README

README for Blender-AC3D

What is it?
It's a few python scripts to import/export AC3D data into and out of Blender 2.63+. For earlier Blender 2.6x versions you need an older revision of the plugin (https://github.com/majic79/Blender-AC3D/tree/BL2.62)

Why blender 2.6/2.7?
Because in the migration from 2.4X to 2.5, it lost AC3D support. This mod aims to bring that back to 2.6 and 2.7

So it had it before?
Yes, this is mainly a port of those files to enable the import/export of .ac files in blender 2.5

How do I install it?
open the blender/2.6/scripts/addons folder, then pull the io_scene_ac3d folder into the addons folder of blender. There's an alternative location you can drop it, at ~/.blender/2.6/scripts/addons (linux) or the equivalent windows user profile location.

I can't see it in the import/export menu!
You'll need to enable the script in the user preferences window after installing it - open the user preferences window (File->User Preferences or Ctrl-Alt-U) and then go to the Add-on tab, click the button for Import-Export and then check the box on the right of "Import-Export: AC3D (.ac)"

Uh, I've done all that how do I use it?
Go to File->Import->AC3D (.ac), select a file and let it do the work

Known Issues:

 - Exporter:
   * Export packed .blend images is untested...
   * It will either export everything, or everything that's selected. Default
     behaviour is to export everything, if you want to only export those items
     that you can see (ie, in the render scene), then select all those items and
     check the "Selection Only" option on the export dialog.
   * There's an option "Export Render Layer" - ie, only export what's currently
     visible - this doesn't work, but is in the plan

Things to come:
	- I want to have an option to overwrite, or to prompt the operator if they want to overwrite textures on an export

Follow the discussion at:

http://www.flightgear.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=13442

Acknowledgments:

The Blender team: (http://www.blender.org) for such a fine piece of software
Willian P Gerano for his original work (the very first version of this script was a port of his original work)
Rene Negree for his help with the importer, tips on the texture mapping and materials and user settings saving
The FlightGear community for their help in testing and feedback for development

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