[REQ] Include

[Silverman]

Forgive me if this is already a feature and I just don't know it.

In the Blender forum, Windows98 topic, mild_mannered mentioned the problem of opening huge xml files. That reminded me of a feature that I would like to see in future releases. The ability to reference an external syntax file, aka "include file". POV-Ray has this as part of its syntax.

If we could use include files then the extensive mesh code could be external and we would only edit the scene description parts readily manipulated by users, mesh object refrences, lights, camera, and materials. No need to load a whole gigabyte of mesh into your syntax editor.

Should be easy enough to program, just about every programming language has such a function, so it should just be a mater of putting a wrapper around the existing function.

[CTZn]

I second that request, could be just usefull: I can't get working 3ds files out of Blender (my bad for sure), obj files are not supported so I found myself editing xml files thousands of lines big.

Silverman, you may add a [REQ] tag in the title of this thread

[Silverman]

Of course for the "include" function to be useful the Indigo exporters for Blender, 3dsMax, Maya, etc. will need to create at least two files, a relatively compact main scene description file, and one or more mesh definition files.

Once you have a collection of mesh include files you could use them to add objects to scenes that you write directly into xml.

[u3dreal]

This is already possible and i use it in my max exporter so you don't have to reexport all the mesh when changing material,position or
cameraposition or sundirection...

use

<include>
<pathname>yourexternalfile.xml</pathname>
</inculde>

Your external file will have to be in the form of

<scenedata>
...
..
...
</scenedata>


cheers

u3dreal

[Silverman]

Great! Thanks u3dreal.
I thought it might be there but not documented, or at least I didn't see it.

So maybe the request should be to have the Blender exporter make use of this capability by creating a separate mesh file. Currently the exported xml files from Blender, etc, need to be edited to separate the mesh code from the scene description syntax.