How to load a hierarchical model with OpenGL? [on hold]

Question

I have a model which has limbs that I would like to be able to move independently. Apparently, the way of loading a model and splitting it into several parts is by using the vertex indices as opposed to the vertices themselves to draw the model. However, the loader supplied by our school does not take the vertex indices of the model; it only takes the vertices.

Is there a simple way of going around this issue? Am I looking at this problem the wrong way?

Answer 1

Vertex index is its load order. #1 is the first vertex... Ref Ed Catmul's mop. Movie BYU. Maya. Polygons instance vertices by index. .obj files from maya allow negative indices to reference the (current ) end of the vertex list. handy when intermixing vertices and polygons into local lines in a text file that can be cut and pasted... Doing this right is called bandwidth minimization and becomes important if your drawing machine can only reference a few vertices or it has a delete vertex command. The openGL strip commands are examples. .stl is the worst file format because it doesn't reference vertices by index. A triangle is just nine numbers. The other end of the spectrum is a solid model.