Wings 3D Development Forum

compression can be useful. but compression can be done manually.

$ file myfile.wings
myfile.wings: data


compression can also be a real pain in the butt, for instance if I want to use git to keeps track of my changes, merge different versions of files, and the like.


if there is _one_ feature I would like to see implemented is wings is the option to "save in plaintext", so I can use git (and maybe may favorite text editor* to edit files)


*) for that, the ability to select a feature in the GUI and give it an explicit name that can later be found in comments in the uncompressed file would be basically a must

I don't think Wings3D will someday has a native "text" format.

But, there are readable file formats available in the Export menu. You probably will need to choose one of them.

can I at least have a clue on what type of compression is being used?

using third-party formats is definitely prone to errors and information loss.

I think it would be easier to use a well know readable file format than try to read wings native format. Anyway...

The .wings files are compressed Erlang terms in binary format. The buffer is converted to binary and save here.
Details about Erlang External Term Format.