I have a question about DAE models... What the heck uses DAE? Like, none of the programs I use can load it. Not Milkshape, not Misfit Model 3D, or anything else I can thinking of. The only thing I have that can import it is Blender, and export it as an obj. Like, why do I have to do that extra step? Why is DAE one of the accepted formats if hardly anything uses it?

I believe it's because several game engines use .dae in their source files. It's accepted because it means that no information will be lost in conversion between .dae and another type, and to make ripping easier.

Also, there are quite a few programs that can load it, but perhaps not many you own.

I'm sure Peardian could explain this better, but yeah programs like Blender, 3DS Max, Cinema 4D Studio (all of which generally being some of the most popular and most used model programs) and etc. can load .DAE, plus DAE keeps the original bone and rigging data which is invaluable to the end users. .OBJ doesn't support bones, plus when you load OBJs you have to apply the textures yourself and so on.

Ultimately the .DAE is more useful overall but for those people who can't use that format for whatever reason (there shouldn't be too many people who can't, but it's always good for your submission to be usable for everyone in most every scenario), you have the .OBJ too, which they can rig and texture themselves if need be.

Anyhow hope that answers your question. That extra format may seem useless to you but in the end it could actually end up being the most useful thing to those who use it.

The following programs uses DAE/COLLADA.
The following game engines uses DAE/COLLADA.
Although some programs would use FBX (like Unity and UDK) which is basically the same save for some differences.

(09-04-2012, 10:32 AM)Mighty Jetters Wrote: plus when you load OBJs you have to apply the textures yourself and so on.

That's normally not the case, its more likely to happen if the texture paths aren't fixed. Most of the time I check the .mtl files before importing .obj's. That's normally how I find out someone's name