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KaiQ edited this page Sep 16, 2026 · 32 revisions

ModelExtras is a high-performance C++20 modification that brings advanced functionality to vehicles, pedestrians, and weapons in GTA: San Andreas (v1.0 US). It integrates and modernizes legacy vehicle lighting (ImVehFt / IVF), emergency siren patterns (AVS), custom license plates, exhaust smoke, backfire flames, interactive dashboard gauges, and dynamic animations into a unified, zero-allocation rendering engine.

✨ Key Highlights in ModelExtras v3.0

  • 🏎️ Next-Gen Lighting Engine: Real-time directional coronas, dynamic 3D ground shadows, halogen filament inertia fading (inertia), unlit lens tinting (color_off), pop-up headlight animation synchronization, smart weather-reactive fog lights, and idle brake lights.
  • 🚨 Advanced Emergency Sirens & Strobes: Multi-stage emergency lighting patterns, CTRL + 1..9 custom siren tone switching, and persistent 3D spatial audio when exiting vehicles.
  • 💨 Dynamic ExhaustFx & ALS Backfire: Multi-exhaust pipe support, custom smoke particle velocities, realistic deceleration pop-and-bang flames, dynamic NOS pointlights, and gear-shift integration.
  • 🏷️ HD License Plates: Crisp high-definition 3D font text generation with automatic SA-MP / open.mp server plate text synchronization and distance LOD preservation.
  • 🌐 Multiplayer & SA-MP Native Support: Out-of-the-box compatibility with SA-MP 0.3.7 (R1/R3/R5), 0.3.DL, and open.mp.
  • 💻 Public Developer C-ABI API: Full exported C API (ModelExtrasAPI.h) for ASI plugins, MoonLoader Lua scripts, and CLEO mods to inspect and control lights, sirens, plates, and animations.
  • 🔄 Live Hot-Reloading (MERELOAD): Instant configuration and model re-reading at runtime without restarting the game.

🚀 Getting Started

1. Model Adaptation

To take advantage of ModelExtras features, models must have appropriate dummy nodes and magic material colors assigned. Explore the sidebar links for step-by-step guides for each vehicle, pedestrian, and weapon component.

2. Replace Legacy Mods

ModelExtras natively replaces:

  • ImVehFt (IVF)
  • Advanced Vehicle Sirens (AVS)
  • Legacy carcols and plate plugins

Remove any duplicate copies of IVF (IVF.asi, ImVehFt.asi) or AVS to avoid hook conflicts.

3. Node Name Character Limits

The RenderWare engine limits frame node names to 23 characters. Ensure custom dummy names (e.g. x_exhaust1, foglight_l, indicator_rf) stay within this limit.

4. JSONC Configuration Files

Vehicle configurations are defined using standard .jsonc files (JSON with comments // or /* */) located in ModelExtras/data/ or any subfolder within modloader/.

{
  "metadata": {
    "author": "Grinch_",
    "desc": "Vehicle Model Configuration",
    "creationtime": "2026-09-01",
    "minver": 30000
  },
  "lights": {
    "inertia": 0.45
  }
}

5. In-Game Live Reloading

You can reload .jsonc data files and INI configuration dynamically while in-game by typing the cheat code MERELOAD while inside a vehicle.

📚 Documentation Index

Check the sidebar for comprehensive documentation:

Happy Modding! 🎮

Core

Common

Vehicles

Peds

Deprecated

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