Help Needed: MGS 3D Character Models

Hi everyone!

I was wondering, if any of you guys know a place where one can find and freely download high-res / polygon-count Metal Gear Solid 3D character models (preferably .Stl files), for use in programs like Solidworks?
The reason I am asking this, is that my Big Brother works as the lead 3D operator in a big company, and therefore has free access to everything related to 3D printing. For a long time, I have envisioned this project, where I would actually 3D print a life-like 1/6 scale figure head (like this one example: https://www.deviantart.com/iireii/art/ER-MGSV-FP-Venom-Snake-update-1-572203868) for use in my custom MGS RAH figure project, using a 3D printing technique called Polyjet. Any help would be much appreciated!

If everything turns out as hoped and the result as expected, maybe I could even get more produced (and various other models etc.), and sell them, if anyone have interest in that. Thanks in advance!



- Scrancher

this sounds promising! Not really sure where to download character files, but it looks like that deviantart user is extracting the models from the game data. I can only dream of a 1/6 Grey Fox.

Hi Rexus, and thanks for your reply

Alright, that's fine mate. I have stumbled across many a site with 3D MGS models, but also sites (like the one linked above) that seems to not contain 3D model files like .Stl, but rather some type of file for use in video game modding, related to skins etc. Frankly, I am not really that savvy on file types etc., but yes, it should be possible to extract 3D model files from the various MGS games themselves. It would just be way easier with an already-existing file though, so do let me know if you happen to stumble across such websites, or know anyone with such knowledge, thanks!
I am specifically interested in Venom Snake, MGS3 pre-patch Naked Snake, The Boss / Joy, and MGS4 Big Boss.

There actually already exist a pretty good 3D model file of Gray Fox's helmet, ripe for the download! - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2557764 | Here it is painted: https://www.thingiverse.com/make:415474 (not made by me or anything!).
So, not to imprint false hope or anything in saying that it would be just plain easy to make, but it is most likely highly doable! The print itself would literally be just a plain download -> insert -> print -> done process, but as it is a 1/1 scale, and are actually hollow as for use as a full-head mask/helmet, it would have to be modded and down-scaled in order to fit a 1/6 figure body model, which is not my expertise.

I have some experience with 3D file types, but that was like 10 years ago when I was in a Game Design/Art program. One of the things we did was rip a model from an existing game and import it into 3DS Max for modding. Definitely the hi-res meshes wouldn't be stored on the game disc, but using those as a starting point and adding geometry might work. I've had Zbrush on my PC for a few years now and have yet to really master it...probably one of these days.

That sounds great! I guess that old tricks never rust, or however the wording is said?

So, earlier I downloaded the files from the link of Venom's -- although not canonically accurate -- head, in order to see the files it contained. Sadly, and as expected, it wasn't an .stl file, or any other type of files that I have knowledge on. I suppose it is a lot of different meshes, and the majority of the files are called Truevision TGA File. Do you happen to know what type of file that is, and more importantly, if it can be combined or whatever into a 3D model file (again, preferably STL)?

It seems to be a Targa file, the Google search brings up some possibilities to converting to other formats. It might take some digging to find the right one

Yes, that is also what I could gather. I will try to keep searching, and see if those Targa files can be converted into usable 3D print files

To be frank, you will most likely have a hard time finding a high res model. The high res models that are created for games get baked onto lower res polygon meshes so the computer or console can actually create or play animations of it. What you see in the games are high res textures of high res sculpts on low polygon meshes.

To give you an idea, a high resolution sculpt in 3D has several millions of polygons to capture all the details that get sculpted into them, game meshes on the other hand are way less dense ( 100s to 1000s of polygons ) and the detail you see is basically just a detailed image on a rather "basic" 3D model.

All game files you can find online only will have a relatively low polycount as they are usually taken out of the games. Unless you are lucky and find a 3D sculptor who actually created a high res model already or is willing to create one for you, I fear the printing results of game files will be either disappointing or directly not printable as for printing certain parametres have to be fulfilled which is not nescessary if the 3D model is just for animation/game purposes ( model being "water tight", no double sided flat surfaces, hair etc ).

Hi AceRimmer, and thanks for your elaborate and informative post. Alright, it seems to be a bit harder than originally hoped. But let's take this 3D model character as an example: https://www.deviantart.com/frankaster1987/art/Big-Boss-METAL-GEAR-SOLID-4-3d-model-432851737 -- the downloaded folder's files consists of a lot of different files, which mainly are: PNG, Truevision TGA, and then some MTL, LWO, 3D Object and one BMP file. Now, I can view the full t-pose model in a 3D viewer program, but with all these files combined, is it possible to get the actual 3D model imported into a program, which could then 3D print it so the result would look exactly like the model shown in the link?

Hey there, I don't think that will give you any good results. MTL is material data, BMP, TGA, PNG are graphic data used for texture maps and such, that get wrapped around a rather basic basemesh as mentioned before and hold the color information and what makes the detailed look in the end.imagine a multisided cube with nice pictures on it. The LWO is a 3D file and can be loaded into a 3D software, however it will be low poly as mentioned in the post before and probably not watertight. You can use those files combined with the graphic files to pose characters in an enviroment and alike, but they will be next to useless for 3D printing, unless you were going for the semi geometric look .

Here is a picture of a papercraft model of snake, to give you an idea of how that works:

Notice the low detail in terms of surfaces and how they look nice only because of the images projected onto them, it is very very similar if not exactly the same for game models.

No gaming company will put high res printable models into their games as that would basically kill all merchandise they could produce and after all they are not needed for the game itself either, apart from that the filesize of a hi res 3D sculpt is huge. The high resolution sculpts you see online are for the production pipeline of the games and are needed to create the nice textures for the low polygon model that will be used in the game.

However go and give it a try, you can get different free 3D software online ( metasequoia 3D for example ) and have a go at it to see for yourself.

I must salute you, Sir, for you have a very down-to-earth and mortal-to-mortal way of explaining stuff -- which until I read your two current posts -- had me even more confused with this whole new world of 3D modeling, printing etc. ∠(･･)

It made quite good sense, with your explanation and the paperwork picture! I am just still puzzled. Places like this: https://forum.facepunch.com/f/fbx/qgcy/Metal-Gear-Solid-3-Models/1/ - that have ripped/extracted a majority of the character models from various MGS games for example. I can now understand, that a high-res model etc., is gonna be hard if not impossible to find and get, but let's say this: one has a high-end pc, have MGS5:TPP installed, and all the graphics set on the highest possible setting. Then one extracts a character model into one of the good 3D model viewer, sculpting and/or rendering programs. Wouldn't that somehow enable one to actually 3D print a 1/6 figure (or parts like just the head), so it at least looks on par with the in-game model when printed out? Like, converting such an extracted model file into an SLL or STL file, so I can print it out using polyjet, or lower-quality 3D printing machines and methods?

The graphic settings on your pc only change the resolution of the texture maps and such, not the polygon count on the meshes of the models as far as I am aware of, I am no expert in computer games though so I don't want to tell you something wrong. You are welcome to try, but I don't think you will get satisfying results.

I just loaded a miranda from mass effect into my 3D sculpting software to show you what that looks like.



See how you can obviously see all the small polygons on the non textured model on the left? With the right textures, it creates the "illusion" of smoothness and detail as seen on the right. However the model itself is not that highly detailed and will pretty much look like the image on the left when printed. Pay special attention to the eyelashes and hair, these show as flappy things on the 3D model, the texture has transparency and thus will only show you the painted bits, like the lashes, however the mesh will not as it only has surface information. Apart from that eyelashes and hair will most likely have a thickness of 0 basically being a flat surface with two sides which won't be printable in the first place as you can't print 0 thickness.

Again, kudos for your great explanation. I really appreciate it!

I can clearly see what you mean, with your two pictures shown above. In short, as I understood from your posts: AAA games, and/or indeed all video games have a built-in ''fail-safe'' for ripping/extracting their models, due to the indfrigement of potential merchandise sales, as well as the game's files being way to huge, if high-res and high-polygon count models was actually in the game files, yes?

But still, I am not entirely sure, as to how people can then extract models like this Big Boss model from the MGS4 game, downloaded from this site: https://www.deviantart.com/frankaster1987/art/METAL-GEAR-SOLID-4-stuff-ripped-so-far-436757241 that looks like this: View attachment 415813 and View attachment 415814, while it will look like this on my pc's built-in 3D viewer: (despite the weird black lining color, and the coat being white) it seems to me as a pretty great 3D character model. When inserted into the program (I believe SolidWorks) on my brother's office pc, the head also seems pretty great in terms of polygon count and whatnot: and the overall look doesn't look as jagged and low-poly as the example you show up above? :-s

Just give it a go then. From the pic of the screen I can see big triangles on the coat, so I pretty much expect it to look similar to miranda in my former post. The overall shape will be there, but it will not look cool when printed.

Again, it does not matter how nice it looks in a 3D viewer, as there you have the textures applied on top. If you can turn them off in your software I bet you get a very different result. Just download metasequoia and see for yourself.

The high res models are not included in games not because of a failsafe, but rather because a sculpt can easily exceed a few GB of data volume you don't need for a game to work.

I have an upcoming print of the Big Boss head from the picture up above (cutting away the body etc.) coming on Tuesday, but as you pointed out, I don't expect a smooth result. We will see

I might still not fully understand it as I thought I did, but, so the meshes are what makes the actual character model look good? And games only have a base, low-polygon 3D model, with the layers of meshes (or textures) strapped on top of the 3D model, like a skin?
If that is the case, then I still don't get how it looks good in games and in 3D viewers, as by the above logic, the ''face skin transplant'' applied directly on top of a base 3D model, still would look jaggy and edgy, exactly like the paperwork model you posted. How come meshes can then smoothen out low polygon models? That's what I still do not get..

On another note, I have gotten the Gray Fox's helmet from Rising 3D printed in SLL format, for use as experimental objects for surface smoothing, painting etc etc.