# 3d-model import

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/3d-model-import/72208>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [October 15, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/3d-model-import/72208 "2006-10-15T16:32:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![javra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@javra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/javra)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/3d-model-import/72208/1 "2006-10-15T16:32:30Z")

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Does anyone know how far OpenGL for Ruby is developed and if it’s  
possible to import for examle .dxf oder .3ds files?  
I’m relatively new to Ruby and haven’t found much stuff about 3d in  
Ruby. Should I change to Java or C for complexe 3d developement?

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**Author:** ![javra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@javra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/javra)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/3d-model-import/72208/2 "2006-10-15T18:32:42Z")

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On 10/15/06, javra [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Does anyone know how far OpenGL for Ruby is developed and if it’s  
> possible to import for examle .dxf oder .3ds files?  
> I’m relatively new to Ruby and haven’t found much stuff about 3d in  
> Ruby. Should I change to Java or C for complexe 3d developement?

There’s a Ruby OpenGL binding that works, but it’s a little behind  
version-wise (though it’s under development).

Also though, it’s of course not the job of the binding to provide  
utilities for dealing with the various file formats. There might be  
projects on RubyForge dealing with those various formats.

If you’ll be working with OpenGL, you might consider keeping one foot  
in C anyway (regardless of what high level language you write most of  
your code in). This way, you can write your software with Ruby, and  
then after profiling it, if you like, you may fairly easily rewrite  
performance-critical portions of it as Ruby extension modules (written  
in C).

—John

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**Author:** ![javra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@javra](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/javra)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 10:29am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/3d-model-import/72208/3 "2006-10-16T10:29:27Z")

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javra wrote:

> Does anyone know how far OpenGL for Ruby is developed and if it’s  
> possible to import for examle .dxf oder .3ds files?  
> I’m relatively new to Ruby and haven’t found much stuff about 3d in  
> Ruby. Should I change to Java or C for complexe 3d developement?

I’ve got a project for reading LightWave object files on Rubyforge, so  
if you can do .3DS/.DXF to .LWO then that would work. It’s somewhat  
incomplete (it was spawned from a prototype converter to a format with  
lots of functionality missing), but I wouldn’t be averse to expanding it  
if that would make it more useful to you.

If you feel adventurous, you could have a look at  
[http://lib3ds.sourceforge.net/](http://lib3ds.sourceforge.net/) - I don’t know of a Ruby wrapper to it,  
but SWIG tends to be good for these sorts of things 🙂