Free online DFF to GLTF converter

What the DFF format is

In 3D modeling, DFF usually means a RenderWare binary model. Criterion Software's RenderWare engine used it for meshes, materials, skinning data, and scene objects, and many Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas assets use this format.

DFF files are commonly created by RenderWare-based game pipelines and GTA modding tools. You may encounter them alongside .txd texture archives and .ifp animation files. A DFF can contain one or more mesh objects, vertex colors, UV coordinates, material references, and, for characters, bone weights; it can also contain game-specific RenderWare plugin data that general-purpose 3D applications do not understand.

What the GLTF format is

glTF 2.0 is an open format for transmitting 3D scenes, meshes, materials, textures, cameras, and animations. The .gltf form uses a JSON scene description with separate binary and image files, while .glb packages the scene, buffers, and usually textures into one binary file.

It is supported by Blender, many game engines, WebGL viewers, digital-twin tools, and browser-based 3D frameworks. Its PBR material model, compact buffers, standard coordinate data, and browser support make it more suitable than DFF for modern interchange and web display.

How to actually convert DFF to GLTF

Using Blender and DragonFF

1. Install Blender and the DragonFF add-on, which provides RenderWare and GTA asset import functions. In Blender, open Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Install, select the DragonFF ZIP package, and enable the add-on.
2. Keep the DFF with its related TXD archive when available. The DFF may reference material names whose textures are stored only in the TXD.
3. Import the model through the DragonFF DFF importer, usually under File → Import. Select the game or RenderWare version requested by the importer, then inspect the imported objects in the 3D Viewport.
4. Import or extract the TXD textures if they were not loaded automatically. Tools such as DragonFF or Magic.TXD can extract the images; convert them to PNG or another glTF-compatible image format when necessary, then reconnect them in Blender's material nodes.
5. Check scale, orientation, normals, UV maps, vertex colors, modifiers, and object visibility. Apply required transforms with Object → Apply → Rotation & Scale before export.
6. Export through File → Export → glTF 2.0. Choose GLB for a single portable file, or choose glTF Separate when separate JSON, binary, and image files are preferable. Enable selected-object export if the scene contains unrelated objects, and enable texture export or embedding as required.
7. Open the resulting GLB or glTF in Blender or a glTF viewer and verify the materials, texture paths, mesh orientation, armature, and animation playback.

For a supported DFF variant, you can also convert the file for free on the 101convert.com website without installing software. Desktop conversion is usually preferable when the model depends on TXD textures, skinning, multiple assets, or manual material repair.

Quality and compatibility limits

DFF is a family of RenderWare variants rather than one completely uniform interchange specification. A converter may support GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas files differently, and unsupported plugin chunks can be discarded during import.

Textures are often not inside the DFF, so converting only the model file can produce an untextured GLB. Preserve the TXD and extract its images separately. RenderWare material effects, reflection settings, environment mapping, collision meshes, vehicle metadata, dummy objects, and other game-specific properties generally do not map directly to glTF.

Character geometry can retain bones and weights, but animations are frequently stored in separate IFP files rather than in the DFF. Import those animations through a compatible DragonFF workflow before exporting if skeletal motion is required. Validate the final file in the target engine because coordinate handedness, unit scale, tangent generation, alpha blending, and skinning behavior can differ between viewers.