Implementing a geometry conversion tool
In the previous chapters, we learned how to use the Assimp library to load and render 3D models stored in different file formats. In real-world graphics applications, the loading of a 3D model can be a tedious and multistage process. Besides just loading, we might want to preprocess a mesh in a specific way, such as optimizing geometry data or computing LODs for meshes. This process might become slow for sizable meshes, so it makes perfect sense to preprocess meshes offline, before an application starts, and load them later in the app, as described in the Organizing the storage of mesh data recipe. Let's learn how to implement a skeleton for a simple offline mesh conversion tool.
Getting ready
The source code for the geometry conversion tool described in this chapter can be found in the Chapter5/MeshConvert
folder. The entire project is covered in several recipes, including Implementing a geometry conversion tool and Generating LODs...