Is there some tool can convert an APX file to an APB file ?

Gaming and Visualization Technologies APIs Physics Modeling (closed)
1

Hi,

I’m working on PhysX and want to use APB format for our engine’s runtime program.
To reduce the work when the version of PhysX is changed, I want to export APX file from Maya and convert it to an APB file. But I can’t find a tool which can do this in the SDK package.

It is very grateful for any advise, Thank you!

P.S. I found that the “ParamTool” which can do this in the document of APEX 1.4, but I can’t found the “ParamTool.exe” file anywhere.

2

Hi,

We’ve added the ParamTool.exe to our PhysX-3.4 GitHub repository. Take a look at GitHub - NVIDIAGameWorks/PhysX-3.4: NVIDIA PhysX SDK 3.4.

3

Thank you very much Sheikh!!

An additional question is that can I use ParamTool.exe and the APX/APB format after the APEX SDK is deleted from PhysX SDK someday?
Since the APEX SDK has been deprecated in the latest version, I’m worrying about this issue.

4

I would suggest moving to the replacement libraries for APEX such as NVIDIA Blast and NvCloth. ParamTool and APEX will not be available in the next PhysX version but I believe Blast and NvCloth will still have some support for APEX legacy assets(apx/apb) for some time.

5

My project is not using APEX but using PhysX library and PhysX’s RepX and binary file formats, which formats seem to be same with APX and APB.
PhysX’s Maya exporter exports APX and APB files too (with the extension of “.xml” and “.bin”).

If ParamTool becomes unavailable, we can create a tool using PhysX’s serialization and deserialization API instead in the worst case. But the formats of files may bring us a bigger trouble.

I guess that the name of “APX” and “APB” will disappear with APEX in the PhysX’s world but the formats will not. Is it right?

6

Hi,

The APEX and PhysX serialization formats are not related. If you’re not using APEX, then you will not need to use apx or apb files, nor ParamTool, and the APEX deprecation won’t affect you.

7

Thanks you bgaldrikian!

It is good news but PhysX’s Maya exporter can export APX & APB files “only” and we want to use the exporter.

8

I am still confused by what your usecase is exactly.
What kind of assets are you exporting from Maya? Cloth or rigid bodies scenes, or anything else?

9

I am using Maya to export rigid bodies scenes.
And in the exporter’s options menu, Asset file format can be chosen from APX or APB.

I am using Maya 2015, and the version of plug-in is 4.0.20124.01532, compiled on 1/24/2018. 1:53:7 AM.

10

@nvidia_clt01
If you have PhysX SDK, you can write the tool by yourself. You can use PhysX SDK to load your Apx. Then you export it as Apb.
It is easy to learn from Physx samples.

11

@nvidia_clt01
For Maya Plugin.
If you export only PhysX (not using clothing in your sample), you will get .xml or .bin for the PhysX scene.
If you have clothing in scene and you export clothing, you will get .Apx or .Apb.
And you can make a tool to load .xml and convert to .bin, if you use PhysX SDK.
You can also make a tool to load .apx and convert to .apb, if you use APEX SDK.

12

@nvidia_clt01
if your sample has both clothing and normal PhysX rigid bodies, but you only want to export PhysX rigid bodies, you can turn off all of the clothing related options and turn on ‘Export PhysX Scene’.
If you do turn on clothing options and turn off ‘Export PhysX Scene’, you will only get those .Apx or .Apb for the clothing. It is not the PhysX rigid bodies you want.
Remember Apx or Apb is for clothing. .xml and .bin are for PhysX rigid bodies.

13

Thanks juma !
Your explanation is exactly what I want.