List of File Formats
Overview
This article contains a list of file formats in Mario Kart Wii and by the custom users.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| BLIGHT | Control lighting effects on characters, karts, items and objects in a track. |
| BDL | ? |
| BMD | ? |
| BMG | Message files containing localized text for use in game screens and menus. |
| BOL | A BOL file contains information about a course's setup. |
| BREFF | (Animated graphics) |
| BREFT | (Animated graphics) |
| BRFNT | Font files used to display text, stored in BMG files |
| BRRES | Object files, containing model, animation, and texture information on an object, such as an itembox, a character or a course. |
| BRSTM | Music files used by Mario Kart Wii. |
| BTI | BTI is an image file format. |
| CHR0 | CHR0 files are model movement animation files and usually a sub file of BRRES archives. |
| CLR0 | CLR0 files are color swapping animation files and usually a sub file of BRRES archives. |
| KCL | Collision information files containing information about when and how objects collide with a course or object. |
| KMP | Course description files containing information on start positions, check points, etc. |
| MDL0 | Modell animation and usually a sub file of BRRES archives. |
| REL | Relocatable binary object file. |
| RKC | Data about competitions and the new KMP file. |
| RKG | File format for ghost data. |
| SRT0 | SRT0 files are texture movement animation files and usually a sub file of BRRES archives. |
| SZS | SZS are compressed archive files containing many other files. Examples of use include storing an entire course, a menu or a character. |
| TEX0 | TEX0 files are texture files and usually a sub file of BRRES archives. |
| TPL | TPL is an image file format used for menues. |
| U8 | File archive with a hierarchical file system. Most used together with Yaz0 compression and stored as SZS file. |
| WBZ | WBZ is an alternative format for Yaz0. It is dedicated to the WU8 patching file format to allow small files without copyrighted material. |
| WU8 | The file format WU8 is designed to allow exchanging of custom tracks over the Internet without any Nintendo stuff and without license problems. The design is similar to the file format U8. |
| YAZ0 | Compressed files with any data. SZS files are most YAZ0 files. |
U8 archives
This part explains the relation between the file formats U8, Yaz0, SZS, WU8 and WBZ.
U8 is a file archive containing a hierarchical file system. GameCube and Wii images use U8 archives as main DVD file system. The U8 file system optimized as read only system and support only file names and file size and a directory structure, but no other file attributes like time stamps. It's like a TAR file or like a ZIP file without compression.
To make U8 archives smaller, the compression method Yaz0 is used. An Yaz0 compressed U8 archive is also called SZS file. Track files are of this format. Yaz0 is also used to to compress other archives like RARC and BRRES, and some of these files are sometimes also called SZS.
The file format WU8 (Wiimms U8) was developed by Wiimm to allow exchanging of custom tracks over the Internet without any Nintendo stuff and without license and copyright problems. The design is similar to the file format U8, but the sub files of the archive are patched against Nintendos original files.
WBZ is an alternative compression format for Yaz0 based on the public compression bzip2. It is dedicated to the WU8 file format to allow small files without copyrighted material. The alternative compression should also help to avoid false positives of the copyright file scanners.
Image Formats
Image of Mario Kart Wii are stored in 4 different file formats:
- BTI (used in course.bti* files)
- BREFT (Image files of some objects).
- TEX0 (found in BRRES files)
- TPL (found in U8/SZS files)
All 4 file formats use identical Image Formats and they are only different in file structure and mipmap support.