Import models from Maya into OpenGL using C #

Question

How to import a Maya model into OpenGL using C #? If you have a sample, that would be very helpful.

Answer 1

The short answer is, you do not.

Maya models (.ma and .mb files) are really more or less a Maya script for generating content using Maya commands. Unless you redefine all Maya functionality, you cannot use them to “import”.

People who want to use Maya to create content at runtime usually write a Maya exporter (which uses Maya APIs to extract meaningful data for them) or use an accessible one for a format that they can import.

Which format you export depends a lot on what kind of data you want from Maya. But in general, you'll need at least some representation of the DAG scene, which is already beyond OpenGL. You want to use some rendering engine for this.

Apparently, any rendering engine that you choose will have some preferred model format and, most likely, some preferred tools for creating it.

Answer 2

This forum post contains a huge number of links to C # and three-dimensional graphics. I would suggest you read these resources a bit (and any others you may find).