Extract text from GTA V drawable dictionaries (YDD)
To convert YDD drawable dictionaries to another format, you need OpenIV or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game 3D Model Dictionary" file type, you need software like OpenIV or a similar tool.
A .YDD file is a proprietary 3D asset container known as a Drawable Dictionary, developed by Rockstar Games for the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE). It is primarily used in Grand Theft Auto V to store 3D character models, clothing components, weapons, and rigid props.
The main disadvantage of the .YDD format is that it is strictly proprietary and closed-source. You cannot open a .YDD file directly in standard 3D suites like Blender or Autodesk 3ds Max. Standard online converters fail to process these files because they rely on highly specific RAGE engine mesh definitions, LOD (Level of Detail) hierarchies, and skeletal rigging structures. The files are useless outside of the GTA V ecosystem without specialized conversion.
To modify these assets, users must rely on third-party modding tools like OpenIV. The best conversion workflow involves exporting the .YDD file to an intermediate open format (like ODD or XML) before importing it into a 3D editor, or exporting it to a standard OBJ for static geometry. Converting to standard formats often strips game-specific metadata, meaning bone weights or custom shaders might be lost or require manual reassignment.
Because this is a closed, proprietary format, standard conversion tools cannot read the internal geometry. Our analysis can inspect the internal content, and if we detect supported embedded data, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your YDD file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted YTD, ODD, YDR, OBJ, XML, RAR, YFT, FBX, PNG, ZIP, DDS, YED and ODR files.
If you want to convert YDD file to OBJ, YDR, XML, FBX, DFF, ODD, EXE, ISO, BIN, CUE, PAK or WAD, you can use OpenIV or similar software from the "3D Game Asset 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 YDD, try OpenIV or another comparable tool in the "3D Game Asset 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 YDD converter.