3DMM Preservation and Discussion

[Stroganoff]

After reading ToyStoryGuy's post about the longevity of 3DMM in the predictions thread and seeing BiotonicoDuck's thread about mods and movies not being available for download, as well as reading HMC's comment after releasing his recent movie regarding how 3DMM is almost non-compatible with newer versions of Windows and other OSs, it got me thinking;

Is there a way to preserve 3D Movie Maker, or rather, make it run smoother on newer operating systems and in the near/far future? And, is there a way to archive a bunch of mods and movies somewhere so that anyone can download them?

Like, for example; if you had Windows 10 or whatever new version of it is out, is there a way you could use a virtual machine, or whatever, so that you could cheat your PC into thinking you're running 3DMM on an older, compatible OS, so that it can run smoothly and run without crashing.

As for movies, I know that there is a bunch of old movies saved on the Internet Archive (basically, a collection of various films in one folder, all in alphabetical order), and I know that there are links on here that send you to
Plopilpy's folder of movies, Bown's collection (IIRC) and some others that I can't remember right now.
However, some links don't work no more or they do work but they just send you to a different site domain that's probably been sold or abandoned (like Lock 'n' Toad for example).

As for mods, I only know that you can download them here and that's it.
Good luck trying to download a mod with a working link or that wasn't probably hosted on a temporary file hosting site! This applies to movies as well.

Point of all this fucking rambling is this;
How do we preserve 3DMM and it's content?

You guys lemme know. 3DMM senior members and veterans can chime in as well. I'd really appreciate it.

[Cabineet The Keet]

In my experience 3dmm works fine enough in Windows 11 with compatibility mode turned on. Thats how I make all my movies and have yet to get that "3dmm has shut down unexpectedly" error in a long long time. Though thats probably due to my moviea not being super long or detailed. I think the issues with the program on modern operating systems is largely over-exaggerated with tools like 3DMMAP and the cursor jump fix. Though I've never used an actual windows 95 computer so maybe I'm wrong.

I think we need to have a group on youtube dedicated to archiving movies on one channel instead of posting the same few old ones spread out. I've said this before but I don't know if it's actually gone anywhere. As for download links, I think our best bet is to make a google drive group similar to the MarioCube repository or a group on archive.org. Archive.org is free with no storage limits so I think that would be our best bet. I think we need to start going through old v3dmm movies and trying to find the vxps for mods used in them that arent easily downloadable amymore aswell (maybe the autismos that download a bajillion vxps and dont clean their vmms are actually useful for something) and post them to the threads. If no one wants to do that I'll start.

Also this is a lot to ask but we should start putting the movile files into reuploads of them on youtube for easy editing and being able to look through them. Some easter eggs are lost with it just being a video.

I don't know what to do with broken movie links other than hoping someone here has it backed up somewhere or its on youtube already. There's not really much you can do I don't think other than bother the old users who probably havent looked at the board in over a decade.

All I know is that my movies and mods will be up until the end of time

[Plopilpy]

3DMMForever runs on all Windows versions from 95 to 10, without any installation. Only problem is that it has no expansion/mod support yet

[Stroganoff]

Originally Posted by Cabineet The Keet

In my experience 3dmm works fine enough in Windows 11 with compatibility mode turned on. Thats how I make all my movies and have yet to get that "3dmm has shut down unexpectedly" error in a long long time. Though thats probably due to my moviea not being super long or detailed. I think the issues with the program on modern operating systems is largely over-exaggerated with tools like 3DMMAP and the cursor jump fix. Though I've never used an actual windows 95 computer so maybe I'm wrong.

I'm still using my trusty old Windows XP family pc from 2002 that still works, through some fucking miracle, so no crashes for me. I think you're right about the crashing thing, maybe it's because a lot of newer flicks that use V3DMM and are filled with details and mods, then it's most likely to crash.

Originally Posted by Cabineet The Keet

I think we need to have a group on youtube dedicated to archiving movies on one channel instead of posting the same few old ones spread out. I've said this before but I don't know if it's actually gone anywhere. As for download links, I think our best bet is to make a google drive group similar to the MarioCube repository or a group on archive.org. Archive.org is free with no storage limits so I think that would be our best bet. I think we need to start going through old v3dmm movies and trying to find the vxps for mods used in them that arent easily downloadable amymore aswell (maybe the autismos that download a bajillion vxps and dont clean their vmms are actually useful for something) and post them to the threads. If no one wants to do that I'll start.

Also this is a lot to ask but we should start putting the movile files into reuploads of them on youtube for easy editing and being able to look through them. Some easter eggs are lost with it just being a video.

That's exactly what I'm thinking! Make a group/mega channel dedicated to archiving old, new, if not ALL 3DMM flicks, as well as a group archiving mods and vxps.
However, the question is if anyone is willing to commit to it.

Also, viewing old flicks and saving mods that were used in V3DMM that aren't available for download is a smart idea! So is the addition of movie files on YT reuploads. Quick and easy access is always appreciated.

Originally Posted by Cabineet The Keet

I don't know what to do with broken movie links other than hoping someone here has it backed up somewhere or its on youtube already. There's not really much you can do I don't think. There's not really much you can do I don't think other than bother the old users who probably havent looked at the board in over a decade.

If what you're saying about broken movie links is true, then that's such shame, really. I don't think anyone is going to ask an old retired member about sending a working link of their old movie, unless you're REALLY desperate. Best bet is to save it before the link expires/goes kaputz or whatever.

[Stroganoff]

Originally Posted by Plopilpy

3DMMForever runs on all Windows versions from 95 to 10, without any installation. Only problem is that it has no expansion/mod support yet

I only saw mention of 3DMMForever when I was lurking through the forums when the source code was released, but never knew EXACTLY what it was. If it's vanilla 3DMM without any mods that's compatible with almost all Windows versions, then that's neat!
But is there a version of it being made that supports mods and expansions or not?

[BiotonicoDuck]

Originally Posted by Cabineet The Keet

or a group on archive.org. Archive.org is free with no storage limits so I think that would be our best bet.

Now thinking, is there a archive uploads of old 3dmm movies, like 1997-2007 movies?

[Stroganoff]

I'm honestly not sure. I do know that there's a bunch of collections of old flicks on the Internet Archive, there's some here and on some other sites. Other than that though, there really is no way to organize or search 3DMM flicks from oldest to newest. Not that I know of, at least.

[BiotonicoDuck]

We should make like the ultimate 3dmm movies archive, separating by year and month

[Cabineet The Keet]

I was actually working on a google drive account with all 3dmm movies old to new but didnt get far. I'll post it when I get home, I cant rn because I'm not signed in on mobile. Its not much at all so dont consider if "definitive" I only have a couple dozen movies spread put between all the years
If we di go through with this it should definetely be through discord or archive.org because those are free with unlimited storage. Could even merge it with the current 3dmm server if Pizza wanted to.
I think every 3dmm.com movie on a flashdrive would take up like 2tb at the most since theyre so small
Mods probably would be like 50 gb since theyre microscopic lol
We should definetely also try and find movie files from other sites too. I don't care if the movie's really "good" or not. It's an archive, not a best of playlist. I know there's a site in the old site rabbit hole thread with working downloads. They're not really amazing movies but they're just interesting to see.

edit: here's my archive I made: https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...DU?usp=sharing
will not be updated probably, I just had the urge to do it one night because of autism or something. It's actually worse than I remember lol.

[BiotonicoDuck]

Yeah we should make a group to help archive the movies, like a discord server or a site

[Stroganoff]

Originally Posted by BiotonicoDuck

We should make like the ultimate 3dmm movies archive, separating by year and month

Not a bad idea, but if someone is REALLY patient enough;

Make one HUGE folder filled with old and new movies, categorize them alphabetically and by date, and upload it on Internet Archive/archive.org or another file hosting site where - hopefully - the links don't get corrupted/fucked and doesn't get lost to time or the domain doesn't get shagged/bought.

Better yet, make a copy of said folder and back that shit up on a USB drive. Not just for movies, but for mods and expansions too. Or make the movie and mods folder/drive separate.

[Cabineet The Keet]

It would be really easy to archive them all but its just so tedious. Plop youre a smart programmer guy is there any way to automate the process of downloading movies and mods lol? Maybe we should section off the pages and have multiple people download the movies. Maybe by year or multples of 5. I dunno man.

[BiotonicoDuck]

Originally Posted by Stroganoff

Better yet, make a copy of said folder and back that shit up on a USB drive. Not just for movies, but for mods and expansions too. Or make the movie and mods folder/drive separate.

Better not, when i did this, the USB out of nowhere corrupted all the files

[PizzaLuigi]

I ain’t reading all that

[BiotonicoDuck]

Originally Posted by PizzaLuigi

I ain’t reading all that

Loser

[Stroganoff]

Originally Posted by Cabineet The Keet

It would be really easy to archive them all but its just so tedious. Plop youre a smart programmer guy is there any way to automate the process of downloading movies and mods lol? Maybe we should section off the pages and have multiple people download the movies. Maybe by year or multples of 5. I dunno man.

That's true, hence why I said if someone's patient enough to sift through the movie and mod database and download them all manually. But then again, so is programming and coding a bot or whatever to download movies and mods.

Originally Posted by BiotonicoDuck

Better not, when i did this, the USB out of nowhere corrupted all the files

Crap, I didn't know that can happen with USBs. Maybe if you put away movies and mods in separate folders and not in one big folder? I don't know, you would have to be careful not to brick your USB drive and get it corrupted.

Originally Posted by PizzaLuigi

I ain’t reading all that

b r u h

[Cabineet The Keet]

Originally Posted by Stroganoff

That's true, hence why I said if someone's patient enough to sift through the movie and mod database and download them all manually. But then again, so is programming and coding a bot or whatever to download movies and mods.

Haha I didnt actually think it was possible and said it more as a joke, but if it is thatd be a nice way to do it

[Stroganoff]

If it's even possible, that is. Which I honestly doubt.

[PizzaLuigi]

The best archive for 3dmm movies we have imo is, 3dmmstudio.co.uk in its entirety has every download uploaded to the WayBackMachine. This has like a shit ton of movies.

[Stroganoff]

That's convenient!

[Bown]

my collection what

[Pvt Sherman]

well i guess we should made a website to archive it

[Autistic British Jackass]

Welp, I'm an archivist... I basically archive movies from 3dmm.co.uk, 3dmmstudio.co.uk and the Mitch Warren and Jackson Buhck archive
that Jackson Buhck himself sent to plop and then released back in 2022, I like the Mitch Warren and Jackson Buhck archive personally because
It had some movies that weren't in the current 3dmm.com movie database yet at the time, so I managed to upload some of 'em from that
archive to here, which thank god I did because these movies were hosted on now-dead website from like I don't know... 1999?

but still I'm on a look out for "3's Company", "Attack of the Giant Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" and some of the other now lost films that are on this listing here

[PizzaLuigi]

Originally Posted by Bown

my collection what

Bown, you gotta save the day!

[Stroganoff]

Originally Posted by Bown

my collection what

My mistake, Bown. I thought you had a collection of archived 3DMM films and mods. I either confused you with someone else or I Mandela Effected myself.