MD5ANIM File Format (.md5anim)
An MD5ANIM file is a Doom 3 skeletal animation, a plain-text list of joint transforms keyframed over time that drives any MD5MESH sharing the same joint hierarchy.
MD5ANIM at a glance#
| Full name | Doom 3 animation |
|---|---|
| File extension | .md5anim |
| Category | 3D Models |
| Developer | id Software |
| First released | 2004 |
| Compression | Uncompressed |
| FileFlip support | FileFlip reads this format but does not write it |
What a .md5anim file can hold#
These are the things a MD5ANIM file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.
| Animation | Yes |
|---|---|
| Skeletons and animation | Yes |
| Human readable | Yes |
Strengths and limitations of MD5ANIM#
What MD5ANIM does well
- Keyframe data for a joint hierarchy is stored apart from any mesh, so the same walk or death animation can drive every model that shares that skeleton
- Text format, so an animation can be generated by a script or tweaked by hand without a binary editor
- Frame rate and bounding information travel with the animation itself, so a player doesn't need to derive them separately
Where MD5ANIM falls short
- Only useful paired with an MD5MESH whose joint hierarchy matches exactly; there's no retargeting between mismatched skeletons
- Verbose text encoding makes MD5ANIM files considerably larger than binary skeletal animation formats storing the same motion
- Specific to id Tech 4, so it needs conversion before it's useful in any other engine or DCC tool
Use MD5ANIM when authoring or modding character animation for Doom 3 or another id Tech 4 game.
Convert MD5ANIM to a modern interchange format when the animation needs to drive a rig outside id Tech 4, since the format only means anything alongside a matching MD5MESH skeleton.
How to open a .md5anim file#
A .md5anim file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts MD5ANIM into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.
| Platform | Programs that open it |
|---|---|
| Windows | Noesis, QuArK |
| macOS | dhewm3 |
| Linux | dhewm3 |
| Web | FileFlip |
MD5ANIM questions people ask#
What is an MD5ANIM file?
An MD5ANIM file holds the skeletal animation for a Doom 3 model, a plain-text sequence of keyframed joint transforms rather than any geometry of its own. It's meant to be loaded alongside an MD5MESH file whose joints it drives.
Can one MD5ANIM file work with different characters?
Yes, as long as the characters' MD5MESH files share the exact same joint hierarchy. That reuse, one animation driving many models, is the main reason id Software split Doom 3's skeleton and mesh data (MD5MESH) from its keyframe data (MD5ANIM) instead of keeping them in one file.
What opens MD5ANIM files today?
The open-source dhewm3 source port runs Doom 3's original MD5ANIM files the same way the retail engine did. Viewers like Noesis and editors like QuArK also read MD5ANIM for inspection or conversion outside the game.
Converting MD5ANIM files#
Convert MD5ANIM to another format
FileFlip does not write .md5anim files, so nothing on the site converts into this format. It works as a source only.
Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.