The Spiderwick Chronicles — Reverse Engineering & Modding Toolkit

Extract, view, and mod every asset from The Spiderwick Chronicles (PC, 2008). 3D models, textures, worlds, scripts, animations — all formats reversed and documented.

Game: The Spiderwick Chronicles (PC, 2008) by Stormfront Studios / Sierra Entertainment Engine: Proprietary "Ogre" engine, 32-bit, DirectX 9, Kallis VM scripting Status: Engine substantially reversed — 150+ functions named, 21 asset types mapped, full render pipeline traced

Built for game preservation, modding research, and fans of the Spiderwick universe.

What Is This?

A complete reverse engineering and modding toolkit for The Spiderwick Chronicles PC game (2008), based on the book series by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. This project provides everything needed to explore, extract, and understand the game's internals:

SpiderView — A game research tool (like OpenIV for GTA) for browsing archives, viewing 3D character models with skeletons, loading full game worlds, and exporting to FBX/OBJ for Blender
SpiderMod — An in-game ASI mod with freecam, debug overlays, entity spawning, and chapter control
Python Tools — Asset extraction and format conversion (models, textures, databases, scripts, worlds)
Engine Documentation — 160+ markdown docs covering every reversed engine subsystem
IDA Analysis — 150+ named functions, complete type registry, VM interpreter, render pipeline

Quick Start

SpiderView (Game Research Tool)

cd tools/spiderview
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build . --config Release

Place SpiderView.exe in the game directory and run. It auto-discovers ww/Wads/ archives.

Requirements: CMake 3.20+, MSVC (Visual Studio 2019+), Windows SDK

Python Asset Extractor

# Extract all assets from a ZWD archive (textures, models, scripts, databases)
python tools/spiderwick_unpack.py path/to/game/ww/Wads/GroundsD.zwd output_dir/

# Batch extract all archives
python tools/spiderwick_unpack.py path/to/game/ww/ output_dir/

Requirements: Python 3.8+, no external dependencies

SpiderMod (ASI Mod)

cd mods/spidermod
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build . --config Release

Place spidermod.asi and dinput8.dll in the game directory. Press INSERT for the debug menu, HOME for freecam.

Project Structure

_Spiderwick_RE/
|
|-- docs/                              Project-level documentation
|   |-- NM40_FORMAT.md                 Skinned mesh format (complete)
|   |-- NM40_TEXTURE_PIPELINE.md       Character texture binding pipeline (complete)
|   |-- APPROACH.md                    RE philosophy & methodology
|   |-- SESSION_LOG.md                 Chronological findings log
|   |-- STRINGS_GUIDE.md              String recovery from hashed archives
|   +-- IDA_MCP_SETUP.md              IDA Pro + AI-assisted RE setup
|
|-- engine/                            Reversed engine systems
|   |-- formats/                       File format documentation
|   |   |-- ZWD_FORMAT.md             Archive format (AWAD TOC, 21 asset types)
|   |   |-- PCW_FORMAT.md             World geometry container
|   |   |-- SCT_FORMAT.md             Kallis VM bytecode format
|   |   |-- DBDB_FORMAT.md            Binary database format
|   |   |-- WF_FORMAT.md              Widget font / glyph atlas
|   |   |-- SKELETON_FORMAT.md        Bone hierarchy format
|   |   |-- WORLD_GEOMETRY.md         PCRD/PCIM rendering data
|   |   +-- ASSET_LOADING.md          Engine asset loading pipeline
|   |
|   |-- vm/                           Kallis VM runtime (fully reversed)
|   |   |-- KALLIS_VM.md              VM architecture overview
|   |   |-- VM_BYTECODE_FORMAT.md     64 opcodes, instruction encoding
|   |   |-- VM_INTERPRETER.md         Main interpreter loop
|   |   |-- VM_STACK_SYSTEM.md        Dual-stack system (args + returns)
|   |   |-- VM_OBJECT_SYSTEM.md       11 object classes
|   |   |-- VM_FUNCTION_TABLE.md      ~1100 function entries
|   |   +-- VM_FUNCTION_REGISTRATION.md  92 native functions
|   |
|   |-- camera/                       Camera system (fully reversed)
|   |-- sectors/                      Sector streaming (fully reversed)
|   |-- world/                        World loading pipeline
|   |-- objects/                      Character/object system
|   |-- rendering/                    D3D9 render pipeline, texture binding
|   |-- events/                      Script event dispatch
|   |-- time/                        Clock/pause system
|   +-- ...                          (debug, fade, data store, services)
|
|-- tools/
|   |-- spiderview/                   OpenIV-style research tool (C++)
|   |   |-- CMakeLists.txt
|   |   |-- src/
|   |   |   |-- main.cpp             Entry point, 3D viewport, ImGui
|   |   |   |-- app.h/.cpp           Application facade + viewer state
|   |   |   |-- formats.h/.cpp       PCWB/PCRD/PCIM/NM40 parsers
|   |   |   |-- scene.h/.cpp         3D scene, two-pass rendering
|   |   |   |-- vm.h/.cpp            Kallis VM interpreter (64 opcodes)
|   |   |   |-- core/                Asset cache, game filesystem, format registry
|   |   |   |-- scene/               Camera controller, world shader
|   |   |   |-- export/              FBX + OBJ exporters
|   |   |   +-- ui/                  ImGui panels, hex viewer
|   |   +-- data/                    nm40_texmap.json (texture mappings)
|   |
|   |-- spiderwick_unpack.py         Asset extractor (ZWD/AWAD archives)
|   |-- spiderwick_world_export.py   World geometry OBJ+MTL exporter
|   |-- spiderwick_glb.py            Skinned model glTF exporter
|   |-- sct_disasm.py                SCT bytecode disassembler
|   |-- fmt_spiderwick_pcwb.py       Noesis plugin for PCWB import
|   |-- match_prop_transforms.py     Prop placement matcher
|   |-- analysis/                    Format analysis & hex dump scripts
|   +-- ce_scripts/                  Cheat Engine Lua diagnostic scripts
|
|-- mods/
|   |-- spidermod/                   ASI mod (dinput8.dll proxy)
|   |   |-- src/
|   |   |   |-- dllmain.cpp          DLL entry, 10 engine hooks
|   |   |   |-- freecam.cpp/h        Freecam implementation
|   |   |   |-- menu.cpp/h           ImGui debug menu
|   |   |   |-- d3d_hook.cpp/h       D3D9 EndScene hook
|   |   |   |-- sector.cpp/h         Sector visibility control
|   |   |   +-- addresses.h          All engine addresses
|   |   +-- CMakeLists.txt
|   |-- freecam/                     Standalone CE freecam table
|   +-- debug/                       Portal bypass, test patches
|
+-- reference/                       External reference files

Reversed Engine Systems

Asset Type Registry (Complete — 21 Types)

Every asset type registered via ClAssetTypeMap_Register (0x52A340):

Type	typeHash	Magic	Description
Mesh	0x0000BB12	NM40	Skinned character/prop model
Image	0x01F1096F	PCIM	DDS texture with 193-byte header
Prop	0x00020752	PCPB	Prop with embedded geometry + textures
Script	0x0006D8A6	SCT	Kallis VM compiled bytecode
Database	0x04339C43	DBDB	Binary key-value database
Animation	0x44FE8920	adat	Skeletal animation data
AnimationList	0xFA5E717C	aniz	Compressed animation package
NavMesh	0x194738A4	NAVM	Navigation mesh for AI
ActionStateMachine	0xBCBFB478	ac0000ac	AI behavior state machine
BehaviorStateMachine	0x5550C44A	a10000a1	AI behavior tree
SubtitleTimeline	0xA117D668	STTL	Subtitle timing data
Font	0x009A2807	WF	Widget font glyph atlas
AssetMap	0x2A7E6F30	AMAP	Animation map
ControlMap	0xB8D1C6C6	Devi	Device/controller config
Playlist	0x06572A64	play	Audio playlist
AudioEffects	0xE2F8E66E	EPC	Audio effect definitions
Strings	0x690BE5E8	STRI	Localized string table
Table	0x000FD514	---	Generic data table
LoadedCinematic	0x3072B942	brxb	In-memory cinematic
StreamedCinematic	0xEAB838D4	---	Streamed video
SaveGameIcon	0x451A228E	---	Save file thumbnail

Kallis VM (Fully Reversed)

The game's scripting VM with 64 opcodes, 4 register banks, dual-stack architecture:

64 opcodes — arithmetic, control flow, field access, method dispatch
~1100 function table entries — global NTV + per-class VTL + STE methods
92 native functions — sauSetPosition, sauCreateCharacter, sauSendTrigger, etc.
11 object classes — Character, Pickup, Camera, Trigger, etc.
SCT v13 format — 52-byte header, NTV/VTL/STE tables, string resolve table

NM40 Character Pipeline (Fully Reversed)

Complete path from script to screen:

SCT Script                    AWAD Archive
  sauCharacterInit()            NM40 (Mesh)
    | pops model name           PCIM (Texture A)
    | pops skin name            PCIM (Texture B)
    v                           adat (Animations)
  Character Descriptor [22 slots]
    [0]  = NM40 mesh
    [13] = PCIM texture A (primary)
    [14] = PCIM texture B (secondary)
    |
    v
  ClNoamActor_Init (0x527EC0)
    -> ModelInstance_Init (0x523A00)
    -> NoamFigure_Init (0x56E970)
    -> MaterialBuilder_Init (0x5861A0)
    -> SkinRenderer_Init (0x589760)
    |
    v
  RENDERFUNC_NOAM_DIFFUSE (0x571000)
    Pass 1: bind TEX_A, draw all material groups
    Pass 2: bind TEX_B, draw overlay groups
    -> D3D_SetTexture (0x4E9970)

Render Pipeline

Two-pass rendering: base textures (opaque) + shadow overlays (multiply blend)
Batch sentinel pattern (3x FFFFFFFF) for PCRD-to-texture mapping
57+ render group types registered
Deferred queue: AddToRenderQueue -> RenderDispatch

SpiderView Features

Feature	Status
Archive browser (AWAD TOC)	Working
NM40 3D model viewer (multi-material)	Working
PCWB world loading (with geometry instancing)	Working
FBX export (mesh + skeleton + skin weights)	Working
OBJ world export (grouped by texture + DDS)	Working
Texture preview (PCIM, inline thumbnails)	Working
Materials UI (Blender-style slots, texture picker)	Working
Armature visualization (stick bones, X-ray)	Working
Script viewer (SCT)	Working
Database viewer (DBDB)	Working
Subtitle viewer (STTL)	Working
Hex viewer	Working
Export All DDS from archive	Working
Blender-style camera (orbit, pan, zoom, fly mode)	Working
Hotkey overlay (H to toggle)	Working
Object picking (click to select)	Working
VM script execution	Working
33+ auto texture mappings (nm40_texmap.json)	Working

SpiderMod Features

Feature	Status
Freecam (WASD + mouse)	Working
Debug overlay (3D labels)	Working
Character/sector/prop overlay	Working
Entity spawning	Working
Character hot-switching	Working
Portal bypass (all rooms visible)	Working
Force All Visible (chapter-gated enemies)	Working
Chapter setter (quick Ch1-Ch8 buttons)	Working
Launch.txt config redirect	Working
Scene dump (geometry + VM placements)	Working
Prop positions JSON dump (per-level)	Working

Python Tools

Tool	Purpose
`spiderwick_unpack.py`	Extract all assets from ZWD archives (NM40->OBJ, PCIM->DDS, DBDB->JSON, STTL->JSON, WF->JSON)
`spiderwick_world_export.py`	Export world geometry as OBJ+MTL with textures
`spiderwick_glb.py`	Export skinned models as glTF
`sct_disasm.py`	Disassemble SCT bytecode to readable text
`fmt_spiderwick_pcwb.py`	Noesis plugin for PCWB world import
`match_prop_transforms.py`	Match prop placements between scene dump and PCWB

Key Engine Addresses

150+ named functions (click to expand)

Asset System

Address	Name	Purpose
0x52A340	ClAssetTypeMap_Register	Register asset type with factory
0x58B770	ClAssetTypeMap_Lookup	Look up asset factory by typeHash
0x52B0E8	SfAssetRepository_Load	Load ZWD/WAD archive
0x405380	HashString	Engine name hash function

NM40 Mesh

Address	Name	Purpose
0x56D970	NM40_Register	Register "Mesh" type
0x56D940	NM40_Factory	Create NM40 asset object
0x56D860	NM40_Load	Validate magic + call fixup
0x20BC000	NM40_PointerFixup	Convert relative offsets to pointers
0x53A640	NM40_GetLODCount	LOD count accessor
0x53A8D0	NM40_GetSubmeshCount	Submesh count accessor
0x53A8F0	NM40_GetSubmeshDesc	Submesh descriptor accessor

Character System

Address	Name	Purpose
0x527EC0	ClNoamActor_Init	Character init (22-slot descriptor)
0x523A00	ModelInstance_Init	Create model from NM40 (304 bytes)
0x56E970	NoamFigure_Init	Create render figure (TEX at +92/+96)
0x5861A0	MaterialBuilder_Init	Per-submesh material creation
0x589760	SkinRenderer_Init	Skin material renderer
0x458170	sauCharacterInit	VM native: hash names, init character
0x44C6C0	sauCreateCharacter	VM native: spawn character
0x44C600	SpawnCharacter	Internal character spawner

Rendering

Address	Name	Purpose
0x571000	RENDERFUNC_NOAM_DIFFUSE	Character diffuse 2-pass render
0x4E9970	D3D_SetTexture	Bind D3D9 texture + sampler states
0x59D000	PropTextureBind_Callback	Prop pre-render texture bind
0x562760	RenderDispatch	Main deferred renderer
0x562D30	AddToRenderQueue	Add to render queue
0x4EA160	D3D_CreateVBIB	Create vertex/index buffers
0x4ED400	D3D_CreateTextureFromPCIM	Create D3D texture from PCIM

Kallis VM

Address	Name	Purpose
0x52D9C0	VMInterpreter	Main bytecode interpreter loop
0x52EA70	VMExecute	Execute VM function
0x52EB40	VMCall	Call VM function by hash
0x52EC30	VMInitObject	Initialize VM object
0x52EA10	VMRegisterFunction	Register native function
0x52E660	VMRegisterMethod	Register native method
0x49BA20	RegisterGlobalVMFunctions	Register all 92 natives

Camera

Address	Name	Purpose
0x5293D0	CameraRender_SetFovAndClip	Per-frame FOV/clip setup
0x529790	CameraRender_RebuildMatrices	Build view/projection matrices
0x52A150	CameraRender_WorldToScreen	World-to-screen projection
0x5A8B20	Frustum_BuildProjectionMatrix	4x4 projection matrix
0x4368B0	GetCameraObject	Get active camera

World

Address	Name	Purpose
0x518C20	ClWorld_LoadFromFile	Load world from file
0x519090	WorldStatic_Load	Static world initialization
0x51A130	PortalTraversal_Native	Portal visibility traversal
0x488970	SectorVisibilityUpdate	Sector streaming update

File Formats Reference

Format	Magic	Description	Doc
AWAD	`AWAD`	Hash-indexed asset archive (two-level TOC)	ZWD_FORMAT.md
PCWB	`PCWB`	World geometry container (v10)	PCW_FORMAT.md
NM40	`NM40`	Skinned mesh (52B vertices, embedded PCRD)	NM40_FORMAT.md
PCRD	`PCRD`	Renderable geometry (tri-strip, v2)	WORLD_GEOMETRY.md
PCIM	`PCIM`	Texture (193B header + DDS)	WORLD_GEOMETRY.md
SCT	`SCT\0`	Kallis VM bytecode (v13)	SCT_FORMAT.md
DBDB	`DBDB`	Binary database (typed records)	DBDB_FORMAT.md
STTL	`STTL`	Subtitle timeline	engine/formats/
PCPB	`PCPB`	Prop (embedded PCRD + PCIM)	engine/formats/

Building

SpiderView

SpiderView auto-downloads its dependencies (raylib, imgui, zlib) via CMake FetchContent.

cd tools/spiderview
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build --config Release

SpiderMod

SpiderMod auto-downloads its dependencies (MinHook, Dear ImGui) via CMake FetchContent.

cd mods/spidermod
cmake -B build
cmake --build build --config Release
# Copy spidermod.asi + dinput8.dll to game directory

Python Tools

No dependencies beyond Python 3.8+ standard library.

python tools/spiderwick_unpack.py <file_or_dir> [output_dir]

Contributing

This is a research project. Contributions welcome in:

Format RE — any of the partially-reversed formats (PCPB internals, animation system, audio)
SpiderView — new format viewers, auto texture resolution, UI improvements
SpiderMod — new debug features, engine patches
Documentation — corrections, additional findings

Please open an issue before starting major work to avoid duplication.

Legal

This project is for educational and preservation purposes. It does not include any copyrighted game assets, executables, or proprietary code. All knowledge was obtained through clean-room reverse engineering of publicly available software.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a trademark of Simon & Schuster. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Simon & Schuster, Stormfront Studios, or Sierra Entertainment.

What Can You Do With This?

Extract all game assets — every texture, 3D model, sound, script, and database from the game's archives
View characters in 3D — load any NM40 character model with textures and bone armature
Explore game worlds — load complete levels with all props and objects correctly placed
Export to Blender — FBX with full skeleton + skin weights for characters, OBJ + textures for worlds
Free camera — fly through the game world with no restrictions, see all rooms and hidden areas
Mod the game — debug overlays, entity spawning, chapter control, force-load invisible enemies
Understand the engine — 160+ pages of documentation on every engine system

Downloads

Pre-built binaries are available on the Releases page.

_{Keywords: spiderwick chronicles pc game 2008 modding reverse engineering asset extractor 3d model viewer
stormfront studios sierra entertainment ogre engine kallis vm holly black tony diterlizzi
texture extractor world viewer blender export fbx obj dds game preservation}

License

MIT

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The Spiderwick Chronicles — Reverse Engineering & Modding Toolkit

What Is This?

Quick Start

SpiderView (Game Research Tool)

Python Asset Extractor

SpiderMod (ASI Mod)

Project Structure

Reversed Engine Systems

Asset Type Registry (Complete — 21 Types)

Kallis VM (Fully Reversed)

NM40 Character Pipeline (Fully Reversed)

Render Pipeline

SpiderView Features

SpiderMod Features

Python Tools

Key Engine Addresses

Asset System

NM40 Mesh

Character System

Rendering

Kallis VM

Camera

World

File Formats Reference

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docs		docs
engine		engine
mods		mods
reference		reference
release		release
tools		tools
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md

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The Spiderwick Chronicles — Reverse Engineering & Modding Toolkit

What Is This?

Quick Start

SpiderView (Game Research Tool)

Python Asset Extractor

SpiderMod (ASI Mod)

Project Structure

Reversed Engine Systems

Asset Type Registry (Complete — 21 Types)

Kallis VM (Fully Reversed)

NM40 Character Pipeline (Fully Reversed)

Render Pipeline

SpiderView Features

SpiderMod Features

Python Tools

Key Engine Addresses

Asset System

NM40 Mesh

Character System

Rendering

Kallis VM

Camera

World

File Formats Reference

Building

SpiderView

SpiderMod

Python Tools

Contributing

Legal

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