wow-wdl

Parser for World of Warcraft WDL (World Detail Level) files - low-resolution terrain data for continents.

Status

✅ Production Ready - Complete WDL parser with support for all WoW versions

Overview

WDL files contain low-resolution heightmap data for entire WoW continents. They provide:

• Low-resolution terrain heights - 17x17 height points per ADT tile
• Terrain hole information - Which chunks have holes/gaps
• World object placements - Low-detail WMO positions (pre-Legion)
• Model placements - M2 and WMO positions (Legion+)

These files enable:

• Efficient rendering of distant terrain
• World map and minimap generation
• Level-of-detail (LoD) terrain switching
• Memory optimization by using low-detail data for distant areas

Features

• ✅ Parse all WDL chunk types (MVER, MAOF, MARE, MAHO, etc.)
• ✅ Support for all WoW versions (Classic through Legion+)
• ✅ Height data extraction and interpolation
• ✅ Hole detection and manipulation
• ✅ World object placement data
• ✅ Version conversion between formats
• ✅ Validation and error handling

Installation

Add to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
wow-wdl = "0.3.0"

Or use cargo add:

cargo add wow-wdl

Quick Start

use wow_wdl::parser::WdlParser;
use std::fs::File;
use std::io::BufReader;

# fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
// Load a WDL file
let file = File::open("World/Maps/Azeroth/Azeroth.wdl")?;
let mut reader = BufReader::new(file);

// Parse the file
let parser = WdlParser::new();
let wdl = parser.parse(&mut reader)?;

// Access heightmap data
if let Some(tile) = wdl.heightmap_tiles.get(&(32, 48)) {
    println!("Tile (32,48) has {} height values", tile.outer_values.len());
}

// Check for holes
if let Some(holes) = wdl.holes_data.get(&(32, 48)) {
    if holes.has_hole(8, 8) {
        println!("Chunk (8,8) has a hole!");
    }
}
# Ok(())
# }

File Format

WDL files use a chunk-based structure:

Supported Versions

• ✅ Classic (1.12.1) - Version 18
• ✅ The Burning Crusade (2.4.3) - Version 18
• ✅ Wrath of the Lich King (3.3.5a) - Version 18
• ✅ Cataclysm (4.3.4) - Version 18
• ✅ Mists of Pandaria (5.4.8) - Version 18
• ✅ Legion+ (7.0+) - Version 18 with ML** chunks

Examples

Height Interpolation

Height interpolation features are planned for future implementation:

These features will be available in a future version:
let height = wdl.get_height_at(1234.5, 5678.9)?;
let (dx, dy) = wdl.get_height_gradient(1234.5, 5678.9)?;

Hole Manipulation

# use wow_wdl::types::WdlFile;
# let mut wdl = WdlFile::new();
# let tile_x = 32u32;
# let tile_y = 48u32;
# let chunk_x = 8;
# let chunk_y = 8;
// Check if a specific chunk has a hole
let has_hole = wdl.holes_data
    .get(&(tile_x, tile_y))
    .map(|h| h.has_hole(chunk_x, chunk_y))
    .unwrap_or(false);

// Modify hole data
if let Some(holes) = wdl.holes_data.get_mut(&(32, 48)) {
    holes.set_hole(8, 8, true); // Create a hole
    holes.set_hole(9, 9, false); // Remove a hole
}

Version Conversion

use wow_wdl::version::WdlVersion;
use wow_wdl::conversion::convert_wdl_file;
use wow_wdl::parser::WdlParser;
use std::fs::File;
use std::io::BufWriter;

# fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
# use wow_wdl::types::WdlFile;
# let wdl = WdlFile::new();
// Convert pre-Legion WDL to Legion format
let legion_wdl = convert_wdl_file(&wdl, WdlVersion::Legion)?;

// Save the converted file
let output = File::create("converted.wdl")?;
let mut writer = BufWriter::new(output);
WdlParser::with_version(WdlVersion::Legion)
    .write(&mut writer, &legion_wdl)?;
# Ok(())
# }

Implementation Status

License

Licensed under either of

• Apache License, Version 2.0, (LICENSE-APACHE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
• MIT license (LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)

at your option.