Can I open a .3ds, .max, or .obj files using Blender?
You can open .3ds and .obj (File>>Import), but not .max files.
Max files are a necessity.
Anyway, what about the fbx format.
On a different note, blender needs a built in xml format, or a blender markup langauge.
I think blender could even have it’s own scripting language (like maxscript, anim8or’s scripting language, etc). Since blender is open source, we developers should be able to make that easy…
Rolandixor, Blender already has a scripting language. It accepts programs written in the Python programming language. That is what all the Blender plug-ins are created with.
I do not think there are any programs that can import Max files. The company that makes 3DS Max wants its format to stay proprietary, and if you try to make an importer they will send their lawyers to attack you. (there was a GMax program that could import but not export the result into any other format.)
I know about python, in fact, I’m a blender master (to an extent). What I mean is a more comprehensive language. That could mean something like this
#Import blender
create.cube(block).2,2,2
(This means create a cube, named block, that is 2x2x2 units).
GameMaker3, you should consider making a full switch to blender.
I think discreet needs to change that. With blender on the rise, the could soon lose out. I can testify to using 3DSMax before, and its not that easy. Blender is far better.
By the way, I think some programs can convert or read max files, for example actor studio (reality factory).
I do not understand. 
You can do that with Python already, why would you need something like that added on top?
If you really needed that, it is trivial to write a “create.cube” function in Python, along with any other shortcuts you desire, and make them into your own customized Python Blender library. With the added bonus of the library being perfectly suited to your needs, since you wrote it.
what about that xml format???
About importing files, doesn’t blende’s object/3ds import/export already work???
I’ve programmed in maxscript… It’s not that great.
Python is already way more advanced than any of the current package specific scripting languages. That’s why some of the commercial companys are starting to get a clue and ditching their custom scripting languages for python. ( Houdini for instance: http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=545&Itemid=66 )
Maybe Blender could port the Python API to Ruby as well… Just imagin, no object type issues with nurbs, curves and meshes. Everything is a class… 
XML has nothing to offer that would help blender. In fact, it would be a mess to try to parse.
3ds and obj import/export work fine, though I would recommend staying away from 3ds if at all possible.
Actually, xml does. Collada is in xml, not so? I think an additional format in xml would be great. I don’t like max script either… But if we had something that is more simple than python, (maybe along with python), then we could make blender appeal to more new users. It could be done as a plugin, even in python, so that the download size is not too great to handle…
That IS great. But those who don’t program at all would still need something that is much easier. Give gui4cli a look and you’ll see what I mean…
Actually, xml does. Collada is in xml, not so? I think an additional format in xml would be great.
But you still haven’t said why we need an XML format. What would it offer that we need. The only reason for an XML format is to create a standard that can be ported to multiple applications. The problem is, once you have a standard, you’re stuck with it. You can’t really add features to it without re-defining a whole new XML name space. And that is only a benifit if multiple applications actually support it, and support it correctly. For blender by itself, it doesn’t offer anything but headaches.
That IS great. But those who don’t program at all would still need something that is much easier.
That’s like saying, we need to create a 3D program for people who don’t do 3D. :rolleyes: Python is very easy to learn. Dumming down a scripting language just removes all the functionality that makes it useful in the first place. What’s the point of that? Sure, it would let me easily write a scipt to create a cube, but so what? I can do that faster using the gui. So what about a python API that lets me write callback functions to insert actions into the rendering process so that I can modify the image in the render buffer before it’s dumped to a file? That may be a bit confusing to a programming noob, but that’s actually useful.