What type of model data structure is this?

Skeletons, animations, shaders, texturing, converting, fixing and anything else related to read game models
panconver
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 10:57 pm

What type of model data structure is this?

Post by panconver »

Hello!

In my endeavour to explore unused assets in a game I hold close to heart, I've come across what I believe to be 3d model data.
Based on the hex representation, it looks like STL, but I could be completely wrong.
My personal experience with file formats is .. lacking .. so I was wondering if someone could help me out?

I will attach a zip archive containing two model files.
Small files of objects, with what appears to be either model data or animation/skeleton data. One of them, if I'm on the right track,
contains some form of skeleton data (or along the lines of bones at least).

There is a blender-exported default cube included too, in the STL format, for reference/comparison.
coredevel
Posts: 75
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 1:10 am

Re: What type of model data structure is this?

Post by coredevel »

It would help if you mentioned the game it comes from, but it's just a list of bone names with transform data. No mesh data. And it has nothing to do with STL.
panconver
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 10:57 pm

Re: What type of model data structure is this?

Post by panconver »

Thanks for identifying the samples! Makes sense now that you say it.

The game is 'Pitfall: The Lost Expedition', from the studio 'Edge of Reality'.
All the game assets are stored in .arc containers, which on older releases of their engine had convenient names such as 'models.arc', 'textures.arc' etc, as is the case for Pitfall TLE.

The samples I provided in the first post were extracted from 'characte.arc' file using a BMS script, and I thought they contained model data (as in everything related to models).
Looks like they are split up between several files then. :)

I have put the archives I think are related to character models into a rar archive, including two BMS scripts to extract them, and
uploaded it to Google Drive. Makes for a more complete picture (Should have done that to begin with).
> https://goo.gl/1vcwCc
The "gc" folder contains GameCube files, and the "ps" folder contains Playstation files.
coredevel
Posts: 75
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 1:10 am

Re: What type of model data structure is this?

Post by coredevel »

I know nothing of .arc or ps2 games, but from the look of it, skeletons are stored in characte.arc, mesh data is found in models.arc. Floats are stored in big-endian style, so everything must be reversed. That is alll I can figure out by looking at it.