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nel_extensions
NeL extentions

This document briefly describes the different filename extensions used and/or created by Nevrax for their library. If you have any suggestion, missing extention, please report to us

 Terminology

build_gamedata : automatic fully incremental batch process that produce final compiled data from top most working data.

WK : WORKING DATA : This data is a file edited by the artists. It will not be in client final data. This data is an input data for the build_gamedata process.

RT : RUNTIME DATA : This data is generated by build_gamedata. It is not edited by the artists. It will be included in client final data.

WR : WORKING and RUNTIME DATA : This data is a file edited by the artists but it will be included in final data. Build_gamedata will only copy it.

TP : TEMPORARY DATA : This data is produce by build_gamedata to build another kind of data. This data is not edited by the artists and not included in final data.

 Extentions list Last updated: August 22th 2002

Extension Type Comment
.animRT NeL 3d animations. Contains several named animation tracks. Generated from .max files by build_gamedata. It is readable by NeL. Viewable in object_viewer.
.bankWK NeL tile bank. Bank of bitmap tiles used by the landscape. Edited by the artists with tile_edit.exe. build_gamedata generates .smallbank with it. Only one bank file per landscape. Readable by NeL.
.cfgRT Configuration file used by NLMISC::CConfigFile class. Used to set user parameters for NeL applications.
.clodbankRT Character LOD bank using 3d sprit objects (quake 1 like) to be quickly draw and animated when far away. Generated from .max files by build_gamedata. Readable by NeL.
.cmbTP Simple geometry dump used by build_gamedata to compute surfaces for interior collision meshes. Exported from .max files. Not readable by NeL.
.ddsRT Microsoft DirectDraw Surface (DDS) format is used to store textures and cubic environment maps with mipmaps. It compress textures in a hardware friendly format. Generated from .tga files by build_gamedata. Readable by NeL. More information here
.farbankRT NeL far bank. Bank of bitmap used by the landscape to map patches when far away. Generated by build_gamedata from .tga tiles and the bank file. Only one farbank file per landscape. Readable by NeL.
.grRT Instances of local retrievers. Used for NeL 3d collisions. Readable by NeL.
.igRT NeL 3d Instance Group. Contains a list of instanced stuffs in a landscape (a shape reference with a matrix) (optinal), a list of lights (optinal) and a cluster system description (optinal). It is generated by build_gamedata from .max files. Readable by NeL.
.lrTP Temporary landscape zone surface file produced during by build_gamedata from a .tessel file. Used to build .gr and .rbank files. Not readable by NeL.
.maxWK 3dsmax file format. Used to produce .anim, .clodbank, .cmb, .ig, .pacs_prim, .shape, .skel, .swt, .zone files. NeL can't direclty read it. build_gamedata exports those files using 3dsmax scripts and plugins.
.pacs_primRT Set of PACS primitive (Box or cylinder description with size, radius, height, position and PACS properties). Generated from .max file by build_gamedata. Readable by NeL.
.psWK NeL 3d particule system. This file is edited with object_viewer.exe. Readable by NeL. In fact, .ps are .shape files.
.rbankRT Retrievers Bank. It is the bank of collision zones used by NEL::PACS. Generated by build_gamedata from .lr files. Readable by NeL.
.shapeRT NeL 3d object used to store a 3d mesh. It can be a simple mesh, skinned mesh, a multilod mesh, a lensflare, a remanence mesh, a water mesh, a particul system. Generated by build_gamedata from .max files. Readable by NeL.
.skelRT NeL 3d skeleton description used to deform skinned shapes using .anim. Generated by build_gamedata from .max files. Readable by NeL.
.smallbankRT Same file than .bank but some informations have been removed to get a smaller runtime file. Generated by build_gamedata. Readable by NeL.
.swtRT NeL 3d file that contains weight for skeleton animation. Generated by build_gamedata from .max files. Readable by NeL.
.tesselTP Temporary landscape zone tesselation file produced during the build_gamedata process with a .zone and its neighbors. Used to generate .lr files. Very Hugh zone tesselation dump. (at 0.5 meter). Not used in final data. Not readable by NeL.
.tgaWK/RT Targa Truevision Graphics bitmap file format. Edited by artists. Format RGBA 16 and 32 bits uncompressed, RGB 24 bits uncompressed readable by NeL. This file format is used by build_gamedata to generate .dds files. It is used to as runtime data for bitmap that doesn't need to be 'dds' compressed. (Like displacement tiles).
.vegetRT Vegetable file. This file is a simple mesh with only few polygons used like a blade of grass by a vegetset. Generated from .max files by build_gamedata.
.vegetsetWK Vegetable set file. This file describe a micro-vegetation material. It can be edited with object_viewer.exe. It can be assigned to a lanscape tileset (in bank file) using tile_edit.exe.
.zoneTP NeL landscape zone made of patches of 160 x 160 meters generated by build_gamedata from .max files. Used by build_gamedata to produce .zonew files. Readable by NeL.
.zonewTP Same file than .zone but welding informations with neighbors has been computed by build_gamedata. Readable by NeL.
.zonelRT Same file than zonel but lighing informations have been computed by build_gamedata. Readable by NeL.