In its broadest sense, the C3D format is a specific implementation of a more general file format (ADTech format) that has the following characteristics:
1. The first byte in the file points to the first parameter block. The second byte is always 0x50h (decimal 80), an ID byte indicating that this file is written using the ADTech format.
2. The parameters are stored in groups in the parameter section of the file according to a well-defined parameter format.
3. The parameters indicate where any other data sections are to be found in the file, and may describe the contents of any additional sections.
In is important to realize that while many software applications claim to be “C3D compatible” in some way, all such labels are self applied - there is no official standard or organization that grants the right to use the term “C3D compatible.” As a result, the C3D user should not assume that any given C3D application would fully conform to the specification described in this manual.
However, it is strongly recommended that all vendors of C3D applications and software authors use the common C3D specification described here as a standard to measure their products compliance with the C3D format description. Compliance with the C3D format descriptions will greatly enhance the ability of any application to generate data that can be freely accessed by other C3D applications.
If you require a specific measure of compatibility between two applications (even if they are from the same source) then it is recommended that the applications be tested before clinical or commercial use to verify that the required functionality exists.
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