Watch Dogs Animation Markup XML Format

Source: Decompiled AnimationMarkupTool.exe (ilspycmd 11.0.0.9375) + hex analysis of 40,691 markup files from the Ubisoft leak. Confidence: HIGH — derived from official tool source, verified against leak binaries. Python port: blender-io-disrupt/modules/Watch_Dogs/animation_parser.py (767 lines, MAC + markup parser + CLI).

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Overview

Markup files are XML event definitions that reference .mac animation files by name. They contain time-stamped game events — footsteps, sounds, attacks, camera shakes, weapon events, etc. The engine loads these at runtime to trigger gameplay events during animation playback.

Position in the Pipeline

animation.fbx (FBX source — DCC tool export)
 ↓ FBX import via FbxLoaderManaged.dll (C++/CLI, native FBX SDK)
animation.mac (binary source — curves, skeleton, flags, events, parts)
animation.markup (XML source — time-stamped game events) ← THIS FILE
 ↓ CMarkupCompiler (AnimationMarkupTool internal)
animation.markup.bin (compiled markup header — 10 bytes, version=3)
animation.mab (compiled animation markup — compressed per-bone data)

• Markup XML = source event definitions (human-readable, editable)
• Markup BIN = compiled header (tiny, just version=3)
• MAB = compiled runtime format that embeds the actual event data

File Counts (Ubisoft Leak)

Type	Count	Location
.markup	40,691	data/animations/
.markup.bin	37,971	data_win64/animations/scr/
.mac	43,253	data/animations/
.mab	38,419	data_win64/animations/

Naming Convention

Markup files share the same basename as their corresponding MAC file:

data/animations/locomotion/walk_forward.markup
data/animations/locomotion/walk_forward.mac

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XML Structure

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<markup>
 <EditionHelper>
 <ClipParams>
 <ClipParam ResNodeID="mainroot\blendtrees\walk_forward" ClipStart="0" ClipEnd="0.966667" />
 </ClipParams>
 </EditionHelper>
 <events>
 <event time="0.39375" name="EventName" Track="AI1">
 <CSoundEvent hidEventName="snd_footstep_left" hidTargetEntityId="18446744073709551615" bAlwaysTrigger="false" />
 </event>
 <event time="0.7875" name="EventName2" Track="Audio1">
 <CFootStepEvent boneBoneName="LeftFoot" sndSound="event:/char/footstep_run_concrete_left" />
 </event>
 </events>
</markup>

Root Element

<markup> — top-level container for clip parameters and events.

EditionHelper Section

Contains <ClipParams> with one or more <ClipParam> elements defining the animation clip boundaries:

Attribute	Type	Description
ResNodeID	string	Resource path to the MAC animation (e.g. "mainroot\blendtrees\walk_forward")
ClipStart	float	Start time in seconds (usually 0)
ClipEnd	float	End time in seconds (animation duration)

Events Section

Contains <event> elements placed on the animation timeline:

Attribute	Type	Description
time	float	Position in seconds on the animation timeline
name	string	Display name (usually matches event type without C prefix)
Track	string	Track name for the event (e.g. "AI1", "Audio1", "FX1", "Weapon1")

Event Child Elements

Each <event> contains exactly one child element whose tag name is the event ClassId (e.g. CSoundEvent, CFootStepEvent, CWeaponEvent). Common parameters across most events:

Parameter	Type	Description
hidEventName	CStringID	Event display name / identifier
hidTargetEntityId	CUniqueID	Target entity ID (18446744073709551615 = UINT64_MAX = "any")
bAlwaysTrigger	bool	Trigger even if conditions not met

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Event Definitions

Source: leak/ubisoft/data/animations/EventDefinitions/AnimationMarkupEvents.defs — 184 event types.

Top Event Types

ClassId	Purpose	Key Parameters
CFootStepEvent	Footstep sounds	boneBoneName, sndSound
CSoundEvent	Sound effects	sndSound, bAssignOnEntity, bInterruptible
CDecalEvent	Decals (blood, bullet holes)	boneBoneName, vectorPositionOffset, decalDecal
CWeaponEvent	Weapon events (fire, reload)	sWeaponEvent
CCameraShakeAndPadRumbleEvent	Camera effects	sEffectName, fIntensityModifier
CAnimatedCameraEvent	Camera animations	fileCameraAnimation, selAnchorMode
CHideEvent	Hide/show entities	bHide, fFadeSpeed
CDeadInAnimEvent	Death events	bGotoRagdoll
CPoseEvent / CAnimPoseEvent	Pose triggers	poseType
CAccessoryEvent	Show/hide accessories	selEventType (Phone/Baton/LaptopLight)
CAnimTechEvent	Tech actions	selTechType (Hand in pocket/Face mask/Ear Buds)
CLadderEvent	Ladder interactions	bStart, bEnd, bLeftHand
CCoverStanceEvent	Cover system	hidEventType
CSpiderTankEventAttack	SpiderTank attacks	bStart
CCLOActionActivityChange	CLO activity changes	selActivity (Sleep/Yoga/Playing...)
CCLOActionLocationChange	CLO location changes	selLocation (Bench/Couch/Ground...)

Event Parameter Types

Type	Description
CStringID	Hashed string identifier (u32 hash + length-prefixed string)
CUniqueID	64-bit unique identifier (entity reference)
bool	Boolean flag
int	Integer enum value
float	Floating point value
float3	Three-component vector
float4	Four-component vector

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Hash Function

The markup system uses a custom string hash for event name lookup:

uint GetHashFromName(string name)
{
 uint hash = 111;
 for (int i = 0; i < name.Length; i++)
 {
 if (name[i] != 0)
 hash = hash * 113 + name[i];
 }
 return hash;
}

This is the same hash used for StringID type_id values throughout the MAC format.

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Compiled Markup (.markup.bin)

The compiled markup binary is minimal — just a version header:

Offset	Type	Value
0x00	u32	Magic/version (always 3)

The actual event data lives in the .mab file, not in .markup.bin. The .markup.bin serves as a resource reference that the engine uses to locate the compiled animation data.

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Event Tracks

Events are organized on named tracks for parallel playback:

Track	Typical Use
AI1	AI behavior triggers
Audio1	Sound effects
FX1	Visual effects (particles, decals)
Weapon1	Weapon events
Camera1	Camera events
Anim1	Animation control events

Multiple events can share the same track — they play sequentially at their specified time positions.

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Practical Usage

Creating Events

1. Open .mac file in AnimationMarkupTool
2. Navigate to the desired time position on the timeline
3. Right-click → Add Event
4. Select event type from the 184 defined types
5. Set parameters (sound file, bone name, intensity, etc.)
6. Save → creates/updates .markup file

Event Timing

Events are placed at specific time positions within the animation. For a 30fps animation with 100 frames:

• Frame 0 = 0.0 seconds
• Frame 30 = 1.0 seconds
• Frame 50 = 1.6667 seconds

The time attribute uses float seconds, not frame numbers.

Common Patterns

Footstep events alternate between left and right feet:

<event time="0.39375" name="footstep_left" Track="Audio1">
 <CFootStepEvent boneBoneName="LeftFoot" sndSound="event:/char/footstep_run_concrete_left" />
</event>
<event time="0.7875" name="footstep_right" Track="Audio1">
 <CFootStepEvent boneBoneName="RightFoot" sndSound="event:/char/footstep_run_concrete_right" />
</event>

Attack events trigger at the impact frame:

<event time="0.5" name="attack_hit" Track="Weapon1">
 <CWeaponEvent sWeaponEvent="hit" />
</event>

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Key Insights

Separation of Concerns

• MAC stores animation data (curves, skeleton, events)
• Markup stores gameplay events (sounds, effects, AI triggers)
• This separation allows editing events without re-exporting animation from FBX

Event Count

40,691 markup files vs 43,253 MAC files — not all animations have markup (some are pure motion without gameplay events).

Track System

The track system allows parallel event streams. A single animation can have simultaneous audio, FX, AI, and weapon events without conflicts.

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Related

• MAC Animation Format — source animation binary format (referenced by markup)
• MAB Animation Format — compiled runtime format (contains event data)
• Asset Pipeline Formats — full pipeline mapping