QOB File Format

Unofficial QOB File Format description

Date: 2017.01 | Version: 0.5

Glossary

GR - Ghost Recon,
GRE - Ghost Recon engine
RSB - Red Storm Bitmap

Table of contents

1. Introduction

2. Overview

3. Sections

3.1 File Header

3.2 MaterialList Section

3.3 GeometryList Section

3.3 Points Section

3.4 EndQOB

Introduction

This document describes the structure of the QOB file format used by the GRE. GR game's QOB files are stored in "Model" folder and has an extension of ".qob".

Overview

The QOB file contains the information about simple and static in-game 3D objects: guns and equipment, grass, some effects (muzle flash, rain drops) and other. This includes information about materials, textures, 3d geometry, and additional data for a game engine, such as helper points position. The QOB files can store only one game object, which will be named as a filename in game. You can create QOB files with an official developer plugin for 3DS MAX 3-5 version.

Notes

Despite they are similar, there is a difference between POB and QOB file types. QOB files doesn't support object tagging and animation.

Overall file structure

The QOB file format is divided into two major sections and two signatures as shown in the QOB file structure.

Table 1. POB file structure

№	Section	Description
1	File Header (signature )	File header
2	MaterialList Section	Materials and textures information
3	GeometryList Section	Geometry objects data
3	Points Section	Geometry objects data
4	EndQOB signature

Notes

The file header has a fixed length; the other three sections are variable in length.

Sections

File Header

The QOB file header is 15 bytes long.

Table 2. File header structure

Length	Type	Description	Value
4	integer	File signature length.	11
11	string	File signature: always equal to 'BeginModel.'.	"BeginModel."

Notes

The file signature is unique file identifier that helps game engine to auto-detect the file type on load. Most of GR game's files have there unique signatures.

MaterialList section

Table 4. MaterialList section structure

№	Section	Description
1	Header
2	Materials subsection	Object materials
3	Textures subsection	Object textures

MaterialList section header

MaterialList section header is 41 bytes long. It is structured as follows:

Table 3. MaterialList section structure

Length	Type	Description	Value
4	integer	MaterialList section size.	variable
4	integer	Unknown value.	8
4	integer	"Version." string length. Equal to 8.	8
8	string	"Version." string.	"Version."
4	integer	Version value.	3
4	integer	"MaterialList." string length. Equal to 11.	13
13	string	"MaterialList." string.	"MaterialList."

1.1 Materials subsection

Table 4. Materials subsection structure

Length	Type	Description
4	integer	Materials Count
variable	array	Materials Array

Materials Array is an array, repeated for the Object materials count. It is as follows:

Table 5. Materials Array

Section
Header
Material properties

Materials Array Header is variable in length. It is structured as follows:

Table 6. Header

Length	Type	Description	Value
4	integer	Section size.
4	integer	Unknown value.	8
4	integer	"Version." string length. Equal to 8.	8
8	string	"Version." string.	"Version."
4	integer	Version value.	3
4	integer	Material Name string length.
variable	string	Material Name string.

Material properties subsection contains information about material from 3Ds Max.

Table 7. Material properties

Length	Type	Description	Value
4	float	Opacity	0..1
4	float	Faceted	0 - on, 3 - unset
Ambient Color Map	0..1
4	float	Red	0..1
4	float	Green	0..1
4	float	Blue	0..1
4	integer	Unknown Value	1
Diffuse Color Map	0..1
4	float	Red	0..1
4	float	Green	0..1
4	float	Blue	0..1
4	integer	Unknown Value	1
Specular Color Map	0..1
4	float	Red	0..1
4	float	Green	0..1
4	float	Blue	0..1
4	MN	Unknown Value	1
4	integer	Specular level
1	byte	2-Side	0, 1 - on

1.2 Textures subsection

Table 8. Textures subsection structure

Length	Type	Description
4	integer	Textures count
variable	array	Textures Array List

Textures Array is a array, repeated for the Object textures count. It is as follows:

Table 9. Textures Array

Size	Section
	Header
12	Texture properties

Textures Array Header is variable in length. It is structured as follows:

Table 10. Header

Length	Type	Description	Value
4	integer	Section size.
4	integer	Unknown value.	38
4	integer	"Version." string length. Equal to 8.	8
8	string	"Version." string.	"Version."
4	integer	Version value.	2
4	integer	Texture Name string length.
variable	string	Texture Name string.

Textures properties subsection contains information about texture from 3Ds Max.

Table 11. Texture properties

Length	Type	Description
1	byte	Unknown value.	0
Texture filename
4	integer	Length of the filename string.
variable	string	Texture filename.
4	integer	Advanced transparency type.	0 - subtractive, 2 - additive, 3 - filter
4	integer	Tiled	1 - u tiled only, 2 - v tiled only, 3 - none
4	float	Self-illumination	0..1

GeometryList section

Table 12. GeometryList section structure

№	Section	Description
1	Header
1	Object Count
2	Geometry data array

GeometryList section header

GeometryList section header is 41 bytes long.

Table 13. GeometryList section header

Length	Type	Description	Value
4	integer	GeometryList section size.
4	integer	Unknown value.	7
4	integer	"Version." string length. Equal to 8.	8
8	string	"Version." string.	Version.
4	integer	Version value.	1
4	integer	"GeometryList." string length. Equal to 11.	11
13	string	"GeometryList." string.	GeometryList.

Object array is an array, repeated for the Object count. It contains information about verticies coordinates, texture coordinates, face and texture indexes, normals and color map. Object itself it is a group of separate objects stored in an array.

It is as follows:

Table 15. Object array structure

Length	Type	Description
variable		Header
4	integer	Unknown value
Object verticies
4	integer	Vertex Count
variable	array	Vertex array
Coordinates, normals, indexes, color map data
4	integer	Objects Count
variable	array	Objects data array

Table 16. Header

Length	Type	Description	Value
4	integer	Section size.
4	integer	Unknown value.	4
4	integer	"Version." string length. Equal to 8.	8
8	string	"Version." string.	"Version."
4	integer	Version value.	8
4	integer	Object Name string length.
variable	string	Object Name string.

Vertex array is an array, repeated for the Vertex Count. It contains information about verticies coordinates.

It is as follows:

Table 17. Vertex array

Length	Type	Description
4	float	X coordinate
4	float	Y coordinate
4	float	Z coordinate

Objects data array is an array, repeated for the Objects Count. It contains information about texture coordinates, face and texture indexes, normals and color map.

It is as follows:

Table 18. Objects data array

Length	Type	Description	Value
Properties
1	byte	Unknown variable	1
1	byte	DetailedDarkmap	0, 1
1	byte	DetailTexture	0, 1
4	integer	MaterialIndex
1	byte	isTextured	0, 1
if isTextured > 0 one more vars
4	integer	TextureIndex
if (DetailTexture > 0) two more vars
4	integer	DetailTextureIndex
4	integer	Unknown variable	1
** MAP**
4	integer	SelfIlluminationMap Index
4	integer	SpecularMap Index
4	integer	BumpMap Index
4	integer	ReflectionMap Index
4	integer	MapCount
4	integer	Face Count
	array	Normals1
	array	Face indexes
	array	Texture indexes
4	integer	Vertex Count
4	integer	Texture Count
	array	Normals2
If TextureCount > 0 adding Texture coordinates
	array	Texture coordinates
	array	Color map

Normals1 array is an array, repeated for the Face Count. It contains information about normals coordinates.

Table 18. Normals1 array

Length	Type	Description
4	float	X
4	float	Y
4	float	Z
4	float	Distance from object origin to face, sign defines direction of normal vector

Face indexes array is an array, repeated for the Face Count. It contains information about face indexes of a triangle polygon.

Table 18. Face indexes array

Length	Type	Description
2	integer	First point index
2	integer	Second point index
2	integer	Third point index

Texture indexes array is an array, repeated for the Face Count. It contains information about texture indexes of a triangle polygon.

Table 18. Texture indexes array

Length	Type	Description
2	integer	First point index
2	integer	Second point index
2	integer	Third point index

??? Normals2 array is an array, repeated for the Vertex Count. It contains information about normals coordinates.

Table 18. Normals2 array

Length	Type	Description
4	float	X
4	float	Y
4	float	Z

Texture coordinates array is an array, repeated for the (Vertex Count)*(TextureCount). It contains information about Texture coordinates.

Table 18. Texture coordinates array

Length	Type	Description
4	float	U
4	float	V

Color map array is an array, repeated for the Vertex Count. It contains information about faces (without a texture) color map.

Table 18. Color map array

Length	Type	Description
4	float	Red
4	float	Green
4	float	Blue
4	float	Unknown variable

Points section

Table 19. Points section structure

The last section contains information about tagging points using by the GRE.

Length	Type	Description
4	float	Points Count
	array	Points Array

Transformation matrix is the same one from 3ds Max. Points Array is an array, repeated for the Points Count.

Table 20. Transformation matrix

Length	Type	Description
X Axis
4	float	X
4	float	y
4	float	z
Y Axis
4	float	X
4	float	y
4	float	z
Z Axis
4	float	X
4	float	y
4	float	z
Position
4	float	X
4	float	y
4	float	z

EndQOB

EndQOB signature is 13 bytes long.

Length	Description
4	EndQOB signature length. Equal to 9.
9	EndQOB signature: always equal to 'EndQOB.'.