderer should make this relatively simple as te D3DX8 object supports the format.

I'll second this request...the memory savings seem to be massive.
I'm still messing around with all the settings but this is roughly what you can achieve...

If you have a .bmp texture set applied to a model of say 100 megs in video memory..the equivilant .dds set saved as DXT1 works out at around 12.5 megs....you save nearly 88 megs of video memory...fantastic.
Add to this the mipmapping features and all the other adjustements that can be made when you save the .dds file and there's no wonder this seems to be the standard file format for all the game companies.

The downside I suppose is it will take you longer to save the files just sorting out which settings you want to apply to each texture. Also you need a graphics card that supports .dds files but most do now and have done for quite some time.

At the moment the only way I can use these files for my projects is to create two sets of textures....a .bmp set and a .dds set.
I use the .bmp set in 3dc....I then have to load the model into Blitz and convert it to run with the .dds set.

So...if the .dds file format could be used with 3DC it would be a great help.

Bazza