The Unofficial 3DStudio 3DS File Format
v1.0
By Jeff Lewis (werewolf@worldgate.com)
Notice
This document is an attempt to document the AutoDesk 3DS file format. This was made difficult in that I don't own or have access to a copy of the program, only to sample files. Fortunately, someone used AutoDesk's own 3DS file development kit to create a program which dumps the contents of a 3DS file into a human readable form - albeit somewhat inaccurately. The codes listed and their names come from that program and have been confirmed by testing.
It should be known that the 3DS format is, as far as I know, a proprietary format of AutoDesk and that the format details are not widely known or are protected by AutoDesk.
It is not my intent to infringe on AutoDesk's rights, but simply to make a large collection of 3D image files accessable to people who do not use 3D Studio - or cannot use it because AutoDesk has not chosen to provide a version of 3D Studio for the computer they use (ie: The Macintosh in my case).
Warning
This document is not intended to be a definitive definition of the 3DS format and is not authorised by AutoDesk. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, or at least warn you when there's doubt about its accuracy, no guarantee of accuracy in any of it can be given. Use this document at your own risk.