Overview

Not be consufed by MD5 used in hashing.

MD5 is a proprietary but open format specific to any Idtech4 game and allows models to be animated by the use of an internal skeleton. Generally two files are needed to make a functional MD5 model; md5mesh and md5anim. The 3rd, md5camera, allows the creation and use of complex camera paths used during cut scenes. See the different pages for syntax explanation

. MD5MESH

Low resolution polygonal mesh exported from a 3D application.

. MD5ANIM

Contains animation sequence data, the positions of bones etc. during animation.

. MD5CAMERA

Animated cameras for use in cut scenes.

. BMD5MESH

MD5MESH compressed into a binary format.

. BMD5ANIM

MD5ANIM compressed into a binary format.

MD5 Header

All MD5 format files start with the MD5 header, regardless the specific filetype. The header is the first section in the file and is as such…

MD5Version <integer>
commandline "<string>"
  • MD5Version: An integer that defines the current MD5 specification version. This should always read 10.
  • commandline: A string that contains the command line parameters passed to the exportmodels console command.

Export

Maya 4.5 was the 3D package primarily used for the creation of animated characters during the development of Doom 3, Quake 4, and possibly Prey. Models were saved in .mb (Maya Binary) format and converted through the use of an export declaration , the console command exportModels , and a DLL by the name of MayaImportx86.

It goes without saying that you stand the best chance for success if you follow the same workflow. However, there are third party tools and alternative versions of MayaImportx86.dll listed below you can use should you be working with a package other than Maya version 4.5.

It’s also important to note that the alternate versions of MayaImportx86.dll were intended for use with Doom 3 and there have been reports that they do not function correctly with other Idtech4 engine based games. In other words, if you only have Quake 4 or Prey at your disposal, you may encounter some compatibility issues that have yet to be resolved. You may be forced to borrow a copy of Doom 3 for export purposes.