3D model format for games

Question

Hi everyone,
I've looked around for a good model format to use in a game I'm building. Its a single player RPG that runs on any platform. I looked at md2,3, and 5 formats, obj, and 3ds, but I couldn't really find what I was looking for. All I need is a 3d model with animation that I can apply textures to. I know most of the list above does that. All I'm looking for is opinions on which one is better/easier to work with.

Thanks

Answer 1

The .ply format is simple and not too hard to code an interpreter for if you like the whole DIY experience. The Stanford 3D Scanning Repository has a bunch of .ply files you can download and use to test your implementation.

Answer 2

See my question and answer - I highly recommend the MS3D format. It ended up being easy to use, you can try my Blender exporter (though it's incomplete), and it does support all of these features.

Answer 3

I decided to use MD5 models after all. I found some sample code online that loaded the models and drew them. As for actually making the models, there is apparently an exporter script in blender that creates the needed files. I don't know any specifics on that process though, my friend is making all the models for me. Thanks for the suggestions though.