No Man's Sky (Hello Games Engine) — Archives, MBIN, Models & Shaders

Source: XeNTaX forum knowledge extraction (2016–2023). Custom Hello Games engine (not Unity/Unreal). PC uses PSAR variant; PS4/Switch use HGPAK. Core format: .mbin (binary) → .exml (XML).

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1. Engine & Archive Overview

Aspect	Detail
Engine	Hello Games custom
Archive (PC)	.pak — PSAR variant
Archive (PS4/Switch)	.pak — HGPAK (different header, zstd/Oodle compression)
Key PAKs	NMSARC.553AF401.pak (engine settings), NMSARC.EEAC04FA.pak (shaders)

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2. PAK Format

PC (PSAR variant)

Tool/Script	Notes
aluigi's brink.bms	aluigi.org/bms/brink.bms — works for NMS PAK
QuickBMS batch	quickbms -d -F "*.pak" "brink.bms" "PCBANKS" "OUTPUT"
PSARC-Decompile-Tool	nomansskymods.com/mods/psarc-decompile-tool/
NMS-Extract (HugoPeters)	github.com/HugoPeters/NMS-Tools — CLI extractor

Structure

• Magic: PSAR variant
• Files zlib compressed in 64 KiB chunks
• brink.bms fix: change log NAME OFFSET SIZE → clog NAME OFFSET SIZE SIZE

Loose File Loading (No Repack Needed)

• Game loads loose files from GAMEDATA/PCBANKS/ if present
• Reddit guide by emoose (2016) — enables shader/texture mods without repacking
• Use cases: Chromatic aberration disable, vignette removal, shader edits

PS4/Switch — HGPAK

• Magic: HGPAK (different from PC PSAR)
• Compression: zstd (possibly Oodle)
• Tool: HGPAKtool (monkeyman192) — github.com/monkeyman192/HGPAKtool
• BMS script: Partial (uncompressed only); zstd/Oodle support needed

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3. MBIN Format (Core Data Format)

Structure

Header:
 int32 cc / magic
 int32 version
 int32 padding[2]
 int64 hash
 char type[64] # e.g., "cTkLocalisationTable", "GcWidgetData"
 int64 padding
Type-dependent data follows...

Known Types

Type	Description
cTkLocalisationTable	Language/localization data
GcWidgetData	UI widgets
GcSceneData / GcModelData	Scene/model descriptors
GcSkeletonData	Skeleton/bone hierarchy

Tools

Tool	Purpose
MBINCompiler (Atvaark / swuforce)	010 Editor template + compiler/decompiler
NMS-View (HugoPeters)	Model viewer — github.com/HugoPeters/NMS-Tools
MBIN to EXML	Community tools (swuforce texttool, MBINCompiler)
NMS-Modding-Tools	Various community forks

Localization (.mbin → .exml)

• 010 Editor Template by Atvaark: parses cTkLocalisationTable
• Structure: Header → LocalisationTableHeader → LocalisationTableEntry[key[32], lines[]]
• Workflow: .mbin → extract → .exml (XML) → edit → compile → .mbin

Repacking Issues

• PC: PSARC-Decompile-Tool requires manual file listing for repack
• PS4/Switch: HGPAKtool supports extraction; repacking WIP
• Loose files preferred: Avoid repack entirely when possible

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4. Model / Skeleton Format

Model Files

• Format: Embedded in .mbin (type GcModelData / GcSceneData)
• Geometry: Standard vertex buffers (positions, normals, UVs)
• Textures: .dds (DXT/BC compressed) — directly editable
• Shaders: Uncompiled GLSL in NMSARC.EEAC04FA.pak

Skeleton / Bone Hierarchy

• Descriptor: Separate .mbin with bone hierarchy + transforms
• Fields: transmat = 9 values (3×3 rotation + translation? or TRS)
• Coordinate system: OpenGL (right-handed, Y-up)
• Rotation order issue: XZY works for some models, XYZ for others
• Progress: gregkwaste (2016) — partial success, some models still misaligned

Model Tools

Tool	Notes
NMS-View	HugoPeters' viewer (models + skeletons)
Noesis	Community scripts WIP
Blender	Via export → OBJ/FBX → import

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5. Shaders

Format

• Location: NMSARC.EEAC04FA.pak
• Type: Uncompiled GLSL (OpenGL)
• Editable: Yes — direct text edit after extraction

Community Mods

• Chromatic aberration disable (Reddit 2016)
• Vignette removal
• Shader injection via loose files

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6. Audio

Format	Detail
Container	Wwise .bnk / .pck (standard)
Tools	Wwise Authoring, bnkextr, vgmstream
Note	Standard Wwise pipeline — not extensively discussed in XeNTaX threads

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7. Key Repositories & Tools

Repo / Tool	Author	Purpose
NMS-Tools	HugoPeters	NMS-Extract, NMS-View (model viewer)
MBINCompiler	Atvaark / swuforce	MBIN ↔ EXML (010 Editor templates)
HGPAKtool	monkeyman192	PS4/Switch HGPAK extraction
brink.bms	aluigi	QuickBMS script for PC PAK
PSARC-Decompile-Tool	NoMansSkyMods	PAK extract/repack
SCSSIITool	Ekey	SCS decryption (mentioned in NMS context?)

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8. Gaps / Unresolved

• Skeleton alignment: Rotation order (XZY vs XYZ) inconsistent per model
• MBIN full spec: Only localization table documented; other types unknown
• HGPAK repacking: PS4/Switch modding blocked
• Oodle compression: PS4/Switch PAK may use Oodle, not zstd
• Procedural generation data: Planet/ship assembly logic in MBIN — not reverse engineered
• Animation format: Not documented in threads

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9. Cross-References

• PSAR format: Used by Brink, other PS3/PS4 games — see aluigi's scripts
• Wwise audio: Standard middleware
• 010 Editor templates: Reusable pattern for binary formats
• QuickBMS: Universal extractor — scripts portable across games