Standard Importers and ProcessorsÂ
This topic describes the standard importers and processors supported by XNA Game Studio Express. An importer or processor (implemented as an assembly) is considered standard if it ships with XNA Game Studio Express. In addition to these standard assemblies, you can use other assemblies developed by you or by external parties. Referred to as custom importers or processors, these assemblies can be added to your game projects to process custom content. Use the Properties window to specify either standard or custom assemblies for the importer and processor of the related game asset. For more information, see Game Asset Properties.
Standard Importers
The following table describes the standard importers and the type of game asset each supports.
| Name | Type Name | Output Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| XNA Autodesk FBX Importer | FbxImporter | NodeContent | Imports game assets specified with the Autodesk FBX format (.fbx). This importer is designed to work with assets exported with the 2006.11 version of the FBX exporter. |
| XNA Effect Importer | EffectImporter | EffectContent | Imports a game asset specified with the DirectX Effect file format (.fx). |
| XNA Texture Importer | TextureImporter | TextureContent | Imports a texture. The following types are supported: .bmp, .dds, .dib, .hdr, .jpg, .pfm, .png, .ppm, and .tga. |
| XNA X File Importer | XImporter | NodeContent | Imports game assets specified with the DirectX X file format (.x). This importer expects the coordinate system to be left–handed. |
| XNA XACT Project Importer | N/A | N/A | Imports game audio specified with the Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) format (.xap). > [!TIP] >Associating an .xap file with XACT allows you to automatically open XACT when editing any .xap file. Associate the file in XNA Game Studio Express by right-clicking the .xap file in Solution Explorer and clicking Open With. Once the dialog box has opened, select the XACT-specific string and then click Set As Default. >If the XACT-specific option is not available, XACT must be run before this option appears. The application is available from the Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express group on the Start menu (click Tools, and then click Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT)). |
| XNA XML Importer | XmlImporter | object | Imports game assets specified with a specialized XML format (.xml) designed for use with XNA Game Studio Express. This version, produced by the XNA Framework Content Pipeline, consists of a serialized representation of an object based on the XNA Content DOM. For more information on the XNA Content DOM, see Content Pipeline Concepts. |
Standard Processors
The following table describes the standard processors and the type of game asset each supports.
| Name | Type Name | Input Type | Output Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Processing Required | PassThroughProcessor | Object | Object | Performs no processing on the file. Select this processor if your content is already in a game ready format (for example, an externally prepared DDS file) or a specialized XML format (.xml) designed for use with XNA Game Studio Express. |
| XNA Effect | EffectProcessor | EffectContent | CompiledEffect | Compiles the string in EffectContent to the appropriate platform. |
| XNA Material | MaterialProcessor | MaterialContent | MaterialContent | Converts all textures in MaterialContent.Textures by using the ModelTextureProcessor. If the input type is an EffectMaterialContent, the effect is converted using the EffectProcessor. |
| XNA Model | ModelProcessor | NodeContent | ModelContent | Traverses the node hierarchy represented by the input object and converts the result to a model. The materials for each Geometry property on every MeshContent child (specified by the Material property) are processed using the MaterialProcessor. |
| XNA Model Texture (DXT, mipmapped) | ModelTextureProcessor | TextureContent | TextureContent | Generates mipmaps and compresses the input texture using DXT1 compression. Treats magenta pixels as transparent and transforms them accordingly. This processor type is appropriate for textures being applied to a model or other 3D object. |
| XNA Sprite Texture (32 bpp) | SpriteTextureProcessor | TextureContent | TextureContent | Converts the pixels in the texture to the Color format. Pixels of Color.Magenta are converted to Color.Transparent. No mipmaps are generated from the input texture and the input texture is not compressed. Use this processor for overlays (such as a HUD) and other UI elements in a game. |
| XNA Texture (mipmapped) | TextureProcessor | TextureContent | TextureContent | Generates mipmaps and does not compress the input texture. |
| XACT Project | N/A | N/A | N/A | Generates audio assets from an XACT project. |
See Also
Content Pipeline Overviews
Developing a Custom Importer
How to: Add a New Processor or Importer to XNA Game Studio Express