Material Descriptors
Material formats across Watch Dogs 1, 2, and Legion, covering roughly 85 XML descriptors extracted from the retail game.
The descriptor files themselves are game-derived data and are not published here. The
tables below are the part worth keeping: they record the shader types, their parameters
and their types, so you can read a descriptor you extracted from your own copy of the
game. Export them yourself with Gibbed.Disrupt.ConvertXml from the game's
engine\shaders\materialdescriptors\ folder.
Material System Overview
The material descriptor XMLs define 44 shader types across Watch Dogs 1, 2,
and Legion. Each shader type specifies which textures, colors, and float
parameters it expects. The compiled binary format is TAM v7 (magic
0x004D4154), with a full reader/writer in
blender-io-disrupt's
material_bin.py.
A materialNames.txt file (916 entries) maps CRC32 hashes to human-readable
parameter names.
Key Car Shaders
DriverCarGeneric
| Parameter | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DiffuseTexture1 / DiffuseTexture2 | texture | Base diffuse maps |
| NormalTexture1 | texture | Normal map |
| SpecularTexture1 | texture | Specular map |
| AlphaTexture1 | texture | Transparency mask |
| EmissiveTexture | texture | Emissive map |
| SpecularPower | float4 | z / 8192 = specular exponent |
| Reflectance | float | Default 0.04 |
| ReflectionType | enum | 0=WorldStatic, 1=WorldDynamic, 2=Custom, 3=Matcap |
| EmissiveMeshLights | bool | Enables MeshLights table lookup |
DriverCarPaint
| Parameter | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DamageTexture1 | texture | Damage/detail map |
| DiffuseColor1 / DiffuseColor2 | color | Base paint colors |
| DualCarpaint | bool | Two-tone paint |
Damage mask (DamageTexture1 RGBA channels):
| Channel | Effect |
|---|---|
| R | DefectsIntensity |
| G | DefectsNormalOffsetX |
| B | DustIntensity |
| A | DefectsNormalOffsetY |
DriverGlass
| Parameter | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TintColor | color | Glass tint |
| Opacity | float | Transparency |
| ReflectionAffectedByDaylight | bool | Day/night reflection variation |
Mask (texture RGBA channels):
| Channel | Effect |
|---|---|
| R | SpecularGloss |
| G | DustIntensity |
| B | Reflectance |
| A | SpecularOcclusion |
Cross-References
- XeNTaX Watch Dogs knowledge — Materials — community format notes
- WDL material.bin Format — binary format details
- Asset Pipeline Formats — material.xml → material.bin compilation