What is WolvenKit?

WolvenKit is an open-source modding tool for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Our vision is to develop a standalone software which can read and write all REDengine file formats, simplify and accelerate modding workflows, and help you create great mods for great games.

Our current development focus is REDengine 4 with Cyberpunk 2077.

After installing Wolvenkit, you can…

• … dive right in and start creating a mod

• … read more about the software on the Overview page

• … check out what's new in our Release Notes

• … learn about support for The Witcher 3 on the REDengine 3 or Legacy WolvenKit wikis

• … find modding guides and know-how on the dedicated Cyberpunk 2077 Modding Wiki

… or join us on Discord.

Quick Links

Websites & Community

Published October 22 2022

WolvenKit 8.7 is a major step forward. New features include support for building REDmods, sound modding, and animation modding. The UI has been fully transitioned to a title menu and toolbar setup. Texture I/O is significantly more powerful and robust. Numerous fixes for bugs, issues, and pain-points have been implemented. Check out the full release notes below.

New Features

• Support for Cyberpunk 2077 game version 1.6 Upgrading to WolvenKit 8.7 is mandatory for game version 1.6 and beyond. WolvenKit should handle new game releases more gracefully in the future.

• Support for REDmod

  • Added options for Building and Deploying REDmods

  • Added Mod Manager for REDmods

• Animation I/O Added support for importing .re format animation files created with the REDmod Blender animation add-on. Learn more

• Sound Modding Tool Added support for importing .wav format audio files within WolvenKit's new Sound Modding tool. Learn more

• Launch Profiles Added support for creating custom launch profiles when building mods. Launch profiles can be added, removed, or modified from the Build menu or the Launch Profiles button in the Toolbar. Modify or create new launch profiles such as automatically starting Cyberpunk 2077 when building mods.

• Support for hot archive installation with Red Hot Tools by @psiberx WolvenKit features a new Hot Reload button which directly installs archives to the archive/pc/hot directory. This allows users to quickly install archive files while Cyberpunk 2077 is running, cutting iteration-time down to seconds. Learn more

• Depot Generator Tool Added Depot Generator tool to consolidate game-dump operations into a single tool. The Depot Generator is able to generate material files with the users preferred image extension. Additionally the Depot Generator can fully unbundle all archives in one click.

Changes & Improvements

• Texture I/O has been completely refactored Expect improved performance and versatility for users

• Import/Export arguments are now saved When adjusting advanced import options adjustments are saved per-file. For example if the XBM export format for a specific texture is changed from PNG to TGA, the specific XBM will default to TGA for subsequent exports. This behavior is persistent between WolvenKit sessions.

• XBM import arguments are now exposed When importing XBM files, texture setup parameters are now exposed making the texture pipeline much more powerful.

• 16bit color channel textures are now supported WolvenKit is now capable of working with higher bit-depth images due to newly exposed parameters.

• MLMASK I/O improvements MLMASK I/O now supports the same image formats as XBM during export and import. Additionally WolvenKit will now accept masklist files which include a 0 layer.

• Added Title Menu WolvenKit now has a traditional categorized menu within the titlebar itself, hooray!

• Mod Manager and Plugins added to Home

  • The new REDmod Mod Manager has been added as a tab within the Home page.

  • Plugins have been moved from the Menu Bar to a new tab within the Home page.

• Simplified Toolbar Drop-down elements have been moved from the Toolbar to the Menu.

• Added Launch Profiles button to Toolbar A new configurable Launch Profiles button has been added to the Toolbar.

• Added Open Game Folder button Navigate to Menu > Game > Open Game Folder to find the Cyberpunk 2077 directory with the System File Explorer.

• The Ribbon has now been fully deprecated The Ribbon was off by default in version 8.6, but has now been completely removed.

• Help and Feedback dialogues have been removed We saw virtually zero usage of these features, so they have been removed.

• Improved some log errors messages Some log error messages have been improved to help users diagnose issues.

• File Preview is turned on by default On first launch File Preview is turned on by default aiming to improve feature discoverability.

• The Mod Browser button is now a switch Changed the Mod Browser located inside the Asset Browser from a button to a switch aiming to improve feature discoverability.

Fixes

• Fixed crash due to game version 1.6

• Fixed absurd UI layout on first launch by including a default layout

• Fixed raw textures not displaying or showing incorrectly within Preview window

• Fixed exception when generating materials to Depot

• Fixed numerous issues when exporting meshes with materials

• Fixed mesh to json serialization exception

• Fixed freeze with Asset Browser when search bar is empty

• Fixed crash with Asset Browser when game path is not set

• Fixed memory leak issue with certain animated UI elements

• Fixed an issue where the Cyberpunk2077.exe lookup did not work on first run

• Fixed an exception with long file paths during Import/Export operations

• Fixed an issue with Project Explorer losing files that are modified externally

Published Apr 06 2021

After a long and hectic development process, we are very excited to finally announce the public Beta release of Wolvenkit for Cyberpunk 2077. That's right everyone, Wolvenkit is no longer a myth! Though there have been many delays, we greatly appreciate the community and our patrons and contributors for sticking by us throughout the development process, and for the hard work by the many programmers, artists, and researchers that have made this whole project possible. So many incredible breakthroughs and discoveries have been made in Cyberpunk 2077 modding thus far, and we are excited to see what the community can do with the new capabilities that will be made available with the release of WolvenKit. Modders will now be able to browse game assets, browse, read, and edit most if not all file formats used by the game, manage projects, and more. As this is only the initial release, some features you may expect are still to come in future releases. By choosing to support us, you will be not only be enabling us to continue to develop Wolvenkit and add further functionality and tools for use by the community, but also gain access to exclusive posts and updates on the development process, as well as private community channels, voting power, behind-the-scenes content, and more. Even the smallest amount can help us to continue / spend more time on developing more tools.

WolvenKit has been completely refactored to migrate to a WPF solution from the Legacy WinForms build. Version 0.8.0.1 brings initial support for CDPR's latest video game Cyberpunk 2077. While we are planning to bring feature parity for Legacy WolvenKit versions, for now support for Witcher 3 projects is extremely limited. The initial feature set for the 0.8.x series focuses on the Asset Browser and Project Packing tool which enables us to efficiently rip assets and repack REDengine files into the archive format.

Mod Projects

• Initial implementation of the Project Explorer enables basic asset management for REDengine files added from Asset Browser.

• Initial implementation of the build pipeline. Files inside the Mod directory are packed into Cyberpunk format archive files. Optionally the user can choose to auto-install the packed archive file into their game folder.

UI/UX

• The WolvenKit UI has been completely rewritten from scratch to transfer the code base from WinForms to WPF.

Published Oct 03 2021

WolvenKit 8.4 brings major quality-of-life improvements in a relatively small package. Additions to file I/O, browsing user-generated mods, and new options for editing W2RC files can dramatically streamline some modding workflows.

Patches

8.4.3 (Nov 11 2021)

Fixes

• Tweak Editor: Array editing

• Curve Editor: Fixes, zoom and editing

• Red Resource Editor: Fixes, array editing

• TweakDB: Fixed arrays and added remaining types

• Fixed a bug where w2rc buffers would not update on selection changed

• Fixed dirty filenames for tweak files

• Fixed theme settings bug which prevented color changes

• Fixed a bug where the Asset Browser would extract vanilla files while browsing mods

• Fixed the Asset Browser breadcrumb navigator folder sorting

Changes

• Added tweak CLI command

• Added check for updates button

• Added async file search within the Asset Browser

• Support for simultaneous reads from a single archive file by multiple WolvenKit instances

• Cleaned up Settings

8.4.2 (Nov 01 2021)

Fixes

• Fixed a bug where parallel unbundling caused a crash

• Fixed a bug where the app crashed on a pre-release version

• Fixed a bug with the file editor child item arrow expander

• Fixed hidden properties in Propertygrids

• Fixed messagebox layout

• Fixed compiled packages reading

• Fixed some TGA texture import issues

• Fixed miscellaneous asset exports

Changes

• The Home and Welcome pages are redesigned for improved efficiency and UX

• The Ribbon has been reorganized and cleaned up

• Some file icons have been updated

• Added support for reading W2RC file buffers (ent/app/mesh)

• Added progress indicator to the Status Bar

• Added unbundle game button to the Ribbon

• Support for group adding within the tweak editor

• Logging has been improved

• Faster archive manager loading

• Support for double faced meshes with the Import/Export tool

8.4.1 (Oct 06 2021)

Fixes

• Critical bugfix for importing mesh files with the Import/Export tool

Asset I/O

• Support for user-generated mod archives

  The Asset Browser is now capable of browsing and extracting user-generated mod archives. A new button called Toggle Mod Asset Browser has been added to the context Ribbon menu. The Asset Browser can swap between vanilla archives and mod archives on the fly. Mods must be installed to game location for browsing.

• Support for converting W2RC to and from json

  RED/W2RC files can now be converted to standard human-readable json files, and vice versa. Right-click any w2rc or json file within the Project Explorer, and navigate the Convert menu to find conversion options. Functionality not available with the File Editor such as adding or removing chunks and properties is possible with json format. Beware not all file formats are completely stable for conversion! Some elements may not be encoded properly. Use at your own risk!

• Support for morphtarget I/O

  The Import/Export tool is now capable of exporting morphtarget files to glTF format. Additionally glTF files can now be imported as meshes or morphtargets.

• Support for TGA format texture imports The Import/Export tool now supports importing TGA format textures directly. When using the TGA format, the compression method is automatically determined by reading the original XBM texture. Additionally TGA supports no-compression storage, meaning any loss in quality can be avoided.

Development

• Updated the RTTI types to 1.31

File Editor

• Added Curve Editor for curvedata within W2RC files Curve data can now be edited directly with a bespoke curve editor window within the File Editor. A new Open Curve Editor button has been added to the value column for any given curveData property.

Fixes

• Fully implemented TGA texture imports TGA texture imports now work as expected (Not fully implemented with WolvenKit 8.3)

UI/UX

• Improved handling handling of json files RED/W2RC json project files inside the Mod directory will continue to open with the File Editor. "Real" json files within the Raw directory will now be opened externally with the system default application. Material json and converted W2RC json files can be edited without leaving the WolvenKit editor.

• Refreshed Log improves readability

Asset I/O

WolvenKit includes an all-purpose import and export tool for converting assets to game files and vice versa. Our tooling is bespoke allowing for native conversions with extensive options to suit your needs (check Import/Export or find the list of I/O formats for export/import).

Base game and user-generated archives can be browsed on the fly, making game dumps obsolete. Our Asset Browser also features instant preview for assets such as meshes and textures.

Development

WolvenKit is an open-source community developed application. The source code for WolvenKit and other projects can be found on our GitHub page. WolvenKit is primarily written in C# and the GUI uses WPF framework. Anyone can download the source code and build on their own with Visual Studio. If you're a developer who is interested in getting involved, please check out Contributing!

File Editor

WolvenKit is built around our RTTI-based file editor. Any REDengine file can be inspected, edited, and saved with the File Editor. The File Editor is also capable of reading and writing in-place buffer data. Game files can also be converted to human-readable json and back for ease-of-use.

Projects

WolvenKit can host virtually all of your required project files inside the Project Explorer. Each project is neatly separated into distinct folders which can be accessed through the application. No more whiplash from constantly navigating your file explorer to switch between projects! Feel free to host all of your assets within a mod project. Source files such as blends, psd, xcf, and more can be placed inside your project tree and opened directly with a double click! WolvenKit works with you by organizing your project files automatically.

UI/UX

WolvenKit is created with the intention of being an all-purpose mod editor. The application interface is designed to help modders keep their sanity by having every tool at their disposal from the main editor. The application is built with a configurable interface to suit your preferences.

Workflows

WolvenKit features a robust build pipeline for handling REDengine assets. Game files can be browsed, extracted, modified, and packed into an archive once again for use in game. WolvenKit can help guide modders along with this process by using our efficient pipelines.

Other

Blender Integration

WolvenKit supports Blender for one-click imports of fully shaded Cyberpunk meshes using the Multilayered.mt supershader. Find the workflows here:

Exporting Rigs & Anims

Exporting Vehicles

Published Mar 07 2022

WolvenKit 8.5 ushers in a new era for mod development. The File Editor now supports editing buffers for the .ent and .app formats. Buffer editing opens the doors to countless new possibilities for modders. Virtually all aspects of the UI have been streamlined and refreshed with quality-of-life improvements.

Known Issues

• Some TGA image previews may be incorrect All TGA's exported from WolvenKit will be previewed correctly within the Properties window. However TGA's exported from other applications with bottom left Origin will appear inverted. This is only an issue with the image preview tool with the TGA format. The texture will not be inverted when imported as an XBM.

Asset I/O

What's New

• MLMASK I/O has been streamlined The default format for mask I/O has been changed from DDS to PNG. Additionally mask textures are now placed into a subfolder using the original mlmask file name. When exporting .mlmask files WolvenKit will automatically generate a masklist file within the raw directory. The content of the masklist is automatically generated for convenience. Masklist files now accept absolute and/or relative paths. For example: Absolute Path Q:\projects\Judy\files\source\raw\base\characters\main_npc\judy\textures\ml_s1_001_wa_shoe__judy_masksset.mlmask\0.png Relative Path ml_s1_001_wa_shoe__judy_masksset.mlmask\0.png

Texture I/O

• Default export format is now TGA After careful consideration the Import/Export tool will now export TGA by default. The flow chart below demonstrates the necessity of this change. DDS imports and exports remain unchanged in version 8.5.

• Keep is now disabled by default Starting with version 8.5 textures will no longer be rebuilt by default. Standalone textures that don't require an original XBM will be created instead. There are numerous benefits: - Texture resolution/size will be updated automatically on import - Standalone TGA imports work flawlessly - Checking DDS compression is not necessary - High quality 32bpp RGBA compression is always used The drawback is that standalone textures will not preserve the isGamma boolean. This boolean must be set true for all color texture imports.

• Support for isGamma Standalone texture imports now expose the isGamma boolean, meaning color textures can be correctly displayed as sRGB. The isGamma boolean is set to false by default, meaning the user should manually check the box for color textures. We plan to automate this process with an upcoming patch.

Development

Dependencies

• Upgraded to Visual Studio 2022 Visual Studio 2022 is now required to compile WolvenKit.

• Upgraded to .NET 6 The .NET dependency was upgraded from .NET 5 to .NET 6. Users can download .NET 6 from the following link: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/6.0

File Editor

What's New

• Support for editing buffers Buffers can now be edited and saved with WolvenKit! Currently .app and .ent buffer editing is supported. All properties can be modified including floats, strings, and paths. This opens the doors to countless new modding possibilities.

• True native file editing WolvenKit is now capable of adding and removing elements of REDengine files within the document editor. Various options for adding or removing elements have been added.

• Improved file handling Numerous quality of life enhancements have been implemented: - An asterisk (*) is added to the file name tab when unsaved changes are present - A confirmation dialogue has been added for closing edited files without saving - A Save As button has been added to save files as a copy

• Temporary file preview Any file can now be opened without being added to a project. Files can be previewed by selecting them within the Asset Browser. Additionally when editing any REDengine file, referenced files can be opened temporarily in a new tab. To open a referenced file, click the blue arrow icon inside the tree view.

• Document window preview REDengine files such as xbm, inkwidget, and mlmask can now be previewed directly within the File Editor. Below the main file tab, a new set of preview tabs are available for select formats.

Redesigned File View

• Tree View replaces List View The left-hand navigation panel now uses a beautiful and intuitive tree view. Tree view elements are organized in a sensible way, rather than a flat list.

• Collection Editor has been removed The Collection Editor introduced with version 8.4 has been removed. The right-hand properties panel now displays editable-content efficiently without a floating window.

• Default engine values are now displayed Properties that are not written to file display REDengine default values. These values are automatically inserted by the game at runtime when left unset. Inherited default values are marked with italic font and darkened text.

• Main document inline buffer viewing Buffer viewing has been dramatically improved. Buffers are now visualized within the main file tree rather than individual tabs. Understanding the relationship between buffers and the main file is now more intuitive.

Fixes

Miscellaneous

• Fixed bugged mesh previews for new installations of WolvenKit See issue #622

Mod Projects

• Packing and Installing have been separated into separate actions Pack Project - Compiles mod project without installing (New) Pack & Install - Compiles mod project and installs to Game Directory

• The tweak directory folder structure is preserved Any user-created folder structures for tweaks are preserved by the WolvenKit installation process. Tweaks and folders are installed exactly as they appear within the tweak project directory.

UI/UX

Project Explorer

• Added filtering to Project Explorer The Project Explorer can now be filtered by directory. SOURCE | All project directories (default) archive | Archive directory raw | Raw directory scripts | Script directory tweaks | Tweaks directory PACKED | Internal WolvenKit folder for mod deployment. Can be used to install extra files.

• Added flat file view to Project Explorer A flat file list toggle button has been added to the Project Explorer which displays all project files in a simple alphabetical list without folders.

• Added drag-and-drop to Project Explorer The Project Explorer now supports drag-and-drop for files. Click and hold any file to move folders. Additionally files can by copied by holding CTRL while dragging.

• Added warning for overwriting files in the Project Explorer When adding files to a mod project with the Asset Browser a confirmation dialogue has been added for overwriting existing files.

Miscellaneous

• WolvenKit mod projects (.cpmodproj) can be opened directly Mod projects can now be opened natively from Windows Explorer. The WolvenKit installer will automatically assign mod projects to be opened with WolvenKit. For WolvenKit portable, double-click any .cpmodproj file from Windows Explorer, then locate wolvenkit.exe.

• Replaced Ribbon with menu bar (optional) Added a streamlined menu bar as an alternative to the Ribbon. Moved contextual actions to their respective editors.

• Streamlined Home view The Home page has been restyled and refined further. A new transition effect has been added when switching to Home.

• Added native file preview for new file formats Inkwidget and mlmask files can now be previewed directly within the File Editor.

• Added manual update button Within the Settings page a WolvenKit manual update check button has been added.

• Added per-project layouts WolvenKit Editor layouts can be saved to a specific mod project.

• Support for Asset Browser without a mod project The Asset Browser can now be loaded without creating a mod project. Game files can be browsed and previewed without adding them to a project.

• Logging has been improved Existing log messages have been cleaned up, and many new events have been added to improve feedback. WolvenKit events and errors are easier to understand.

• Themed elements have been dramatically reduced Many visual elements were unreadable with dark or light accent colors. Most UI elements have been un-themed to prevent these issues.

WolvenKit 8.7

Published October 22 2022

WolvenKit 8.6

Published May 24 2022

WolvenKit 8.5

Published March 07 2022

WolvenKit 8.4

Published October 03 2021

Patches

8.4.3 (Nov 11 2021)

8.4.2 (Nov 01 2021)

8.4.1 (Oct 06 2021)

WolvenKit 8.3

Published September 05 2021

Patches

8.3.2 (Sept 05 2021)

WolvenKit 8.2

Published June 28 2021

Patches

8.2.2 (Jul 05 2021)

8.2.1 (Jun 29 2021)

WolvenKit 0.8.0.1

Published April 06 2021

Published May 24 2022

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Miscellaneous

• Launch Game from WolvenKit Wolvenkit is now able to run Cyberpunk 2077 from the app itself using the 'Launch Game' button, with support for launching either through platforms (like Steam:// gameid links) or from the executable executable, with support for launching with specific commands (e.g. -qualityLevel=Cinematic_RTX).

  • Pack, Install and Launch game is now included as well to quickly pack mod projects and launch the game.

Documentation on Legacy WolvenKit can be found on the Legacy WolvenKit wiki at .

Published Jun 28 2021

WolvenKit 0.8.2 brings massive improvements in key areas. Features such as the Asset Browser have been refactored to be more robust and efficient. This build also features the first scalable content pipeline for importing various assets. Be sure to thoroughly read the Release Notes and check the showcase video!

Patches

8.2.2 (Jul 05 2021)

Fixes

• Fix for some meshes that did not import successfully (index out of range error)

• Fix for materials not being written correctly from material json files

• Fix for critical error with pack tool installing archives with a subfolder which prevents auto-installed mods from loading in game

• Fixed a bug with settings view not updating

Changes

• Additional information is displayed within the status bar

• Project creation simplified further

• Bug and feedback reporters implemented within Options ribbon menu

• Installer and auto-installation added

8.2.1 (Jun 29 2021)

• Support for bk2 import/export via the Project Explorer right-click context menu

• Fixed critical bug where some mesh previews crashed the app

• Fixed a bug where items in the mod project had incorrect paths

• Fixed a startup issue with InitializeBK accessing the oodle DLL before the game path has been set

Asset I/O

• Implementation of the universal Import/Export Tool brings support for an asset I/O pipeline The Import/Export Tool can be accessed through the WolvenKit editor ribbon. Exported files will be placed inside a new WolvenKit system directory called Raw. The Raw directory will mirror the existing Mod directory 1:1 which enables us to quickly re-import files without having to target an out-path for each import.

• Support for mesh I/O Native support for mesh to gltf/glb and vice versa

• Support for xbm I/O Native support for xbm to dds and vice versa

• Support for bespoke material json I/O Import/Export tool supports material.json files which can be used to manipulate REDengine materials

Development

• Irrlicht has been eliminated from the Solution.

• The Asset Browser code has been refactored, dramatically improving startup times.

File Editor

• The File Editor has not seen much development. There is a small regression with 8.2, where paths and variables are not displayed correctly. Alternatives such as the 010 editor template or WolvenKit's bespoke I/O for materials are recommended to view CR2W properties.

Mod Projects

• The Raw WolvenKit system directory has been added. This directory hosts all non-REDengine formats such as dds, tga, glb, and other source files such as psd, xcf, or blend files. The Raw directory significantly improves efficiency of the Import/Export Tool. Raw files that can be imported will appear inside the Import/Export Tool. Raw files can also be opened externally with your preferred editor by double clicking them inside the Project Explorer (i.e. opening a .blend file directly with Blender).

• WolvenKit now leverages a material repository. The material repository can be created all-at-once by exporting all game textures from XBM to TGA (other formats not supported at this time). Alternatively, each mesh exported with materials will have all texture dependencies dumped here. It's recommend to use the all-at-once approach if storage is not an issue. The material repository makes dumping redundant texture dependencies for each and every mesh unnecessary.

• Basic-yet-powerful operations have been added to the Project Explorer. Rename, copy, paste, and delete have been added to the context ribbon. Batch operations such as batch delete are supported also by using multi-select. Manage your assets from the Project Explorer!

• The DLC WolvenKit system directory has been removed, to be re-added if/when we have a working DLC pipeline.

• The publish button has been disabled temporarily in favor of the simple pack tool. The pack tool is a one-click solution to packing all Mod directory files and installing them to the game automatically.

UI/UX

• All REDengine files have been assigned a custom icon

• Multi-select has been implemented in areas such as the Asset Browser. Shift-select multiple files, right-click, then use the context menu to add selected files to the project.

• Basic file operations for the Project Explorer have been added to the context ribbon. (rename, copy, paste, delete, etc.)

• Startup time for projects has been dramatically reduced. The asset browser should initialize much faster

• Significant cleanup of unusable features/buttons. Witcher 3 modding support has been temporarily removed since the initial implementation is superficial

• Theming has been completely refactored

• New Import/Export tool has been added

• New Material Repository tool has been added

• Publish has been disabled temporarily

• Home page has been refactored with support for embedded videos. We plan to feature showcase/guide videos, or community guides as well

• Sammy icon has replaced the old desktop icon

Other

• Windows Administrative Mode is no longer required to launch WolvenKit. Note: If Cyberpunk is installed to your Program Files folder WolvenKit should still be launched with administrative mode enabled.

Published Sept 05 2021

WolvenKit 8.3 arrives with amazing new features, improved workflows, and critical bugfixes. Support for basic REDengine file editing has been implemented. While using our RED4 document viewer, virtually any RED4 file can be opened, modified, and saved using a sleek UI. Additionally the mlmask format has been reverse engineered allowing users to generate new mask files using our bespoke file I/O pipeline. The most common crashes and issues have been addressed; WolvenKit now handles issues with dependencies much more gracefully.

Patches

8.3.2 (Sept 05 2021)

Fixes

• Fixed a bug where the application would crash on a clean restart

Changes

• Added global application error logfile %AppData%\REDModding\WolvenKit

Asset I/O

What's New

• Material I/O has been refactored The material json has been reworked significantly. WithMaterials mesh exports will no longer generate json subfolders within the Raw directory. Without containing folders, each json file is now uniquely named after the source mesh followed by .Material.json. This will significantly declutter any project with materials. The internal structure of the material json has been dramatically simplified; internal mutlilayered component data has been removed. Rather than include the same ml-data for each and every material json, mltemplates and mlsetups will be stored once as json within the Material Repository. This prevents bloated material jsons in excess of 500,000 lines. The Cyberpunk Blender add-on must be updated to 1.0.2 or higher for compatibility.

• Internal code for accessing shaders (mt) during I/O is more robust Material exports are now more future-proof, and now support multiple game versions.

• Support for mlmask I/O Native support for encoding files has been added. Through the use of bespoke masklist files new standalone mlmask files can be generated through .

Mesh I/O

• Added material only option for mesh imports Support for importing materials-only to edit mesh materials without worrying about breaking the underlying mesh during the I/O process.

• Added glTF file import verification options Exposed glTF validation options to the user when importing custom mesh files.

• Improved detection of invalid normals and tangents Additional checks for bad mesh data improves feedback from WolvenKit when importing meshes.

• Improved verifications Added verifications for rendtopology and garment support.

• Support for morphtarget base mesh import option with UI

Development

Implemented

• Updated the RTTI types to 1.30

• TweakDB writer It's now possible to create Tweak Databases from scratch

• Reactive UI

• Improved Asset Browser functionality Improved selection and search (keywords, glob, regex)

• New splashscreen art

• Texconv for image I/O has been removed WolvenKit relied on Microsoft Texconv which has been removed in favor of native wrapper.

• Added DXTEX git submodules We recommend developers to run git submodule update --remote to pick up the latest submodule updates when building WolvenKit.

I/O

• Using glTF Core library for most mesh/morph exports

• Exporting bones with morphtargets

• Detect base rig properly instead of using a hack while merging multiple rigs

• Material helper files are now dumped in the Material Repository

• Added support for creating mlmasks from bespoke masklist file

• Nuked custom json exports for mlsetup, mltemplate, hp, using cr2w serialization instead, (will break blender addon)

Memory Optimizations

• Disabled webview2 when offline

• Store hashed names as ascii byte arrays instead of strings

• Smarter missing hash detection in the hashservice for deferred loading

• Made most of the Archive classes structs

Miscellaneous

• Removed unused dependencies

• Removed solution platforms for anycpu and x86

• Disabled caching of the archive manager

• Added prompt to run webview2 installer if not installed on app startup

• Catel has been removed from the solution

• Shader (mt) data is no longer hard-coded Archives are now accessed directly to determine shader data within mt files. This removes tens of thousands of lines from the code base, and ensures the data is parallel with the users game version.

• Enabled saving of cr2w files

Fixes

• Fixed mainView and app icons

• Fixed mlmask layer uncooking after directxtex wrapper implementation

• Fixed mainwindow themeing

• Fixed Asset Browser weirdness

• Mesh dependency files haven been moved in archives in patch 1.3 Recollecting certain archives causes missing dependencies, removed recollection.

• rref and raref templates

• Fixed a bug where wizards and dialogs would not be displayed properly

File Editor

Fixes

Critical Fixes

• Improved support for future game versions Cyberpunk game update 1.3 caused crashes with the Asset Browser. WolvenKit relied on a cached archive file inside the user appdata folder, which caused a crash when this cache was mismatched to the installed game version. The archive cache file has been removed in favor of direct archive access, which also yields improved performance.

Miscellaneous

• Fixed a major issue with the Material Repository Before the release of WolvenKit 8.2 the Material Repository output was switched from PNG to TGA. This resulted in adding ~70gb's of extra data due to lack of compression with TGA. To reduce unnecessary bloat the default format of the repository is now PNG moving forward. Recreating the Material Repository is recommended to save space and update for game version 1.3.

• Fixed a crash with the update service while offline

• Fixed a crash related to recently used items

• Fixed a bug where loading Asset Browser items was slow

• Fixed a crash when searching in the Asset Browser

• Fixed a crash when previewing some wem files

• Fixed a crash when renaming and deleting files

• Fixed a file handling crash with external applications Some external applications such as paint.net create temp files inside the project causing a crash.

Mod Projects

UI/UX

• Streamlined some UI elements for improved efficiency and simplicity General cleanup of elements lacking padding, margin, etc.

• Asset Browser interface has been improved extending usability Multiple files and folders can now be selected and added to project using check boxes. New button Add Selected Item(s) to Project has been added to the Ribbon context menu. Advanced filtering options have been implemented to search functions. Items are now sorted alphanumerically and suffixes to the file sizes (kb/mb).

Other

• Cyberpunk 1.3 and existing WolvenKit mod projects We strongly recommend rebuilding existing mod projects by replacing old assets with updated versions from 1.3. Many assets have been updated, and some formats have been changed. For example, to update a mesh mod add the mesh file from 1.3 to your mod project and re-import the custom glTF file. This mitigates the risk of crashes or corruption with files.

Summary

Published: October 22 20 Created by @JJTurtle Last documented update: @manavortex, February 25 2023

This section will walk you through the process of downloading and installing Wolvenkit.

TL;DR

1. Install REDMod and .NET from the section below

2. Download Wolvenkit-X.X.X.zip from github ( | )

3. Extract it to a folder of your choice

4. Run it and do the

5. Optional: Proceed to the guide how to

Prerequisites

For detailed instructions on installing other software that you might need for mod development, see the section

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit) or a Linux build of your choice

• (Cyberpunk's modding framework)

• For older WKit versions: (versions <= 8.7.1)

• For current WKit: The most recent (confirmed working with and Wolvenkit 8.13)

Downloading Wolvenkit

What's a "Nightly" and do I want it?

The Nightly is a build of the latest development stand, created automatically every night via pipeline (hence the name). It contains new features that are being worked on, but introduces the risk of bugs.

You will usually want to use the stable version, unless you want to try out new features, help with development and testing, or generally like to live dangerously.

Here are links to the most recent build for each repository:

Which version do I want?

If you're on Nexus, then you can only download the portable (default) version. In this case, head to the next section.

Github offers you more options:

Installing

Your settings are saved in C:\Users\yourUserName\AppData\Roaming\REDModding\WolvenKit.

TLDR;

1. Download the new release, extract the files (over your old install if you have one) and run it.

3. Troubleshooting: Delete everything in the install folder, then re-extract the downloaded files again.

Optional: Removing old versions

If you don't have any old versions installed, you can proceed to the next section.

1. Delete all the files in C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit from the previous release so that any cached and orphaned files do not corrupt the updated release.
2. Delete all the files in C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit.CLI from the previous release so that any cached and orphaned files do not corrupt the updated release.

Extracting the downloaded files

Regular Wolvenkit

Optional: Wolvenkit Console

Optional: Creating a shortcut

If you want to launch Wolvenkit without browsing to the folder every time, you can create a custom shortcut and pin it to the start menu.

1. Go to C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit

2. Right-click the executable WolvenKit.exe

3. Select "Create Shortcut"

4. You should now see something like this:

5. Click "OK"

6. Right-click on your shortcut again and select "Pin to Start Menu"

7. That's it! You can launch now!

First Launch - TL;DR

When launching WolvenKit for the first time you will be greeted with a welcome form asking to set your preferences. We recommend setting the path to your game files immediately.

The Game Executable Path (.exe) is the file path or location of the Cyberpunk2077.exe file. This can be set by manually entering a file path, or using the folder icon to open Windows Explorer.

The Depot Path is where WolvenKit will keep extracted Cyberpunk assets and files that are required for regular operation.

Now why would you want to do that? 💔

To completely delete WolvenKit portable delete your chosen installation folder, and the REDmodding folder in your users/appdata/roaming/ directory.

To delete the Installer version you can use Windows default Remove Programs or Features tool. You may then manually delete the users/appdata/roaming/REDmodding folder to remove your preferences as well.

Section Brief

This section is about validating the modding tools and potentially building your first mod.

Learning objectives:

• Understand how file types relate to each other,

• Identify assets with clothes in the game,

• Create and add assets to projects,

• Searching the Asset Browser,

• Understand the Project Explorer,

• Review log for activity,

• Understand the purpose of the Archive folders versus Raw folders,

• Look at assets in File Editor,

• Convert to-and-from JSON files,

• Opening files from the Asset Browser to plugins,

• Use the Import/Export tool,

• Install a REDmod type of mod,

• Look at installed mods in WolvenKit Mod Manager.

Overview steps

1. Use the name of the game item to find the asset files in WolvenKit,

2. Find all the asset files for the item,,

3. Create the GLB and DDS file for MlSetupBuilder models,

4. Open an asset in MlSetupBuilder and change its color from green to orange,

5. Import the edited asset back into your project,

6. Install the mod,

7. Party like it’s 2077 in your new orange tank.

Steps

1. To make sure you do not have any mod conflicts, please uninstall all Cyberpunk mods except for Material and Texture Override. This can normally be done by disabling the mods in Vortex or whatever mod managing application you use for your normal gameplay.
2. Launch Cyberpunk 2077 and either load an existing woman character, or start a new one if you have to. If you start a new game, then you'll have to play up to the scav hunt with Jackie before you can swap your clothes.

3. Once you reach a point in the game when you can change your clothes, run the Cyber Engine Tweaks (CET) command “Game.AddToInventory("Items.TShirt_08_old_02",1)”. This will load Judy’s Tank in your torso inventory.

4. Wear the shirt, take a screenshot, save the game, and then exit the game. This screenshot will be your reference to compare against when you have made the edit.
5. The name of the shirt is Secondhand Knotted Tank and it’s an Inner Torso item

6. Navigate to Fandom’s Cyberpunk clothing page and find the asset name for Judy’s tank. Since we know the item is an inner torso shirt, please add #Inner_Torso to the end of the URL. This convention works for all other items as well. If we want to find V’s Pants then you would add #Legs to the end of the URL. If you’re looking for blades, use Fandom’s menu to navigate to the weapons section Gameplay > Items > Weapons and then add #Blade to the end of the URL. But in this case, we’re looking for Judy’s shirt.

   https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Cyberpunk_2077_Clothing#Inner_Torso
7. Launch WolvenKit and #create-a-new-wolvenkit-mod-project: Project Name: Judy’s Orange Tank Creation Location as C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Projects
8. In the menu bar click on View and click on Reset Layout to make sure your screen matches the screenshots in this guide.
9. Click on the Asset Browser and search for the asset name we found on Fandom. Start by searching for the entire name “tshirt_08_old_02” and then slowly start deleting characters from the right side until the entity (ENT) file shows up.
10. Right click the t1_tshirt_08.ent file and open the file without adding it to your project. Notice that the file opens in the File Editor and is not listed in the Project Explorer.
11. In the File Editor, expand appearance and locate the full asset name we found on the Fandom website. Notice that in the appearances array, the name ends in “w” which stands for woman (aka “wa” which stands for woman average). Cyberpunk uses postfixes m, ma, mb, mf, w, wa, wb, and wf to describe the gender of the asset and the body type it goes to. A is average, and b and f are synonymous for big/fat. There are other postfixes, but that’s the general concept.
12. In the File Editor, expand appearance 7 for “tshirt_08_old_02_w”. Click on the blue button for apperanceResource to open the APP file without adding it to the project.
13. In the File Editor, select the APP file, and expand the appearances array. The asset name we got from the Fandom website is tshirt_08_old_02, which is a mashup of its entity name tshirt_08 and one of its appearance names old_02. We want the woman version of that appearance, so we're looking for old_02_w. Expand the old_02_w appearance and expand its components. This is where you will start seeing the pseudo name of the asset which is Judy’s Tank. The meshAppearance has a value of leather_croc, and the mesh file is listed right next to it. That mesh file is used to create the GLB file that MlSetupBuilder uses to generate the tank's 3D model. Click on the yellow button for the mesh file to add it to your project, only files added to your project will show up in the Import/Export Tool.
14. In Project Explorer, hover your mouse cursor over the mesh file and click on the blue button to open the file in File Editor. Expand the arrays localMaterialBuffer > Materials > leather_croc CMaterialInstance > values > 0 and 1. [0] contains the MLSETUP file which you'll import into MlSetupBuilder to change Judy's Tank from green to orange. [1] contains the MLMASK file which you'll use with Export/Import Tool to generate the DDS files that you'll need to view the 3D model in MlSetupBuilder. Click on the yellow buttons for the MLSETUP file and the MLMASK file to add them to your project.
15. Right click the mlsetup file and convert it to JSON
16. Right click the JSON file and open it in MlSetupBuilder (aka mlsb). MLSB should automatically open for you. If it doesn't, then first check the Windows task bar to make sure it's not open but hidden, and then check click on HOME > Plugins to make sure it is installed.
17. Over in MlSetuipBuilder (MLSB), close the developer tool, then savagely and with mercy throw more coffee at Neurolinked#4973 (the author of this guide is not Neurolinked), and then click anywhere off the Welcome popup to get into the building tool.
18. Notice that the material layers loaded but not the model. Click on Library to bring up the frame with the available models.
19. Search for the mesh name from step 13 and then double-click on the model. Depending on how you created your Depot, you may see up to two errors. The errors are saying that the model requires two files, and those files are not in the locations that MLSB expects. One is the GLB 3D binary and the other the DDS flat image.
20. To generate these two files, you will use the WolvenKit Import/Export Tool. First thing is to find out where MLSB is expecting these files. Close the Library by clicking the X icon in the orange bar on the top-right of the library. Then click on the warning icon on the bottom-left to open the error log.
21. The error log says MLSB wants the DDS file in C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Depot\base\characters\main_npc\judy\textures and the GLB file in C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Depot\base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso. If you decided not to create an Asset Depot then you will need to manually create these folders for the files you are about to create.
22. Back in WolvenKit, on the right-side of the screen, click on the tab Import/Export Tool to expand the tool's window. Notice that the MLMASK file is currently set to export as a PNG, but MlSetupBuilder asked for a DDS file. To change that, right click on the MLMASK file and then click on Show Settings. Click on the export type dropdown and change png to dds, and then click on Confirm.
23. Now that the mesh is configured to export as a GLB and the mask as a DDS, you are ready to export. You can either check the boxes next to each file and click on Process Selected, or since you need to export all the files anyway, ignore the checkboxes and click on Process All. Depending on the speed of your computer, the exported files will eventually show up in Project Explorer in the RAW folders. Notice how several DDS files were exported? This is because each DDS file represents an appearance layer on the 3D model. You can figure out which DDS file you need in three different ways:

    • On step 18, the leather_croc layer is listed as layer 0 which matches to the numbering system of the DDS files: masksset_0.dds, masksset_1.dds, masksset_2.dds, masksset_3.dds, etc...

    • On Step 21, MlSetupBuilder told you which DDS file it needed ml_t1_001_wa_tank__judy_masksset_0.dds

    • Back in WolvenKit you can open the MLSETUP file and expand the appearances list to see which layer number is needed. This is the exact same information as the layer information displayed in MlSetupBuilder (MLSB).
24. From the error logs on Step 21, and create the folders:

    • C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Depot\base\characters\main_npc\judy\textures

    • C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Depot\base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso

25. Back in WolvenKit, hover your mouse over the GLB file and click on the yellow button to open the file's location in File Explorer. Right click the file and copy it, and then paste it in the folder you created back on step 21 (C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Depot\base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso\)
26. Back in WolvenKit, hover your mouse over the MASKSSET_0.DDS file and click on the yellow button to open the file's location in File Explorer. Right click the file and copy it, and then paste it in the folder you created back on step 21 (C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Depot\base\characters\main_npc\judy\textures\)
27. Back in MlSetupBuilder, click the refresh button at the bottom of the screen. The model should load without errors and the multilayers display on the right.

    Attention: As of MlSetupBuilder version 1.6.5, the model does not change with the material selections (e.g. color Normals, Metal Outside, etc.). The model only shows the relationship of the layers with each other. You can see this by clicking through the layers, and the colored region on the model is the currently selected layer.
28. You can leave the leather_croc material and only change the color to orange (in the case of this guide’s example), but I feel that the orange color looks better in spandex. Select the leather_croc layer and then click the Material dropdown. Type spandex into the search box and select the spandex_clean_02_30 material, and then click the Material dropdown again to close the dropdown.

    Attention: Please take a mental note that each layers’ name starts with a number that is in sequence from 0 through however many layers the asset has. The layer we’re editing starts with a 0, which means we’re editing layer 0.
29. These four settings alter how the material is rendered to physically represent how light interacts with its surface. The dropdown values are not color HEX, but instead reference numbers. The important numbers are inside the brackets (#).

    • Normals: A texture mapping technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents.

    • Metal Outside: Defines the outside of the material as diffuse with a white dielectric coating (0.0) or metallic (1.0)

    • Rough Inside/Rough Outside: Sets the roughness of the surface, where 0.0 is completely smooth, and 1.0 is completely rough (wholly diffuse).

30. Set the Normals to 1.66, Metal and Rough Inside to null, and Rough Outside to 0.3333,0.6666.
31. Scroll down the color grid, select orange, and then click the Apply Edits button. Notice that the wording in the layer changes to match your selections.

    Attention: While you’re here, make sure the Opacity is 1.0 which means this layer is 100% visible.
32. With the layer updated, click on Export and selected the Wkit version that matches what you have installed, and as of 10/20/2022 that is WolvenKit 8.7. The Save Dialog Window should open to your Project folder and have the same name as the JSON you converted in WolvenKit. When you click on Save, also click on Yes to replace the existing file. There is no need to save a copy of the original because you can repeat step 16 to re-create it.
33. Back in WolvenKit, right click on the JSON file and click on Import from JSON. Normally a log would be created to show you the import occurred, but currently that isn’t happening so I cannot show you that. Regardless, if you look at the modified date of the mlsetup file in File Explorer, you will see an updated datetime.
34. Notice the button Pack as REDmod. This button packs your asset files into an archive file, generates the required info.json, puts them into the necessary folder structure to install the mod into your game. This package can be viewed on the PACKED tab. Feel free to click the button Pack as REDmod to see what it does, it will not harm the mod, or else you can skip this step and just look at the screenshot below to see what it does.
35. Click the button Install as REDmod. This button will pack your mod just like Pack as REDmod did, and then it will also install the mod into your game folder. Let me repeat myself but with different words,

    • Pack as REDmod generates the archive file,

    • Install as REDmod also generates the archive file and then install it to your gaming folder.
36. Your new mod will be listed in the Cyberpunk 2077 REDmod folder
37. Launch the Cyberpunk 2077 game and load your saved game from step 4. How you launch the game doesn’t matter because the mod is deployed directly to the game’s install directory. Enter your inventory and you’ll notice that the tank you created in step 3 changed from green leather to orange spandex.
38. Congratulations! You have now validated that WolvenKit is deployed and setup correctly on your computer. Happy modding!

What is the Nightly?

The Nightly is Wolvenkit's Alpha/Beta version. Releases are build every day when the code changes (traditionally during the night, but this is CyberPUNK), so you will always have access to the latest and hottest features.

Naturally, the Nightly will have more bugs than the stable version — but you should use it regardless, because we need help catching those bugs.

For more information on this, check #how-do-i-report-bugs

How do I install it?

Download the portable version:

Then, extract the downloaded .zip file into a folder on your hard drive (for example, C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Wolvenkit_Nightly) and start it. Done!

How do I report bugs?

Is it a regression?

Double-check the bug in your stable install. If if works there, but doesn't work in the Nightly, then it's a regression (something that used to work but got broken).

If it's broken in both places: congratulations, you've found a new bug!

Reporting a bug

1. Head to the "Issues" section of Wolvenkit's github (you need a github or Google account; they will not send you spam)

2. Click the "New issue" button

3. Select the type of issue you are reporting (probably "bug report")

4. Give a description of the bug, including the following information:

   1. Your Nightly version (date is okay)

   2. Is the bug a regression? (Does it also happen in the latest stable?)

   3. The files necessary to make this happen, or their paths if they are vanilla files

   4. An itemized list on how to make the bug happen

Summary

Created by @JJTurtle Published October 22 2022

Updated Jul 30 2023 by

This guide is intended for the beginning modder, who is still learning, and wants step-by-step instructions on how to fully install and configure their modding tools and asset depot.

To keep things simple, the recommendations in this guide will centralize many of the modding applications, assets, and related resources.

Requirements

• Download Wolvenkit

Prerequisites

1. Hard disk space for the Depot:

   • For regular operations, <5GB storage will be enough

   • If you want to extract materials and meshes, you should have at least 15GB storage

   • Optional: If you want to create a full asset depot, then you want at least 75GB storage. If you are reading this guide, then you won't need that.

2. Optional, but recommended: a basic level of computer knowledge. The guide contains detailed instructions, but you'll have an easier time if you already know things like like:

   • Open a command prompt and run a command,

   • Locate your download folder and extract a zipped file,

   • Install an application,

   • Find and move files

We goin' in?

First, install Wolvenkit:

Then, we'll start with general prep work:

Let's configure and set up Wolvenkit and all its plugins:

Then, we unbundle those game assets that we need…

Now we're goin' in.

We do that by creating a tiny mod to make sure everything worked OK.

Feel free to skip this step, or hit up the modding wiki and get cracking.

Section Brief

Configure the WolvenKit (wkit) application and MlSetupBuilder (mlsb), and make sure the Asset Browser loads the game's assets.

Configuring Wolvenkit

If your Wolvenkit is already configured (because you have followed the installation guide), then you don't need to do anything here.

Otherwise, please do that now or use the settings page to configure Game Executable Path and (optionally) Depot Path.

Installing Plugins

1. In Wolvenkit, click on HOME

2. Click on Plugins

3. REDMod should already be installed. If it isn't, please follow the instructions .

4. For every other plugin, click Install or Update.

Testing

Let's make sure that your game path is configured correctly and that Wolvenkit can access the files:

1. Click on Continue to Editor
2. Open the Asset Browser

1. After several seconds, a success notification will appear and the asset folder structure will appear on the left. This means WolvenKit was able to access the Cyberpunk archive and extract the game assets.

Congratulations - everything is working! If you haven't done this during the full prep, now is a good time to create a depot. Otherwise, you can move on to ELI5: Validate Functionality!

Summary

Created by @JJTurtle Published October 22 2022

Updated Jul 30 2023 by

Prepare your computer with Windows configuration, basic software requirements, and creates a centralized modding location that will match what you will see in the ELI5 guide screenshots.

Logistics: Creating the folder structure

The folder structure below will be the centralized location for modding tools, assets, project folders, guides, shortcuts, and the depot.

• Asset Depot -- C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Depot\

• Guides and misc notes -- C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Guides\

• Modding projects -- C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\Projects\

• WolvenKit application -- C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit\

• WolvenKit.CLI (console) -- C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\WolvenKit.CLI\

Recommended: Pin it to Quick Access

I recommend pinning CyberPunk2077Mod folder to File Explorer’s Quick Links. I keep going back to this parent folder to access my guides, shortcuts, to get into the asset depot, etc...

Install Wolvenkit

If you haven't done that, go and install Wolvenkit now.

Optional: Create a shortcut

To quickly open the game folder, you can create a shortcut under C:\Cyberpunk2077Mod\. This will save time when programs keep asking you for the install location.

By default, Cyberpunk installs to the following locations (disregard this if you've changed them):

Optional: enable long path names

This will prevent you from running into problems because your path names are too long. Use this if you really like subfolders and/or have OCD. If you plan to put your mods in, for example, C:\mods, this is not necessary, but it won't hurt under any circumstances.

• Enable Windows long path names and then reboot your computer.

  1. Here is a quick link if you want to do your own research Google search

  2. Otherwise, expand the collapsed section below.

Install Microsoft .NET

You should have done that as part of Wolvenkit's install instructions. If you haven't, please do it now, because you need it.

Enable REDMod

Utilities

Other programs you might need, and what you might need them for

Optional: Pin them to the start menu

I recommend that you pin Blender, GIMP, and Notepad++ to your Start Menu because you’ll need to access them as you’re creating mods.

Purpose of the guide

Congratulations on installing WolvenKit! It's time to get your hands dirty…

We're going to create an example project to help get you up to speed with WolvenKit's features and workflows. We'll walk through creating a basic mod step-by-step, while explaining how to get the best out of WolvenKit.

Before we get started

Now without further ado...

Creating a texture replacement mod

Summary

WolvenKit is a tool for mod developers to interact with REDengine file formats. Generally speaking, most mods created with WolvenKit share a similar workflow:

1. Browse and extract game files

2. Convert game files to common formats that can be modified

3. Modify the file, often with an external application

4. Convert the common format file back to game format

5. Build a mod package including the newly modified files

In the guide below we'll cover these steps in detail to replace an image in Cyberpunk.

Getting Started with WolvenKit

Starting a project

2. Create a new WolvenKit mod project

4. Navigate to the Asset Browser window

Asset Browser

The Asset Browser is the most fundamental WolvenKit tool. It allows us to browse any archive and add individual files to a local mod project. Any files added from the Asset Browser will be added to the archive directory with their folder structure intact. Files added with the Asset Browser can be viewed, studied, modified, and packed as a modded archive.

1. Use the "breadcrumb" style navigator in the left-hand side of the Asset Browser to quickly navigate folders

2. Navigate to the following path: base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso\t2_084_jacket__short_sleeves\textures\

4. Select t2_084_pma_jacket__short_sleeves_decal_d01.xbmby left-clicking the file within the Asset Browser list. Feel free to choose another if you're feeling adventurous. Beware depending on the texture you choose, you may experience some difficulty when it comes time to verify that the final modded archive works successfully.

5. Add the texture to your project by double-clicking directly on the file

Projects

Exporting REDengine Files

The archive and raw directories within the Project Explorer behave as a mirror to one another; REDengine files are always stored in the archive directory, and the analogous "generic" format file will be stored in the raw directory with the same folder structure. Import and export destinations never need to be specified enabling ultra-fast file I/O, with the added benefit of automatically-organized Raw files.

2. Double-click the t2_084_pma_jacket__short_sleeves_decal_d01.xbm file within the Export grid to view advanced options. Any asset within the Import/Export grid can be doubled clicked to adjust advanced I/O options for each file format.

3. Inspect the XBM Export Type drop down menu, in this case we want to export the texture as a PNG

4. Press the Confirm button to proceed. For batch exports, using the checkbox for Apply to all files of the same extension will ensure that any XBM currently within the Import/Export grid will inherit the same advanced options.

5. Press Process Selected to complete the export operation. A new PNG image will now be available within the Project Explorer Raw directory.

Editing Textures

1. Import the t2_084_pma_jacket__short_sleeves_decal_d01.png texture file to an image editing software of your choice

2. Make a distinct and recognizable change to the image

3. Export the t2_084_pma_jacket__short_sleeves_decal_d01.png texture file as a PNG, overwriting the original PNG file

Importing REDengine Files

1. Return to the WolvenKit Editor

3. Select the t2_084_pma_jacket__short_sleeves_decal_d01.png file within the Import grid. Click the Load Settings button towards the top of the Import/Export tool. This sets the compression type and other various options to match the original XBM.

4. Press Process Selected to complete the Import operation

5. Verify the updated texture by selecting the XBM within the Project Explorer. The new texture should be viewable with the Properties window.

Building

WolvenKit features a one-click mod building solution. The build process packs any archive directory files into archive format and installs to the game automatically.

WolvenKit only supports unbundled files. Files that have been decompressed using WolvenKit CLI will not be packed correctly. Buffers must be compressed within the main REDengine file. Files added with the built-in Asset Browser will always be the correct format.

3. Congratulations! Launch Cyberpunk and check out your first mod with WolvenKit!

Testing In Game

Final Thoughts

Enjoy your RED Modding journey!

What's a Home good for?

Welcome

When WolvenKit is launched the Home functions as bulletin board to help you pick up where you left off. Recent mod projects are displayed as a scrolling list of cards which can be directly clicked to get started. Other crucial functions for creating or opening projects are displayed in the right-hand column.

Mod Manager

Manage REDmod installations and deployment

Plugins

Settings

Web Content

WolvenKit is capable of displaying web-based content natively. The Home page features several built-in web pages!

Wiki

This Wiki can be viewed from within WolvenKit. Hi WolvenKit users!

GitHub

GitHub can be used to directly track progress with WolvenKit development

Website

As of version 8.11.1, Wolvenkit offers the following plugins:

Cyber Engine Tweaks

Redscript

MLSetup Builder

Wolvenkit Resources

RedMod

CDPR's official interface for modding.

Red4Ext

It is necessary as a requirement for e.g. ArchiveXL and TweakXL.

TweakXL

RedHotTools

Basic Troubleshooting steps

.NET

The different libraries in Wolvenkit require both and . Make sure to install both!

Clean reinstall

Remove everything inside your Wolvenkit install folder, then download the latest release from github and extract the files into your empty directory.

If that doesn't solve the problem:

%Appdata%

You can find Wolvenkit's settings (including your project layout) in the following folder:

Maybe something here will help you resolve that error.

Get in touch

You can find the toolbar below the .

Toolbar options

New File

Save

Save As

Save All

Create Zip

Install Mod

Install

Install and launch

Like Install, but launches the game afterwards.

Hot Reload

Additional toolbar options

Pack as REDMod

Install as REDMod

What is the Menu?

The Menu is the main navigation bar at the top of the WolvenKit application. The Menu contains key functionality such as saving, opening files, and building mods. Read below for details about each Menu button. The Menu also displays the current mod project name and file opened with WolvenKit.

Toolbar

The is available directly below the Menu from the Editor. The buttons add convenience shortcuts to certain menu functions.

Additionally, the Toolbar contains the Launch Profiles button.

HOME

File

New File

Opens the dialogue to create a new file.

Save

Save the currently selected document from the File Viewer

Save As

Save the currently selected document from the File Viewer as a new file

Save All

Save all currently open documents from the File Viewer

New Project

Create a new WolvenKit mod project

Open Project

Open an existing WolvenKit mod project

Edit

Settings

Project Configuration

Configure various project settings

Open Logs Folder

Finds the WolvenKit logs with the System File Explorer

Build

Pack Project

Generates the install-ready structure in your project's packed folder, then creates a zip file.

Pack as REDmod

Generates the install-ready structure (REDmod format) in your project's packed folder, then creates a zip file.

Install

Install as REDmod

Install & Launch Game

Install as REDmod & Launch Game

Clean All

Deletes the contents of your Wolvenkit project's packed directory.

Hot Reload

Launch Profiles

Create and modify one-click pack & launch operations

View

Project Explorer

Asset Browser

Properties

Log

Tweak Browser

Toggles the Tweak Browser on or off. This panel will let you browse the TweakDB.

LocKey browser

Toggles the LocKey browser on or off. This panel will let you browse translation strings.

Show File Preview

Save Layout to Project

If you do this without an open Wolvenkit project, the view will be saved to the default file %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\REDModding\WolvenKit\DockStates.xml

Reset Layout

Resets the UI layout to the default from one of the following files (by priority):

1. %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\REDModding\WolvenKit\DockStates.xml

2. Path\To\Wolvenkit\DockStatesDefault.xml

This can be especially helpful if the layout is bugged or an editor window is unrecoverable.

Tools

Depot Generator

Sound Modding Tool

Script Manager

Import Tool

Export Tool

Game

Launch Game

Launches Cyberpunk 2077

Launch Game with Steam

Launches Cyberpunk 2077 using Steam

Open Game Folder

Opens the Cyberpunk 2077 game directory in Windows Explorer

Extensions

Plugin Manager

Opens the WolvenKit Plugin Manager

Mod Manager

Opens the WolvenKit Plugin Manager

Cyberpunk Blender Add-on

Help

Setting Up WolvenKit

Creating a Mod

Discord Invitation

About WolvenKit

What is the Properties viewer?

The Properties Viewer is used to provide extra information about selected files from within the Asset Browser or the Project Explorer. The Properties Viewer can also generate instant previews for REDengine texture and mesh files.

Using the Properties viewer

Mesh Preview

Mesh files can be previewed by selecting them within the Asset Browser or Project Explorer.

Controls

• Hold and drag Left Mouse Button to rotate the mesh

• Hold and drag Right Mouse Button or use Mouse Scroll to zoom

• Hold and drag Middle Mouse Button to pan

Image Preview

Image files can be previewed by selecting them within the Asset Browser or Project Explorer. The image previewer is capable cropping, flipping, and markup. While the markups will not get saved to original file, they can be exported by using the save button.

Audio Preview

Audio files can be previewed by selecting them within the Asset Browser or Project Explorer.

Video Preview

Double click BK2 files in the Project Explorer or right-click them in the Asset Browser

Space to play / pause Esc = End video Use the bottom bar to scrub through the video.

What is the Project Explorer?

The Project Explorer is primarily a tool for organizing and navigating mod project files. The Project Explorer gives a constant tree view of all mod project files which streamlines the modding workflow significantly. There are four main WolvenKit directories inside the Project Explorer.

Project Explorer Tabs

You can switch between different tabs at the top of the project explorer (see the red arrow on the screenshot below). Their function (and content) will be explained in the next sections.

Archive

Only shows you files under your_wolvenkit_project/source/archive.

Contains files that will be bundled into your mod's .archive file. For more information, check the documentation under WolvenKit Projects -> #archive

Raw

Location: your_wolvenkit_project/source/raw.

Your (dirty?) working directory. Contains files that will not be part of your mod, as well as exported files. For more information, check the documentation under WolvenKit Projects -> #raw

Resources

Location: your_wolvenkit_project/source/resources

Contains control files for your mod. For more information, check the documentation under WolvenKit Projects -> #resources

Source

Location: your_wolvenkit_project/source

Will show you everything under your project's source folder. No context sorting.

Using the Project Explorer

WolvenKit features a bespoke File Editor which is capable of opening and modifying any REDengine file. Double-click any file within the archive directory of the Project Explorer to open the document viewer. Non-REDengine files which are typically stored in the raw directory can be accessed with the Project Explorer as well. Files such as blend, psd, png, and many more can be opened with the preferred system application. For example, double-clicking a .tga file will open the file with the users system preferred image application.

Any file within the Project Explorer can be moved by dragging and dropping. Additionally files can be copied by holding Control while dragging and dropping.

Context Menu

Right-click any file within the Project Explorer to explore the Context Menu.

Open in MLSetupBuilder

Requires MLSetupBuilder plugin for WolvenKit. Install by navigating to the View Options Toolbar panel.

Export to JSON/Import to JSON

Writes any REDengine file within the archive directory to human readable JSON format, as a mirrored file within the raw directory. JSON files can then be modified and converted back to REDengine format from the context menu by right-clicking the JSON file.

Delete

Moves any project file to the OS/system Recycle Bin.

Rename

Opens a dialogue box which allows any project file to be renamed.

Copy

Select any project file to be copied.

Paste

Pastes copied project file.

Copy relative path

Copies the selected file path to OS/system clipboard, trimming off all folders outside the game directory. Extremely useful for modifying paths while using the File Editor.

Replace with original

Replaces the selected file with the original unmodified version from the game archives. (archive directory only)

Open in File Explorer

Find the selected file with the OS/system file explorer.

Filtering

The Project Explorer can be filtered by directory.

SOURCE | All project directories (default) archive | Archive directory raw | Raw directory resources | Mirrors the game directory, use it to place additional files PACKED | Internal WolvenKit folder for mod deployment. Will be wiped before packing the project! Additionally the rightmost hamburger-style button can be used to toggle a flat file list without folders.

What is the Asset Browser?

The Asset Browser is used to navigate, search and filter Cyberpunk 2077 game files so you can transfer these to the Project Explorer. The Asset Browser eliminates the need for uncooking the entire game installation, as individual files can be pulled directly from archive files.

Where is it?

In the default view (as of 8.11), you will find it pinned to the right side of the viewport.

If it isn't there, check the View menu and make sure that it's enabled.

Using the Asset Browser

Navigation

The left-side breadcrumb navigator can be used to quickly navigate through game directories. Game files are displayed in the right-side panel, in addition to folders. Folders in the file list can also be navigated by double-clicking.

Mod Browser

You can switch the Asset Browser to Mod Browsing mode via button. The search will no longer consider base game files and search in your loaded .archives instead.

Adding files to projects

• Double-click files to add them directly to the Project Explorer

• To select multiple files hold shift and then left click two separate files. These two files and all files between them will be selected. Right-click any of the highlighted files to open the context menu. Then choose Add Selected Item(s) to Project.

Context Menu

As of 8.11.1, the context menu has the following entries:

Add selected items to project

See #adding-files-to-projects above

Open without adding to project

What it says — you can browse a file in the File Editor without adding it to your project. Saving (Hotkey: Ctrl+S) lets you save it to disk, though.

Find used files

Will make the Asset Browser display a list of everything your current file is linking to.

Find files using this

Like #find-used-files, but the opposite: will make the Asset Browser display a list of everything that links to your current file.

Browse to asset folder

Will navigate the asset browser to the current selection's path in the game files (if it is a game file).

Copy Relative Path

Copies the selection's relative path to clipboard.

What is the Editor?

The Editor is the main mod-editing workspace within WolvenKit, holding the docking window for the individual #editor-panels.

Editor panels

For an explanation to the editor panels, please see the corresponding sub-pages:

• Project Explorer: Your local game files go here

• Asset Browser: Browse game files or mod files

• Properties / File Preview: Information about the current file

• File Editor: Edit or view game files

• Log: Shows you error messages or File Validation output

• Tweak Browser: Lets you browse existing tweaks

• LocKey Browser: Lets you browse translation entries

Docking

The docking in WolvenKit is similar to other IDE's such as Visual Studio. All panels can be rearranged by docking to specific areas, or used as a standalone floating window.

Status Bar

The Status Bar along the bottom of the application window contains useful information such as your WolvenKit version number and the current mod project, and provide the ability to install new updates if available.

Summary

Created: Jun 17 2024 by Last documented update: Jun 17 2024 by

Launch Profiles

You can set up different profiles to launch Cyberpunk 2077 from inside Wolvenkit. Via Launch Profiles, you can select what should happen when you press the button.

Configuration

Where to configure

With a long click on the Install button, you can open a dropdown menu that lets you pick a launch profile:

Available options

Create Backup of previous build

Create zip file

Same as the #create-zip button in the toolbar: Will generate a zip file ready for Nexus upload.

Install to Game directory

Installs your mod to your Cyberpunk 2077 directory

Clean before build to prevent errors

Clears the packed directory before building. Not doing this may lead to leftover files in the resource directories or have other side effects, so you'll want to keep this checked.

Clean after build to save disk space

Clears the packed directory after building/installing/creating a zip file. Check this to save diskspace, but note that it will disable #create-backup-of-previous-build.

Pack as REDmod

Check this to pack your mod as REDMod rather than as a legacy mod. You don't generally want this, as it can lead to load order issues and increase your users' demands for support.

Deploy as REDmod

Launch Game

Launch the game after installing the mod. Without this, the next three options will do nothing.

Load last savegame

When you start the game, it will load your last savegame (by timestamp).

Load specific savegame

Loads a specific savegame by name (or tries to).

Game Commandline Arguments

Default profiles

WolvenKit will create the following profiles if it can't find them:

• Install

• Install as REDMod

• Install, Launch, and Load Save

• Install and Launch

• Launch Game Without Install

To disable this behaviour, go to the Settings and disable #append-default-launch-profiles

What is the File Editor?

The File Editor is a document viewer and manipulator for modifying any REDengine file. WolvenKit is the only RTTI-based editor for RED4.

Switching Editor Modes

Starting with 1.14, Wolvenkit lets you switch editor modes by double-clicking the first button in the toolbar:

Simple Mode

Properties that you don't normally have to edit will be hidden.

Recommended for beginners and people who don't like to scroll.

Regular Mode

The file editor you know and love.

Expert Mode

Coming soon™️

Adding files via File Editor

To edit a REDEngine file, you have to add it to your your project's archive folder first. There are two ways to do this from the Asset Browser:

• double-click on a file in the Asset Browser's navigation window

• select several at once, then use the Add Selected Items to Project option from the context menu

You can also open files without adding them to your project:

• Right-click a file in the Asset Browser and use Open Without Adding to Project

Saving Edited Files

See the next section about #editing-files

Unless you have opened a file as read-only, you can save your changes in the following ways:

• Hotkey: Ctrl+S

• Save/Save All button

Opening files

Editing files

Once a project is part of your Wolvenkit Project and shows up in the Project Explorer, you can open and edit it. Again you have two ways of doing that:

• Double-click the file

• Click on the blue icon that appears next to the file when you mouse over it

The file editor features two resizable panels, the tree view and the editor panel.

Navigating files: The tree view

The tree view on the left lets you browse the file's structure. All entries are indented per level and can be collapsed by category to preserve the user's sanity as much as possible.

Many entries will have descriptor entries in white or grey that give you a preview on their contents.

The File Editor Context Menu

The File Editor Context Menu appears when you right-click on something in the File Editor. It offers different options depending on what you currently have selected. Maybe they will one day be comprehensively documented, but it will not be this day. Also, bear in mind that this is specifically about the File Editor context menu, which is not the same as the context menus in Asset Browser and Project Explorer.

Array items (Handles)

TweakXL: Override Value

Does not make sense under all circumstances, but will valiantly attempt to create a TweakXL override for the current selection (as if you had selected it in the Tweak Browser). This override will be saved as a .yaml file and, depending on the handle you tried to use it on, its contents may be useless. You must have TweakXL installed via the Plugins menu to get this option to appear in the context menu.

TweakXL: Copy to clipboard

Duplicate item in Array/Buffer

Copy Handle

Creates a reference to the handle. Unlike the previous entry, this does not create an independent copy; it's a reference to the same instance of the handle, not unlike a desktop shortcut. Whatever changes you make to the reference will also transfer to the original, and this will not be immediately apparent because WolvenKit does not update this in real-time. You must save the file and reopen it to see the original and the reference showing identical values after only one of them was edited.

Paste Handle

Exactly as it seems: it's the paste function of Copy Handle. As explained above, it pastes a reference, not a copy. Do not use this if you want a copy that you can edit independently of the original. "Why the hell wouldn't I always want that?", you might be asking. Because in some files, it can be helpful to have the same instance of a handle referenced in various places and only having to edit one of them. Do not question us, for we know the Old Ways (and if you do, the ideal avenue is to open a ticket in the Issues tab of GitHub).

Copy From Array/Buffer

Copies the currently selected item/handle for pasting inside of Wolvenkit. You can only paste items to a compatible array. If you have selected multiple items, the most recent selection will be used.

Copy Selection From Array/Buffer

Copies the currently selected items/handles for pasting inside of Wolvenkit. You can only paste items to a compatible array.

Export to JSON

See #export-as-json Particularly useful for searching large files with CTRL+F in your word editor of choice. However, JSON conversion can get confused by some complex graph files. For instance, humanoid.animgraph is converted into a 300-megabyte JSON (300 times the original file's size) with over half a million lines. But hey, you can still CTRL+F it, so there's that.

Delete Item in Array/Buffer

Deletes the currently selected item/handle. If you have selected multiple items, the most recent selection will be used. This can also be done via the right-side window of the file editor by clicking on the red trashcan icons, as shown earlier in this article.

Delete Selection From Array/Buffer

Deletes the currently selected items/handles.

Delete All Items in Array/Buffer

Empties the entire list of items/handles. This is tipically accompanied by a distant, echoing voice that seems to say "That's a bold strategy, Cotton, let's see if it pays off for 'em."

Reset Object

Will reset the selected handle and all its values to their default greyed-out state, as if you had just created it by using Create Item in Array or Create Handle. It undoes all edits, including those by Cyberpunk's developers.

Editing files: The editor panel

The Editor View on the right side lets you edit the selected properties (arrays, handles and variables).

Each editable property has a small icon next to it that displays at a glance what awaits you when you select it.

You will observe different kinds of values (dropdowns, numbers, booleans, texts, enums...). Many of those appear in grey:

Those properties have not been changed by the person who touched this file, still holding their default value.

Editing properties

Starting with 8.15, the editor has become smarter. By enabling "use validating editor" in the settings, you can turn on contextual hints:

The editor panel will show you the following kinds of controls:

Text fields

The icon that says "abc" on it is the one you shall learn to fear, for it heralds the coming of a string variable. Whenever you see it next to a property you need to edit and you don't know what strings you can type in it, get ready to spend the next several hours of your life getting very well-acquainted with WolvenKit's search feature.

Curve fields

Some file formats offer more specific editing tools. For instance, curve properties often give you a Curve Editor, especially useful in .curveset files:

Node view

And some node-based files, such as .questphase files, offer a Graph View for viewing nodes and their connections:

Some node-based file formats, such as .animgraph and .behavior files, are not yet blessed with the Graph View, which as of February 13th 2024 is still under development. These files can be extremely complex and their properties un-collapse into so many sub-properties that it literally breaks WolvenKit's indentation:

Until the Graph View is made available for these file formats, they are to be feared.

Adding, Removing or Replacing Properties

Other than browsing and editing properties, you can also delete them, replace them, or add completely new ones.

To edit the property structure, you'll mostly use the project tree and its context menu, whereas you edit the property's contents in the editor panel.

This section will give you an overview about the existing types of properties and what they are commonly used for.

Arrays

Arrays are lists of items. They look like this:

You can duplicate, add and remove array items and change their order via drag&drop.

Arrays can contain any of the other types of data. They do not contain other arrays directly; but #handles often include other arrays.

Variables

The "data" in "data structure", the lowest level of nesting. You can edit them in the editor panel to the right, and they will never hold other variables.

Data Structures

As the name implies, a data structure is anything that structures data. These elements can hold any collections of other data structures, variables, or handles.

Handles

Handles are a special kind of data structure, which hold pieces of executable code.

You can also replace existing handles or add new ones from a list of handles compatible with the array:

When you select an array on the left-side window of the File Editor, you will find two types of yellow buttons on the right-side window: Create Item in Array, which sits alone at the top, and Create Handle, which appears next to every handle in the array. Clicking either of them will bring up the Type Selector: a search menu that lets you pick from a list of handles compatible with the array. The difference is that Create Item in Array adds the selected handle to the array whereas Create Handle replaces the handle it was next to, deleting it in favor of the one you picked.

In either case, the Type Selector will give you the full list of handles you can choose for the array in question, and you can narrow down the list by typing search terms such as, say, "Grenade", or "Effector", or "ofwifagbaygfaergergqhqjqtjfy" if you fall asleep on your keyboard:

If you select a handle instead of an array on the left-side window, you will still get the Create Handle button on the right-side window, allowing you to replace the handle you have selected.

The red trashcan icons can also delete handles, as you've surely guessed, but there's a way to do it directly on the left-side window using the File Editor context menu. So for our next section, we proudly present... *insert drumroll here*

What is the Tweak Browser?

Based on Wkit v. 8.11.0

The Tweak Browser lets you to search for various elements. For instance, you can utilize the in CET to locate a weapon , then use the identified name to search for the entry in the Tweak Browser in WolvenKit. Once found, you can right-click on the tweak and select 'Add TweakXL Override', once done that you'll create a .yaml file with the tweak array structure.

Entity Preview

To be done

Mesh Preview

You can find the mesh preview inside the file editor for .mesh files in its own tab. For further explanation of the UI, see

UI documentation

Appearance dropdown

Lets you select an appearance from the list of defined appearances

Level of Detail

Generate Materials for Appearance

Will create a rough approximation of the surface material. As of March 2024, this feature needs a lot of work.

You can toggle the script manager via Tools -> Script Manager.

It looks like this:

Adding scripts

Enter a name in the box at the bottom of the panel and click the "Add" button. That will create a new script file in your #script-file-path.

Tabs

General

Contains a selection of runnable scripts for various workflows, e.g.

• Export_Vehicle_Ent when Exporting Vehicles

• Export_Ent for characters (see Exporting Characters to Blender)