File format

The utah graphics format is one of many ways to define a 3D object. First line has two numbers number-of-points number-of-polygons the next number-of-points lines have 3 coordinates of a point, x y z in floating point the next number-of-polygons lines have the number-of-point in polygon, followed by that many point numbers, points are numbered 1 2 3 ... number-of-points Just space separated numbers, no commas. Many samples below, the .dat files. To get sample files, when on linux.gl.umbc.edu, use command: cp /afs/umbc.edu/users/s/q/squire/pub/download/? .

Examples

These examples were used in other programs and thus needed one extra condition, all faces need to have index of points in counter clockwise order when seen from the outside. Click on file name to see it. To check the .dat file for geometry and face orientation, many of the images below use the program light_normal that shows the direction of the outward normal from a green dot on the surface to a red dot that should be outside. You can download and run the program light_normal and its dependencies and then use the three rotations to see the view you desire. tetrahedron tetra.dat tetraspike.dat cube cube.dat cubespike.dat dodecahedron dodecahedron.dat dodecspike.dat maze started with a sequence of coordinates, a path maze.path maze.dat maze.png click to see maze2d.dat maze3d.dat maze3d.png click to see maze3dc.png maze_spiral.png Find your way to the center of the spiral maze: star started with a sequence of coordinates, a path star.path star3.dat bull bull.dat bull.jpg skull skull.dat skull.jpg

Source code for reading, writing, displaying UTAH graphics .dat files

datread.h datread.c light_normal.c requires OpenGL datread.java datwrite.java light_normal.java

Other graphics formats I use:

STL STereo Lithography (also used in 3D printing) cube2.stl UCD Uniform Closing Dataset (also used in numerical solution of PDE's) pde_ucd2.inp for comparison of formats, 3 pronged blivet in .dat .stl .inp blivet.dat UTAH format blivet.stl STL format blivet.inp UCD format blivet.png with vertex numbers

other links and files to download

Last updated 4/15/2021