Level data extraction - CTR-tools/CTR-tools GitHub Wiki

In order to extract level mesh from game files:

  1. Obtain original LEV and VRM file of the level in question
    • extract bigfile.big from CTR CD
    • extract bigfile.big using bigtool
    • navigate to bigfile\levels\tracks folder, here you can see bunch of folders, one for every race track in the game
  2. make sure LEV and VRM files are located in the exact same folder (that's by default)
  3. open LEV file in model_reader using command line or just drag-drop LEV file on the tool's icon
  4. given your file is named data.lev, an extra folder called data will be created to store the content

The content extracted should include these files and folders:

  • data_Low.obj - a Wavefront OBJ 3D model of low LoD mesh of the level.
  • data_Low.mtl - material descriptors used by the model
  • texLow - all low LoD textures used by the model above
  • data_Med.obj - normal LoD mesh of the level, highest mesh density stored in the file.
  • data_Med.mtl - material descriptors used by the model
  • texMed - all med LoD textures used by the model above
  • texHigh - smaller tile pieces, used to form the highest LoD level, the process was nicknamed tageing short for montageing.
  • texMontage - actual recombined textures from texHigh tiles
  • models - contains all instanced models within the file (such as game objects, crates, etc.)
  • texModels - all textures used by instanced models
  • _layouts.bin - a binary list of all texture data in the file. used for texture replacement
  • enviroMap.png (optional) - environment texture used for reflections in the level