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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/ZeqMacaw/Crowbar/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

This guide walks you through the core Crowbar workflow: take a compiled .mdl model file, decompile it into editable QC and SMD source files, make changes, and recompile back into a working model. By the end you’ll understand the full round-trip and be ready to explore Crowbar’s more advanced options.

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Prerequisites

  • Crowbar is installed and running. See Installation if you haven’t set it up yet.
  • You have a Source or GoldSource game installed with its modding tools (studiomdl.exe and hlmv.exe) available.
  • You have a .mdl file you want to edit (for example, models/player/soldier.mdl from Team Fortress 2).

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The Decompile → Edit → Compile Workflow

1

Set up a game profile

Before you can compile, Crowbar needs to know where your game lives. Click the Set Up Games tab and add a new game profile. Fill in:
  • Game name — a label for this profile, e.g. Team Fortress 2
  • Engine — select Source for Source engine games, or GoldSource for Half-Life 1-era games
  • Game info file — path to your game’s gameinfo.txt, e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\gameinfo.txt
  • Compiler — path to studiomdl.exe, e.g. ...\bin\studiomdl.exe
  • Viewer — path to hlmv.exe, e.g. ...\bin\hlmv.exe
For a detailed walkthrough of every game profile field, see the Game Setup guide.
2

Select a model to decompile

Click the Decompile tab. In the MDL input field, click Browse and navigate to the .mdl file you want to decompile — for example:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\models\player\soldier.mdl
Crowbar reads the model header to detect the MDL format version automatically. The input field also accepts a folder path if you want to decompile every .mdl file in that folder at once.
To decompile multiple models in one pass, type or paste a folder path into the MDL input field instead of a single file. Crowbar will iterate over every .mdl it finds in that folder (and optionally its subfolders) and decompile them all with the same output settings. This is ideal for extracting an entire game’s player model set.
3

Choose output options

Under Output, select where Crowbar should write the decompiled files:
  • Work folder — a single folder you’ve designated as your working directory
  • Subfolder (of MDL input) — creates a new subfolder next to the source .mdl file
Then review the decompile options checkboxes. The most important ones for a standard workflow are:
OptionWhat it produces
QC fileThe main .qc script that describes the model
Reference mesh SMD fileThe visible geometry as a .smd mesh file
Bone animation SMD filesOne .smd per animation sequence
Physics mesh SMD fileCollision mesh (Source engine models)
Texture BMP filesEmbedded textures (GoldSource models)
Leave QC file, Reference mesh SMD file, and Bone animation SMD files checked for a typical editing session.
4

Run the decompiler

Click Decompile. Crowbar reads the .mdl file (and its companion .ani, .vtx, .vvd, and .phy files if present) and writes the output files to your chosen folder.For the TF2 Soldier example, you’ll see output like:
soldier\
├── soldier.qc
├── soldier_ref.smd
├── soldier_LOD1.smd
├── soldier_LOD2.smd
├── soldier_phys.smd
└── anims\
    ├── idle.smd
    ├── run_all_class.smd
    └── ... (one file per animation sequence)
The Output list at the bottom of the Decompile tab shows every file written. Click any file in the list to open it in your default text or 3D editor.
5

Compile the model

Once you’ve made your edits to the .qc or .smd files, switch to the Compile tab.
  1. In the QC input field, browse to your edited .qc file, e.g. soldier\soldier.qc
  2. In the Game setup dropdown, select the profile you created in Step 1
  3. Under Output, choose where the compiled .mdl should go — the default Game’s “models” folder places it directly into the game directory so you can test it immediately
  4. Click Compile
Crowbar calls studiomdl.exe with the correct arguments and working directory for your game. The compiled .mdl, .vtx, and .vvd files appear in the output location, and the results are shown in the output list at the bottom of the tab.

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Example QC File

The QC file produced by the decompiler describes the model’s name, materials, geometry, and animations. Here is a minimal example of what a decompiled QC looks like: 
$modelname "player/soldier.mdl"
$cdmaterials "models/player/soldier/"

$body "Body" "soldier_ref.smd"

$surfaceprop "flesh"

$sequence "idle" {
    "anims/idle.smd"
    fps 30
    loop
}

$sequence "run_all_class" {
    "anims/run_all_class.smd"
    fps 30
    loop
}
You can edit this file directly — change $modelname to redirect output, add $lod blocks for level-of-detail meshes, adjust $surfaceprop, or insert new $sequence entries pointing to additional SMD animation files.
For a full reference of every decompile option — including LOD meshes, vertex animations, procedural bones, and MDL version overrides — see the Decompile tab reference.

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