An exporter is a
software application
Application software is any computer program that is intended for end-user use not computer operator, operating, system administration, administering or computer programming, programming the computer. An application (app, application program, sof ...
that writes out a
data file
A data file is a computer file which stores data to be used by a computer application or system, including input and output data. A data file usually does not contain instructions or code to be executed (that is, a computer program).
Most of th ...
in a format different from its native format.
It does this via special
algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of Rigour#Mathematics, mathematically rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific Computational problem, problems or to perform a computation. Algo ...
s (such as
filters
Filtration is a physical process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture.
Filter, filtering, filters or filtration may also refer to:
Science and technology
Computing
* Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming
* Fil ...
). An exporter often is not an entire program by itself, but an extension to another program, implemented as a
plug-in. When implemented in this way, the exporter converts the hosting application's native format into the desired format and writes it to the file.
For example, a
3D model
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of a surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, and ...
may be written with a modeler, such as
3D Studio Max. A
game developer may want to use that model in its
game
A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...
, but uses a custom format that is different from 3D Studio Max's native format. Using the exporter, the model can be saved in the developer's native format and then read into the game (or a
tool
A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...
) without any extra conversion. Using exporters,
game tools can also export from their native format into formats for other applications (such as the modeler or a paint program, such as
Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital art, especially in raster graphics editin ...
).
Exporters are important tools in the
video game industry
The video game industry is the tertiary industry, tertiary and quaternary industry, quaternary sectors of the entertainment industry that specialize in the video game development, development, marketing, distribution (marketing), distribution, ...
. A plug-in or application that does the converse of an exporter is called an
importer
An importer is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade. Import is part of the International Trade which involves buying and receivin ...
. Importers and exporters are often used in conjunction with one another in many software development environments.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Exporter (Computing)
Video game development