Is CodeWalker or Sollumz better for FiveM vehicles?

They do different jobs. Sollumz, a Blender add-on, edits and exports vehicle models. CodeWalker browses the game archives, extracts files and converts them to and from XML. Making a vehicle normally uses both.

Can CodeWalker edit vehicle models?

No. CodeWalker views models and converts them to and from XML, but it has no mesh editing. Mesh changes are done in Blender with Sollumz.

Does Sollumz need CodeWalker?

Not to export. Sollumz 2.9 writes game-ready binary files with the Native format. CodeWalker is still the usual way to extract the stock vehicle used as reference, and the Sollumz project recommends having it.

Are CodeWalker and Sollumz free?

Yes. Both are free and have their source code on GitHub.

Which tool opens .rpf files?

CodeWalker, in its RPF Explorer, and OpenIV. Sollumz does not open archives; it imports the model files after they are extracted.

CodeWalker vs Sollumz: which tool for FiveM vehicles?

By Nilo3D · Updated: 2026-11-11

CodeWalker and Sollumz do different jobs. CodeWalker is a Windows program that browses the GTA V archives, shows models and maps, and converts game files to and from XML. Sollumz is a Blender add-on that imports, edits and exports the models themselves. To change or make a vehicle model you need Sollumz. To find, extract and inspect game files you need CodeWalker. Most vehicle work uses both.

What is the short answer?

You want to edit a mesh, add LODs, fix collision or build a vehicle: Sollumz, inside Blender.
You want to open the game's archives, extract a stock car, or unpack a single-player mod: CodeWalker.
You want to edit a .meta file: neither. Metas are text; use a text editor.

How do CodeWalker and Sollumz compare?

	CodeWalker	Sollumz
What it is	A standalone program for viewing the contents of GTA V archives	An add-on for Blender
Runs on	Windows 7 or newer, 64-bit, with the PC version of GTA V installed	Blender 4.2 or newer (Sollumz 2.9.0)
Browse .rpf archives	Yes, in the RPF Explorer	No
Edit meshes	No	Yes, with all of Blender's tools
Vehicle formats	Views .yft and .ytd, converts them to and from XML	Imports and exports .yft, _hi.yft and .ytd
Other model formats	Views .ydr, .ydd, .ybn	Imports and exports .ydr, .ydd, .ybn, .ycd (animations)
Map work	Edits .ymap placements, traffic paths and scenarios in a 3D world view	Edits .ytyp and builds interiors; .ymap support is partial
Writes game-ready binary files	Yes, by importing XML	Yes, with the Native export format
GTA V Enhanced files	Includes a Gen9 asset converter	Has a Gen9 export target
Cost	Free, source on GitHub	Free, source on GitHub (GPL-3.0)

Which tool for which vehicle task?

Task	Tool
Find a stock vehicle and extract its .yft and .ytd	CodeWalker RPF Explorer
Read the stock `vehicles.meta` or `handling.meta` to copy an entry	CodeWalker RPF Explorer
Unpack a single-player `dlc.rpf`	CodeWalker RPF Explorer, or OpenIV
Model, UV, rig to bones	Blender with Sollumz
Assign vehicle shaders and light IDs	Sollumz
Create LODs	Sollumz (LOD Tools > Auto LOD)
Build collision	Sollumz (Collisions > Create Bounds)
Export .yft, _hi.yft, .ytd	Sollumz (Export RAGE Assets)
Swap textures in an existing .ytd	CodeWalker, or Sollumz
Look inside an exported file without the game	CodeWalker (viewer), or the CW XML that Sollumz exports
Write metas and fxmanifest.lua	Text editor

Each of these has its own guide: making a vehicle in Blender with Sollumz, optimising a vehicle, vehicle collision in Sollumz and converting a single-player car mod.

Do I need both?

For making vehicles, in practice yes. Sollumz does the modelling and the export, and CodeWalker is how you get the stock vehicle to copy bones, bounds and shaders from. The Sollumz project itself recommends having the latest CodeWalker release.

What changed is the conversion step. Older workflows exported XML from Blender and then imported that XML into CodeWalker to get a file the game could load. Sollumz 2.9 writes those binary files itself when Target Formats is set to Native, so that round trip is no longer required. The CW XML format is still there for reading and comparing files.

For running a server, neither is required. A finished vehicle resource is installed with a text editor only: see how to add an add-on vehicle to a FiveM server.

What is CodeWalker XML for?

Game model files are binary. CodeWalker can export one as XML (Export XML... in the RPF Explorer) and build the binary file again from XML (Import XML..., with Edit mode on). The XML is plain text, so it can be read, compared with another version, or changed by a script.

We use it for one job in particular: changing one block of a finished vehicle without sending the whole model through Blender again. When we added lower LODs to vehicles that were already released, we exported the new meshes from Blender, copied only the LOD blocks into the XML of the original file and rebuilt it. Everything else in the file stayed as it was.

Where does OpenIV fit?

OpenIV is an archive browser and mod installer for single-player GTA V. For FiveM work it overlaps with CodeWalker's RPF Explorer: both open .rpf archives and extract files. Neither edits meshes. If you already have one of them installed, it is enough for extracting.

Frequently asked questions

Is CodeWalker or Sollumz better for FiveM vehicles?: They do different jobs. Sollumz, a Blender add-on, edits and exports vehicle models. CodeWalker browses the game archives, extracts files and converts them to and from XML. Making a vehicle normally uses both.
Can CodeWalker edit vehicle models?: No. CodeWalker views models and converts them to and from XML, but it has no mesh editing. Mesh changes are done in Blender with Sollumz.
Does Sollumz need CodeWalker?: Not to export. Sollumz 2.9 writes game-ready binary files with the Native format. CodeWalker is still the usual way to extract the stock vehicle used as reference, and the Sollumz project recommends having it.
Are CodeWalker and Sollumz free?: Yes. Both are free and have their source code on GitHub.
Which tool opens .rpf files?: CodeWalker, in its RPF Explorer, and OpenIV. Sollumz does not open archives; it imports the model files after they are extracted.