The Witcher 2 (REDengine 2) — Archive, Model, Texture & Audio Formats

Source: XeNTaX forum knowledge extraction (2011–2022). Covers .dzip archives, .w2ent/.w2mesh models, .xbm textures, .w2speech dialogue, .usm video, .fsb music, and tools.

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1. Archive Unpacking (pack0.dzip)

Game data packed in .dzip archives (e.g., pack0.dzip).

Tools

Tool	Purpose	Notes
Gibbed's RED Tool	Unpack pack0.dzip	WitcherNexus file id 52; used for W2, also supports W1/W3 later
chrrox QuickBMS w2_dzip_unpack.bms	Unpack pack0.dzip	Referenced by Szkaradek123

Important

When importing into Blender, select the entire unpacked game directory (pack0 root), not the texture folder — the importer needs to read all textures across the tree.

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2. Models: .w2ent vs .w2mesh

The Witcher 2 stores models in .w2ent (entity) files and standalone .w2mesh files.

Key Distinctions

• .w2ent files contain the mesh data — they are not just references
• Not all .w2mesh data lives inside .w2ent files; when a .w2ent contains .w2mesh data, the importer opens the package and lets you select them
• .w2ent files usually contain data other than CMesh objects too (camera config, entity settings)
• Standalone vs embedded mesh data differ — data structures are different, so a script that loads one does not trivially load the other

Example

# inside q102_elf_woman_hanger.w2ent (embedded)
# 1. e0d2d:
v 0.178874 -0.028297 1.424668
# 00 01 02 03 92 4F 19 04 86 00 80 FF FF FF FF FF
vt 0.348128 0.709508

# standalone scoiatael_woman__body1_b1.w2mesh
# 1. 759:
v 0.178874 -0.028297 1.424668
# 00 01 02 03 0.574310 0.310812 0.098458 0.016420 0.055559 -0.998417 0.008791
# FF FF FF FF

Model location example: pack0.dzip\game\npc\riszon.w2ent holds richon__body1_b1.w2mesh (Letho).

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3. Textures: .xbm → DDS

.xbm texture files are essentially DDS files without the DDS header — usually DXT1 or DXT5.

Conversion

• Throw a DDS header on them and you're done
• Community produced witcher2_texture_converter (QuickBMS + cmd scripts) for .xbm ⇄ .tga/.dds conversion

QuickBMS Scripts (from witcher2_texture_converter)

Script	Purpose
w2_xbm2dds.bms	.xbm → .dds
w2_dds2xbm.bms	.dds → .xbm
w2_dzip_unpack.bms	unpack .dzip

Converter runs with quickbms.exe placed next to unpacked files, producing filename_DXT(1,5).bin (binary info) and filename_DXT(1,5).tga (texture).

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4. Blender Importer (Szkaradek123)

Szkaradek123's Blender 2.49 importer was the primary tool for importing Witcher 2 models (geometry, weights, UVs, textures, bones).

Requirements

• Must use Blender 2.49 with Python 2.6 (not 2.5x / Python 3.x) — scripts not compatible with Blender 2.5+
• Run from Scripts window (open .blend, right-click script window, Execute)
• Select unpacked game dir (whole pack0), load a .w2ent model
• Importer reads all needed textures and converts them to .dds; if it can't, script breaks
• Some models error out because file format was not 100% known

Version History

Date	Added
2011-06-05	materials, bones (no joints)
2011-06-23	'magic' button, better mesh names, texture import, static meshes, bone parenting

'Magic' Button

Fixes .w2ent/.w2mesh files that fail to import correctly — mainly body meshes.

Common Troubleshooting

• Textures don't apply → load manually from character folder (search .dds), or use UV/Image editor; "single user" material workaround helps when hair texture covers body and vice versa
• No face → faces stored in \templates\characters\appearances\main npc
• Bones import but aren't connected → parent manually (select armature → TAB → shift+RMB child+parent → ctrl+P → Keep Offset), then remove doubles and disable deform on roll joints

Armature / Rigging Notes

• Bones all present but not connected; parenting is manual
• Most characters share common bone structure — one saved armature works for many models (Geralt, Iorweth)
• Roll joints (elbows, forearms, hands) need manual re-parenting to bend correctly
• Documented arm hierarchy: Bicep2 → Bicep → ShoulderRoll → Forearm/Elbowroll → Forearmroll1/2 → Handroll → Hand
• Exporting to 3ds Max: use Blender 2.49 DAE (or FBX) exporter, or md5mesh exporter for best Blender↔Max cross-import, then Max→FBX→UDK

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5. Dialogue Audio: .w2speech

.w2speech files contain localized dialogue.

Format

• Audio thought to be MPEG layer 2 @ 48000 Hz (decodable as such), with at least 21,568 individual samples
• Voice-over referenced as VO_<1>_<2>_<3>:
• <1> = voice tag id (e.g., TRIS for Triss)
• <2> = scene/set number (all VOs in a scene usually share it, e.g., 300202)
• <3> = line number (e.g., 0343)
• Example: VO_TRIS_300202_0343 (from q104_triss_interaction_oneliner.w2scene)
• Header format not fully documented; individual samples hard to find

REDkit Extraction

REDkit extracts all speech automatically after install:

"<SteamLibrary>\steamapps\common\the witcher 2\bin\editor.exe" exportstrings exportvo

Extracts currently-selected Steam language. Only outputs already-extracted samples — can't convert other-language .w2speech not in same format.

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6. Video: .usm (Xbox 360)

Xbox 360 version uses .usm files for cutscenes.

Demux Pipeline

.usm → VGMToolbox → M2V + ADX → ADX → WAV → mkvmerge → MKV

Issues

• Some .usm-derived .m2v streams play in VLC but not recognized by mkvmerge (end-of-file / unknown type) — possibly slightly different MPEG encode
• VGMToolbox was the only widely known USM demuxer at the time

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7. REDkit (Official Modding Tool)

REDkit (RedKit, CD Projekt RED) — official Witcher 2 editor, released May 2013.

Capabilities

• No import/export for skeletal meshes as of 2013; only static meshes as .3ds, .obj, .fbx (no characters/NPCs)
• Ships 3DS Max 2009/2013 plugin exporting only .re static mesh format
• Extracts all speech (VO) — run editor or use CLI command above

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8. Music: .fsb (Unknown Codec)

Early Witcher 2 music .fsb files used an unknown codec that fsbext couldn't identify and towav/other FSB tools wouldn't decode.

• A coder later released a Witcher 2 music FSB unpacker that worked great

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9. Tools Reference

Tool	Purpose	Notes
Gibbed's RED Tool	Unpack pack0.dzip	WitcherNexus file id 52; supports W1/W3 later
chrrox QuickBMS scripts	Unpack pack0.dzip	w2_dzip_unpack.bms
witcher2_texture_converter	.xbm ⇄ .tga/.dds	w2_xbm2dds.bms, w2_dds2xbm.bms
Szkaradek123 Blender 2.49 importer	Import .w2ent/.w2mesh	Geometry, weights, UVs, textures, bones
VGMToolbox	Demux .usm (M2V + ADX)	Xbox 360 cutscenes
mkvmerge	Mux M2V+ADX → MKV	Some M2V streams unrecognized
REDkit	Official W2 editor	Static mesh export only; extracts VO
Blender 2.49 DAE/FBX exporter	Export to Max	Use md5mesh for best cross-import

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Key Facts

• Archive: .dzip (pack0.dzip)
• Models: .w2ent (entity, contains mesh) + .w2mesh (standalone) — different structures
• Textures: .xbm = DDS without header (DXT1/DXT5)
• Dialogue: .w2speech = MPEG layer 2 @ 48kHz, VO naming: VO_<tag>_<scene>_<line>
• Video: .usm (X360) → M2V + ADX via VGMToolbox
• Music: .fsb (custom codec, later unpacked)
• Blender importer: Blender 2.49 + Python 2.6 only
• REDkit: Static mesh export only, VO extraction