arcdEx is a free Linux tool for listing and extracting assets from .arcd archives made by the Defold game engine. It handles compressed and encrypted files, though decryption is limited to archives using Defold’s default key. It can also inspect .texturec resources and extract their textures, as well as inspect compiled .luac files and extract Lua source code. To work with an archive, provide its .arcd file; the tool guesses paths to the associated .arci index and .dmanifest manifest. The repository says this version supports manifest version 5, while the README lists versions 1 through 4. Multiple .arcd files from a Defold web game must be combined before use. The README distinguishes desktop apps, which contain compiled Lua bytecode, from web projects through Defold 1.3.4, which contain Lua source code. arcdEx supports batch extraction and command-line use and runs as a Java JAR. It is licensed under AGPL v3, and the README credits Christian Weiske as its author. It does not repack archives.
Who it is for
arcdEx suits Linux users who need to examine or extract Defold archive contents, textures, or Lua source. It is aimed at people comfortable running a Java JAR from the command line.
What is good
- Lists and extracts .arcd archive contents.
- Supports batch extraction and command-line use.
- Can extract textures from .texturec resources.
- Licensed under AGPL v3.
What to know first
- Decryption works only with Defold’s default key.
- Multiple web-game archives must be combined first.
- Archive repacking is not supported.
- Runs as a Java JAR.
Verdict
arcdEx brings archive, texture, and Lua extraction into one Linux tool for Defold assets. Its encryption and multi-part archive limits matter when preparing files to inspect.
arcdEx plans and pricing
All plansCompared on game asset extractors
- Free plan
- Yes
- Asset types
- Defold archives, archive indexes, manifests, compiled Lua files, texture resources
- Game file formats
- .arcd, .arci, .dmanifest, .texturec, .luac
- Texture formats
- .texturec, Basis UASTC, .basis
- Batch extraction
- Yes
- Command-line support
- Yes
- Archive repacking
- No
