Free online GLTF to DFF converter

GLTF models often need conversion when a game or modding tool based on RenderWare requires a .dff model instead. DFF is commonly used for Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, San Andreas, and other software that cannot load modern GLTF assets directly.

What the GLTF format is

GLTF is a Khronos Group 3D format designed for efficient delivery and interchange of scenes, meshes, materials, cameras, animations, and textures. The binary form, .glb, stores most or all resources in one file; .gltf normally references separate binary and image files.

Blender, 3ds Max, Maya, Godot, Unity, Unreal Engine tools, CAD viewers, and web applications commonly create or export GLTF. You may encounter it in browser-based 3D content, asset libraries, game pipelines, AR applications, and exports from contemporary modeling software. GLTF can contain PBR materials, skeletal animation, morph targets, multiple UV sets, vertex colors, and scene hierarchies.

What the DFF format is

DFF is the RenderWare geometry stream format used by several games and older 3D applications. In the modding context, it is especially associated with GTA III, GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas, and related RenderWare-engine games.

A DFF stores RenderWare geometry, meshes, material assignments, object hierarchies, and, depending on the game and export settings, skinning or collision-related model data. Its main advantage is compatibility with software that expects the target game's native RenderWare asset structure. DFF is not a general replacement for GLTF: it has fewer material features, stricter game-specific rules, and no universal specification covering every DFF variant.

Textures are usually supplied separately in a RenderWare texture dictionary, commonly a .txd file. Converting a model to DFF therefore does not necessarily produce a complete game-ready asset by itself.

How to actually convert GLTF to DFF

The most controllable desktop workflow uses Blender with the DragonFF add-on, which imports GLTF through Blender and exports RenderWare files.

1. Install a Blender version supported by the DragonFF release you intend to use, then install DragonFF through Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Install.
2. Import the source with File → Import → glTF 2.0. Select the .gltf file and keep its accompanying .bin and texture files in their original relative locations. For a .glb, select the single binary file.
3. Inspect the scene in Blender. Apply the required scale and rotation, remove cameras and lights if the target game only accepts model geometry, and separate or join objects according to the target game's object structure.
4. Replace unsupported GLTF materials with simple image-textured materials. Pack or copy the texture images, use game-compatible names, and verify that UV coordinates point to the intended images.
5. Enable the DragonFF tools and choose the target RenderWare game or DFF variant in the export settings. Use File → Export → DragonFF DFF or the equivalent DragonFF export command, select the output path, and export.
6. Open the resulting .dff in a compatible viewer or game-tool pipeline. Export the textures separately to a .txd with a suitable texture tool when the game requires one.

For a no-install conversion, the file can be uploaded to the free converter on 101convert.com. The desktop workflow is preferable when the model needs scale correction, material editing, object restructuring, or a specific GTA-era export profile.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

GLTF PBR materials do not map one-to-one to RenderWare materials. Metallic, roughness, normal, occlusion, emissive, clearcoat, and transmission properties may be discarded or require manual baking into texture maps. Basic diffuse textures and UV mapping usually transfer more reliably.

Check the coordinate system and unit scale after import. A model can appear rotated, mirrored, or incorrectly sized because GLTF and the target game may use different axis conventions and world units. Apply transforms before export and test the model at its intended in-game scale.

Modern GLTF features such as morph targets, multiple animation tracks, skin modifiers, instancing, and complex node hierarchies may not survive DFF export. Large meshes may also exceed limits imposed by the target game or its RenderWare version. Use the target game's established polygon, material, bone, and object-count limits rather than assuming that a valid GLTF scene will be valid as a DFF.