Extract text from Virt-A-Mate and Dreamcast files (VMI)
To convert VMI files to another format, you need Virt-A-Mate or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Data File" file type, you need software like Virt-A-Mate or a similar tool.
The .VMI file extension serves two entirely distinct, incompatible functions: an internal character morph index for Virt-A-Mate (VAM) and Daz Studio, or a Visual Memory Unit (VMU) memory card header for the legacy Sega Dreamcast console.
Virt-A-Mate .vmi files are structured as plain JSON text that defines specific 3D character morph coordinates, weighting, and slider properties. Sega Dreamcast .vmi files, on the other hand, are 108-byte metadata headers. They tell the console or emulator how to handle the associated VMS save data file, which contains the actual game progress (such as Sonic Adventure Chao stats).
Working with .vmi files presents immediate challenges based on their origin. VAM morph files are proprietary configuration texts that lack actual 3D mesh geometry, meaning they cannot be natively opened as standalone 3D models in software like Blender. Dreamcast VMU files are useless without their matching vms file, and modern emulators often struggle to read loose files, preferring consolidated memory card dumps.
For editing Virt-A-Mate morph data, simply convert or rename the file to JSON or TXT to edit the raw coordinate values. For retro gaming, you usually need to convert loose .vmi and vms files into a standard BIN or DCI memory card image for emulators like Flycast. Drop your file here to analyze its exact structure and convert it - free, online, and without installing software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your VMI file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted VMS, VMB, VAR, DCI, DAB, DSF and DUF files.
If you want to convert VMI file to DCI, you can use Virt-A-Mate or similar software from the "Morph Index or VMU Header" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to VMI, try Virt-A-Mate or another comparable tool in the "Morph Index or VMU Header" 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 VMI converter.