Importing Models Into A OpenGL Project

Question

I am taking an OpenGL course and we have the option to create models to use in our assignments with a 3D modeling application, like Maya or Blender.

I am not

Answer 1

One of the simplest formats that can be used to export meshes is Wavefront OBJ (please search for it on Wikipedia as I'm only allowed to post one link at the moment). It's basically a text file that shouldn't be too hard to parse.

Or actually, if you're allowed to use GLUT, you could try and use its loader (as answered in OpenGL FAQ 24.040)

Don't worry about the object scale at the moment, you can always scale your object later. Just make sure you export it with local coordinates, not global (e.g. [0,0,0] should be the center of the object, not the world you're modelling).