Ripping 3D Models using RenderDoc

[user3678]

RenderDoc is Graphics Debugging tool with a lot of shader debugging options, one of which is an option to view and dump numerous object's 3D Data as well as textures from GPU VRAM buffers, who's were parsed and extracted into CSV Table-like format.

Tutorial

1. Download RenderDoc https://renderdoc.org/ [RenderDoc 1.26 - if you want to rip from Chrome too]

2. Download CSV to OBJ converter

 

The Process

0. Go to Tools -> Settings -> Allow process injection (restart required) <- Recommended for chrome ripping

1. Click on "Launch Application", in "Executable Path" choose the game's executble and click "Launch" (The RenderDoc will hook into graphical API's before launching)

2. Press F12 at the moment when you look at the object you want to rip, minimize the window and now go to the RenderDoc again (Highest quality settings required for full resolution textures and max LOD possible at higher distances)

3. Go to "Pipeline State" -> "Mesh Viewer", or click on "Mesh Viewer", you will see there each selected mesh from "Event Browser" -> "Colour Pass #" -> "DrawIndexed" Drawcalls in two different forms: Input Vertex Shader (Original model) and Output Vertex Shader (Deformed model), right click on any of the columns in Input Vertex Shader, select "Export CSV"

4. Go to "Texture Viewer", click on "Open Texture List" icon, click on "Save selected Texture", click on three dots and choose the path and name, choose format, click "Save".

 

Using CSV-2-OBJ.py

Download Python - https://www.python.org/

Drag and drop CSV files into the script, it will automatically convert them into OBJ.

Since not all CSVs are the same and some of them are built different, you can maually tweak the Vertex and the UV Coords Column indexes.
Popular software configs:

RenderDoc:
POSITION_INDEX=(2, 3, 4)
UV_INDEX=(5, 6)

Nvidia Nsight:
POSITION_INDEX=(3, 4 ,5)
UV_INDEX=(15, 16)

 

CSV-2-OBJ.py

Edited Saturday at 08:24 PM by user3678

[Karpati]

I have released the RenderDoc *.CSV loader module on September 12, 2024 in the

- 3D Object Converter v11.0 (Windows);

- 3D Object Converter v1.0 (AmigaOS)

http://3dconverter.synology.me/3doc

 

- i3DConverter x64 macOS V6.0

- i3DConverter amd64|x64 Linux V4.0

http://3dconverter.synology.me

[user3678]

12 hours ago, Karpati said:

I have released the RenderDoc *.CSV loader module on September 12, 2024 in the

- 3D Object Converter v11.0 (Windows);

- 3D Object Converter v1.0 (AmigaOS)

http://3dconverter.synology.me/3doc

 

- i3DConverter x64 macOS V6.0

- i3DConverter amd64|x64 Linux V4.0

http://3dconverter.synology.me

But the 3D Object COnverter is a paid up and free version leaves holes in the models after extraction, I've already tried this long ago, this method is busted.

[shak-otay]

8 hours ago, user3678 said:

and free version leaves holes in the models after extraction,

Unbelievable.

[Karpati]

9 hours ago, user3678 said:

But the 3D Object COnverter is a paid up and free version leaves holes in the models after extraction, I've already tried this long ago, this method is busted.

It is a shareware program (hobby project). 

Trial mode limitation: the exported 3D file will have every 5th polygon or triangle removed.

My developer systems are not free and the web domain and web hosting have costs also. I am not a company.

[05SpeedMaster]

Well worth the price Karpati.

I paid for my copy back around version 5 or so. Now up to 11.502

[Karpati]

On 12/8/2025 at 4:48 PM, 05SpeedMaster said:

Well worth the price Karpati.

I paid for my copy back around version 5 or so. Now up to 11.502

Thank you for your nice feedback.

[KuWuniss6]

I've used this software, and it seems to only work with certain image APIs?

[user3678]

On 12/10/2025 at 3:21 PM, KuWuniss6 said:

I've used this software, and it seems to only work with certain image APIs?

Yes, RenderDoc have problems sometimes with other games I had no luck extracting models from Far Cry 3 for example but this is because those games are based on DirectX 9 and RenderDoc supports only:

• DirectX 12
• DirectX 11
• Vulcan
• OpenGL 3.2 <- Core profile
• OpenGL ES 2.0-3.2 <- ES Versions

[user3678]

@everyone Forgot to say that aside those two of the most popular debuggers (and probably the best ones), there is also two more, those are:

• AMD CodeXL
• Intel GPA

Those are the least ones compared to it's competitors where Intel GPA being super-awfull because modern versions lack OpenGL support, not only that, they also export the face indicies buffer into completely separate buffer completelly overcoplicating the ripping process by so much, I just don't recommend this.

[user3678]

There was also a lot of talk about the API Trace back in the days, but it's very old tool that didn't make it easier to extract the models I've aleady tried it in short: it's just not worth it especially comparing to those 2 of the biggest competitors Nvidia and RenderDoc. it was just poor small debugging tool, yet powerfull at the times.

I am sorry if the comments are underdated.