File formats

A list of file formats usable in TDM:

Models

LWO

• somewhat default
• small uncompressed size since it is binary
• loading code can be slow

ASE

• somewhat default
• larger uncompressed size since it is text
• loading code can be slow

OBJ

• obj support has been added to TDM fairly recently, there aren't many missions yet that use it.
• uncompressed size is large because it is text
• loading is very fast

Ragdolls

The only format is .af text format, which is handmade for Doom 3. No changes here since Doom 3.

It is notoriously hard to create/edit. The only tool is the Windows-only builtin command editAFs, and this is the only in-game editor which has no outside alternatives. We wanted to port it to either DarkRadiant or at least better GUI framework, but it did not happen (yet).

Animation

MD5

• md5mesh --- Doom 3 custom text format which represents a mesh attached to skeleton (joints, weights, etc.)
• md5anim --- custom text format that represents an animation of a skeleton.

MD3

This is Doom 3 custom text format which represents linear vertex morphing.
It is rarely used, but it is a perfect fit in case animation is clearly not "skeletal" (e.g. animated grass or water).

Others

• Some hardcoded pieces of code which transform a mesh into something else, that are enabled via "deform" keyword in a material. The most known example is particles. All of this is very specific and uses custom formats.
• Maya ascii format (.ma, mb), currently no further known info on it.
• OpenFlight model (.flt), currently no further known info on it.

Video

• The mainstream format is mp4 + h264 + aac for FMV.
• There is also still legacy support for ROQ which is an old format used in Doom 3.

All the other formats are disabled in the FFmpeg build that we use.

In-game videos

One specific case is animated textures (e.g. water), and they are usually implemented as a pack of copy/pasted if-s in a material file, which point to different frame images. Something like "Motion JPEG/TGA/PNG/DDS". It's also possible to display a video on a texture.

Textures and images

(Images inside guis (briefing, readables) use the same material loading system, so they should support all the same image formats.)

TGA

The simplest uncompressed format, basically default in case compression is not used. Used often for normalmap textures

• Supports transparency.

PNG

• Lossless compression, but pretty slow to load.
• Supports transparency.
• Should therefore be OK for some GUI images for example, but not used on a large scale.

JPG

Lossy format, pretty small and rather fast to load.

• Does not supports transparency.

Usually used for screenshots and maybe GUI images, otherwise not popular. Usually used for DarkRadiant editor image.

DDS

This is container which can in principle store both compressed and uncompressed data, but is used only for precompressed textures. TDM supports DXT1 (BC1), DXT3 (BC2), DXT5 (BC3) (and 3Dc (BC5) for normalmaps, since 2.10), RGTC compressed formats (each of these formats has a bunch of pseudonymes). DXT3 and DXT5 support transparency (but in different ways).

If you use compressed DDS, then you can be sure it will be displayed as is, as no further processing it applied to it. Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is bad. The engine has a fast compressor/decompressed for all texture compression formats, so if you supply TGAs and they are compressed on load, you only lose in mission size.

Info on DXT compression formats
Info on 3Dc compression format (for normalmaps)

Sound files

OGG

• Relatively widespread open format with lossy compression.
• Default used format
• OGG files are loaded on level start, but decompressed on the fly.

WAV

• Simple uncompressed sound file.
• Larger than OGG. Potentially higher quality.
• The "shakes" feature of materials specifically asks for WAV.