LS3D FaceAnim

Facial animation import/export tool for Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven and Hidden & Dangerous 2.

MAXScript utility for 3ds Max that works with .dat facial animation files used by the LS3D engine.

Features

• Import/export .dat facial animation files
• Real-time preview through Morpher modifier
• 6 facial parameters: mouth, jaw, lips, eyelids, eyes, brows
• Batch import multiple files sequentially
• Replace or insert animation modes
• Segment export with custom frame range

Requirements

• 3ds Max (tested on 2014-2026+)
• Max4dsTools (Import/Export Characters)
• DTA Unpacker (Unpack TABLES/DAT /DABING)

Usage

1. Set frame rate to 25 FPS(Mafia) or 50 FPS(H&D2) via Time Configuration
2. Import a character model using Max4dsTools
3. Run LS3D_FaceAnim.ms via Scripting → Run Script
4. Select the mesh with Morpher modifier
5. Click SETUP to configure face parameters
6. Unpack TABLES/DAT or /DABING folder using DTA Unpacker
7. Click IMPORT to load a .dat file

Format

Each .dat file contains per-frame facial animation data.
Engine playback rate:

• Mafia 25 FPS (40ms/frame)
• H&D2 50 FPS (20ms/frame)

All values are bytes (0–255).

Header: uint32 frameCount + uint32 soundEntries (8 bytes)
Frame: 6 parameter bytes + 2 unused bytes (8 bytes per frame)

Byte	Parameter	Description
B0	MouthExpr	Mouth expression blend
B1	JawOpen	Jaw open amount
B2	LipsMood	Lip mood (frown/smile)
B3	Eyelids	Eye openness
B4	EyesBrows	Eyes/brows master influence
B5	BrowExpr	Brow expression

Parameters control 10 morph channels across three groups (mouth, eyes, brows).
Weights within each group always sum to 1.0.
No separate left/right control.

Credits

• kirill_mapper (komarovs_mappers)
• Claude (Anthropic)