Need some help on loading .max file

[zuizhu]

hello,
i would like to design a program for 3d graphic that is able to load .max file,
I'm using Delphi 7 and OpenGL. Any advice about loading .max files is appreciated.

[Kippesoep]

MAX files are quite difficult to parse. They do not, as you might expect, contain regular meshes (points + polygons + materials as in a .3DS file, for instance). Instead, they contain the steps used to make the objects. This is the "modifier stack" that 3DSMAX shows you. This means the format frequently changes from one version of MAX to another. It may also have stuff in there for plugins. Unless you have used "convert to editable mesh" on all objects, this will be a gargantuan task. Perhaps it would be better for your purposes to write an exporter for MAX? The SDK is, IIRC, included with the program and allows you access to the entire scene in a much more easily accessible way.

[zuizhu]

wow Thank you sir