Extract text from SimCity 4 description files (SC4DESC)
To convert SC4DESC description files to another format, you need SimCity 4 or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Asset Properties File" file type, you need software like SimCity 4 or a similar tool.
The .sc4desc file is a proprietary game data file used by SimCity 4, a classic city-building simulation game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It functions as a "Description" file containing Exemplar data, which dictates the core properties, behavior, and numerical statistics (such as pollution levels, power consumption, wealth level, and building costs) of custom in-game assets like props and buildings.
Modding communities rely on specialized, user-developed software such as iLive's Reader or SC4 Plugin Manager (SC4PIM) to open and edit these files.
The major disadvantage of the .sc4desc format is its extreme vendor lock-in. It relies on a heavily obfuscated, proprietary database structure (DBPF) specifically built for a 2003 video game engine. You cannot open it natively on Windows or macOS, and standard text editors will only display scrambled binary code. Furthermore, standard online converters fail to process it because it does not contain standard media or document data.
Users typically want to convert the internal property parameters to XML or TXT to document asset statistics for distribution. Because this file format is notoriously difficult to open or convert, often only the original modding software can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects a supported embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SC4DESC file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted SC4LOT, SC4MODEL and SGR files.
If you want to convert SC4DESC file to EXE, ISO, BIN, CUE, PAK, WAD, PK3, PK4, BSP, MAP, SAV or DAT, you can use SimCity 4 or similar software from the "Game Modding Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MOD, BIN, CFG, SCX, DAT, MPQ, LOG, CUE, INI, EXE, SCM or ISO files to SC4DESC, try SimCity 4 or another comparable tool in the "Game Modding Data Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our SC4DESC converter.