Decompiling assets

A shipped game contains only compiled files. Source2 Viewer opens the VPKs, shows what is inside a compiled resource, and decompiles it back toward its source form.

Some information is dropped at compile time, so a decompiled file is a reconstruction and not the original. Also Source2 Viewer does not necessarily support all file types fully.

In the viewer, any supported file has Decompile & Export on its right click menu, and so does a whole folder. The CLI does the same thing without the browsing.

Further reading

The Source2 Viewer documentation covers the tool itself in more detail:

• Getting started
• Exporting maps
• Exporting models
• Exporting textures
• Exporting sounds
• VPK management
• Command line utility