Replacer for *Dat2Obj.py* and *Dat2ObjTex.py*

[LaChal]

Dat2Obj.py and Dat2ObjTex.py are now replaced by dat2obj.py, and renamed with a _old suffix to avoid issues on case unsensitive file systems.

dat2obj.py uses a more object oriented approach to convert files.
It can handle mono or multi-textured files, whith or without NORMALS section.

More details can be found in dat2obj.md.

[LaChal]

@JensAyton @Kaks @AnotherCommander Anyone still active here or is this project dead?

[AnotherCommander]

Hi, sorry for not getting back to you earlier.

The project's activity is much reduced these days. The reason I did not comment on this PR earlier is that I do not have Python experience and do not feel qualified to comment on the code. Plus, I cannot test the PR and was hoping that someone else might be able to do a review.

Just a couple of quick questions for now, a) What is the minimum version of Python required to be able to run this? b) Can it be built also on Windows and, if yes, are there any dependencies we need to be aware of?

[LaChal]

Hi @AnotherCommander,

No problem. I read in the readme that Obj2DatTexNorm.py was the only program that could be considered as the sole maintained. (And the latest commit on master branch was done in 2016.)

Merging a PR locally to test it is possible using git command line.

The minimum version of Python is 2.7.3. It can be converted for Python 3 by using 2to3.
I could not test with older version than 2.7.3, so adaptation may be needed.
The new dat2obj.py program runs with standard python modules; so it may be built using py2exe or pyinstaller.
However, the tests need openstep_parser module. It is installed by the test_dat2obj.sh shell script in a dedicated Python virtual environment.

I also created a release on my fork, where are instructions to run on Linux.
Since there's no code to be compiled or dependencies on non-standard Python modules, I guess the same logic can be used to run on Windows provided Python is installed.

[AnotherCommander]

I am unable to test this PR on Windows. The Python I have is too old (2.4) and no time to get it set up with more updated versions right now. There are also some new dependencies introduced, which makes things more complicated for me. I would appreciate it if someone else did this review.

@LaChal Could you maybe test under Windows and confirm that this PR can be built and works there too?

[LaChal]

Badly, I don't have a working Windows system right now on my side.
However, a basic Python 2.7 is enough to run the new dat2obj.py file.
It is possible to install several Python versions on any system. These two posts can lead you on how to manage several versions: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4583367/how-to-run-multiple-python-versions-on-windows https://superuser.com/questions/296072/is-it-possible-to-install-2-versions-of-python-on-windows
More technical information can be found in the links of the second answer in the second link: https://docs.python.org/3.3/using/windows.html https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0397/

[AnotherCommander]

We have a forum comment from a user who tried the proposed updates. It looks like the conversion to .obj is not entirely clean. More details here: http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=263131#p263131

[LaChal]

Hmmm...
Interesting. Looks like normals are not calculated the right way.
On My side, I tested some models, but verifying them all in Blender can take ages.
Anyway, I'll have a look.

[LaChal]

@AnotherCommander I think I have the answer for the issue you linked.
The new dat2obj.py replaces only the ones renamed with a _old suffix (Dat2Obj and Dat2ObjTex).
IMO, he has tow solutions:

1. Use the Dat2ObjTexNorm.py program, which is unchanged.
2. Use the new dat2obj.py program, then correct the normals in Blender (or the software he's using).