Torque DTS/DSQ format description
by Christian BAUDRANT · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 01/12/2008 (7:33 am) · 7 replies
Hello,
If somebody needs to make a DTS/DSQ file reader/exporter, he needs a good DTS/DSQ description. Actually, it's always the same answer "Look in code". This is not a good answer. We can find exporters for several tools:
- 3DS Max : only for Windows and very expensive.
- Maya : very expensive.
- Lightware : only for Windows/Mac and expensive.
- Blender : free but exporter is not in a final version.
- Milkshape : only for Windows.
- GameSpace : only for Windows.
You can look at http://tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/DTS/FeatureChart. You'll see that a lot of DTS specifications aren't used by exporters (this page is not up to date).
If you are Mac or Linux users, it's hard to have a good exporter.
We can find DIF file description (http://tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/DIF/File_Format) but not DTS/DSQ descriptions. It's not normal. DTS/DSQ are proprietary formats. Those two formats must be published. I hope that GarageGames will do this !
Bye
Christian
If somebody needs to make a DTS/DSQ file reader/exporter, he needs a good DTS/DSQ description. Actually, it's always the same answer "Look in code". This is not a good answer. We can find exporters for several tools:
- 3DS Max : only for Windows and very expensive.
- Maya : very expensive.
- Lightware : only for Windows/Mac and expensive.
- Blender : free but exporter is not in a final version.
- Milkshape : only for Windows.
- GameSpace : only for Windows.
You can look at http://tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/DTS/FeatureChart. You'll see that a lot of DTS specifications aren't used by exporters (this page is not up to date).
If you are Mac or Linux users, it's hard to have a good exporter.
We can find DIF file description (http://tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/DIF/File_Format) but not DTS/DSQ descriptions. It's not normal. DTS/DSQ are proprietary formats. Those two formats must be published. I hope that GarageGames will do this !
Bye
Christian
#2
01/13/2008 (9:52 am)
Good point , last week i have searched for the DTS/DSQ format description, I was not able to find ...
#3
01/13/2008 (10:03 am)
If you would like them to do something, maybe you should, ya'know... ask nicely, instead of demand. People usually respond better :-) 
#4
01/14/2008 (7:09 am)
The Blender exporter is actually very good. And free. If the software included python scripting support, a programmer just might be able to use the Blender scripts to add export functionality to that program (for example, Modo).
#5
01/14/2008 (9:02 am)
Ok David, but why GarageGames doesn't publish the descriptions/specifications of DTS/DSQ files ? This is certainly not very difficult to do. No ?
#6
01/14/2008 (9:08 am)
I don't know. I'm not sure why someone from the community who has untangled the source code hasn't done it either. Maybe it is more difficult that we realize. Maybe no one wants to do it. Maybe the returns are so low that the priority on it is also low. Since I've not gone through the DTS exporter sources, I'm not sure how difficult it is. I'm betting that the python source is much more readable than the C++ source, though, just by nature of the language.
#7
While I have a copy of the document, or at least the guts of it, here, I could not locate the post to provide a link to it. But yes, there should be an official document on the format for the .dts and for the .dsq files.
<* Wes *>
01/14/2008 (12:13 pm)
There is a post somewhere (it may be a resource) that someone started and posted part of the format, derived via the time-honored reverse-engineering techniques.While I have a copy of the document, or at least the guts of it, here, I could not locate the post to provide a link to it. But yes, there should be an official document on the format for the .dts and for the .dsq files.
<* Wes *>
Torque Owner UZON