arcdEx vs QuickBMS

arcdEx is a free Linux tool for listing and extracting files from .arcd archives made by the Defold game engine. It handles compressed files and can decrypt files only when they use Defold's default encryption key. The tool can inspect .texturec resources and extract their contained textures, as well as inspect compiled .luac files and extract Lua source code. To work with an archive, provide the .arcd file; arcdEx guesses paths to the associated .arci index and .dmanifest manifest files. The repository says this version supports manifest version 5, while the README also lists versions 1 through 4. Multiple .arcd files from a Defold web game must be combined before use. The README distinguishes desktop applications, which contain compiled Lua bytecode, from web projects through Defold 1.3.4, which contain Lua source code. It supports command-line and batch extraction, and runs as a Java JAR. The project is licensed under AGPL v3, and its author is credited as Christian Weiske. Archive repacking is not supported.

QuickBMS is a free, open-source tool for extracting files from archives and other formats, with options to put modified files back into archives. It is aimed at reverse engineers and power users and runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Its dynamic BMS language handles archives and file formats, while reimport and reimport2 modes support reinserting changed files. The maker lists more than 700 compression algorithms, along with encryption and hashing algorithms. QuickBMS runs from the command line; its Windows executable also opens a minimal graphical interface when double-clicked. For examining formats, verbose mode shows file-format tests, and HTML output colors and labels parsed fields. Other listed capabilities include network sockets, SSL, HTTP and HTTPS, processes, audio, video, and Windows messages. The maker lists Win32, static Ubuntu 32-bit Linux, and MacOSX El Capitan downloads, plus a source archive. The first three sections of its text documentation are intended for general users; later sections are for developers and advanced users. The ZenHAX forum is identified as its official support forum.