hello everyone, i have a question.
in opengl, how to create a complex 3D model?
i know that i can create it by using thousands of (perhaps millions of) polygons.
but… 
are there any other methods?
for example, if i have created a 3D model in 3DS or maya, can i use it directly in my opengl program, just like using a jpg or gif file?
thanks.
There are libraries that will import .3ds models, also .obj and .ase models. You need to export the model from 3dStudio or whatever modelling package you’re using, and make sure your code knows how to load that file type. I’m currently importing .3ds files into my OpenGL scene, and working on figuring out how to read the keyframe data to animate the models. I believe NeHe gives some examples http://nehe.gamedev.net and here’s another link for a .3ds lib: http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uli2/index.html
Hope that helps.
yes, it helps a lot.
thank u very much!