Crowbar vs FModel

Crowbar is a free modding tool for working with GoldSource and Source models and game packages. It can decompile MDL and related files into QC, SMD, and other related files, and can compile models when the game’s authoring tools or SDK and Crowbar’s studiomdl.exe are available. Viewing models likewise requires the game tools or SDK and Crowbar’s hlmv.exe. For archives, Crowbar can unpack, view, and search Valve VPK, Garry’s Mod GMA, Bloodlines VPK, Tactical Intervention FPX, and Fairy Tale Busters APK files. It can pack folders into VPK and GMA packages and supports batch extraction. Workshop functions allow downloading and publishing items for supported games. Game setups can link a game folder to its compiler, viewer, and package tools. On Windows, file associations and drag-and-drop can open VPK, QC, MDL, and folder inputs. The requirements page lists.NET Framework 4 and Windows XP or later, or Linux or Mac OS with a way to run a.NET Framework program. Crowbar is listed at free; donations are optional.

FModel is free, open-source Windows software for exploring and extracting content from games made with Unreal Engine. It can browse game archives, including encrypted ones, and compare two archive states to identify new or modified packages; encrypted archives require an AES key. It parses more than 30 asset types, displays their properties and offers image, audio and 3D viewing for supported content. Package properties can be shown in formats including JSON, INI, XML and TXT, and models can be saved as PSK files. An Export Session window supports batching raw data, model, world, texture and animation exports. The August 2026 release added USD export for meshes, animations, materials and worlds, plus WebP export and texture quality settings. Whole-level export is in USDA format, and sockets or attachments may not always be placed correctly. FModel is distributed as a portable x64 executable in a ZIP archive. It requires .NET 10.0 or later, and some games may require up to 2 GB of free RAM.