Header Commands

The header commands are designed to define the bulk of the structure for Scene and Room files.

Command	Description	Variables	Usage	Found in
0x00	Defines the start positions list	00xx0000 yyyyyyyy	x is the number of start positons y is the offset of that list (including the bank). Follows the actors list format.	scenes
0x01	Defines the actor list	01xx0000 yyyyyyyy	x is the number of actors y is the offset of that list (including the bank). Follows the actors list format.	rooms
0x02	Cameras used by 0x1B command (MM only?)	02xx0000 yyyyyyyy	x is the number of entries, y is the offset of the entries (including the bank). Follows #Camera Entries format	Unknown
0x03	Defines the collision header	03000000 yyyyyyyy	y is the offset of the collision header (including the bank). Follows the collision format.	scenes
0x04	Defines the maps	04xx0000 yyyyyyyy	x is the number of maps y is the offset of the map list (including the bank). Follows the map list format.	scenes
0x05	Sets the wind (red cloth posts, rain)	05000000 wwzzssff	ww will push the wind westward zz affects the wind vertically ss pushes the wind south ff alters the strength of the cloth flapping Documented by Strati and mzxrules	rooms
0x06	Defines the entrance list	06000000 yyyyyyyy	The number of entrances is undefined, though it is usually equal to the number of start positions (see below) (that the entrance table accesses) y is the offset of that list (including the bank). Follows the entrance list format.	scenes
0x07	Special objects	07??0000 0000xxxx	x is the object to use for the room, either gameplay_field_keep (object 0x0002) or gameplay_dangeon_keep (object 0x0003) Posted on z64 by xdaniel	scenes
0x08	Room behavior	08xx0000 0000yyzz	x affects Sun's Song, backflipping with A y is unknown z affects Link's idle animation OR makes the room "Too Hot". See here.	rooms
0x09	Unused command	09000000 00000000	Has two instructions saving values to the stack, which aren't read before being overwritten. Documented by Strati	rooms (Depth Test)
0x0A	Defines the mesh	0A000000 yyyyyyyy	y is the offset of the mesh header (including the bank). Follows the mesh header format.	rooms
0x0B	Defines the object list	0Bxx0000 yyyyyyyy	x is the number of objects y is the offset of the object list (including the bank). Follows the object list format.	rooms
0x0C	Unused environment settings	0Cxx0000 yyyyyyyy	x is the number of unused environment settings y is the offset of the list (including the bank). Follows the unused environment list format. Discovered by ChriisTiian	Unused (can be used in rooms)
0x0D	Pathways	0D000000 yyyyyyyy	y is the offset of the path list (including the bank). Follows the path list format. Documented by xdaniel	scenes
0x0E	Defines the transition actor list	0Exx0000 yyyyyyyy	x is the number of transition actors y is the offset of that list (including the bank). Follows the transition actors list format.	scenes
0x0F	Defines the environment settings	0Fxx0000 yyyyyyyy	x is the number of environment settings y is the offset of that list (including the bank). Follows the environments list format.	scenes
0x10	Time settings	10000000 xxxxyy00	x = start time (0xFFFF = current game time) y = time speed (signed), default 0xA.	rooms
0x11	Skybox settings	11000000 xx000y00	x = Skybox number (see the skybox list) y = disable if not 0	scenes
0x12	Skybox modifier	12000000 xx000000	Allows skyboxes to be enabled in some rooms of a scene but disabled in others. x = disable sky if not 0 (some backgrounds still appear)	rooms
0x13	Defines the exit list	13000000 yyyyyyyy	y is the offset of the exit list (including the bank). Follows the exit list format.	scenes
0x14	End marker	14000000 00000000	Signals the end of the header	scenes and rooms
0x15	Sound settings	15xx0000 0000yyzz	x = reverb y = Nighttime SFX to play, 0x13 = always playing day track z = track to play Nighttime SFX documented by Strati	scenes
0x16	Sound settings	16000000 000000xx	x = echo	rooms
0x17	Cutscenes	(OoT) 17000000 xxxxxxxx	x = offset of cutscene data (including the bank). Follows the cutscene data format.	scenes
		(MM) 17xx0000 yyyyyyyy	x = Number of cutscenes. y = offset of cutscene data (including the bank). Follows the MM cutscene format.	scenes
0x18	Alternate headers	18000000 xxxxxxxx	x = offset of alternate header list (including the bank). Follows the alternate header list format.	scenes and rooms
0x19	Camera Settings and World Map	19xx0000 000000yy	x = Affects camera movement y = Sets what location of the world map to highlight. See camera settings	scenes
Commands beyond 0x19 are used in Majora's Mask only.
Command	Description	Variables	Usage	Found in
0x1A	Unknown	1A000000 xxxxxxxx	Unknown	scenes
0x1B	Unknown	1Bxx0000 yyyyyyyy	Unknown	scenes
0x1C	Unknown	1C000000 xxxxxxxx	Unknown	scenes
0x1D	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
0x1E	Unknown	1Exx0000 yyyyyyyy	Unknown	scenes

Unreferenced Assets

Some assets stored within scene and room files are only referenced by external files, or not at all.

• Textures that are used by multiple rooms are typically stored in the Scene file to save space.
• Cutscenes that trigger when spawning on a specific entrance are referenced by code (possibly Ocarina of Time only). See On Entrance Cutscenes
• The Spirit Temple in Ocarina of Time has two unreferenced headers in every scene and room, due to the alternate scene header command being absent.

Actors List

Format:
aaaaxxxx yyyyzzzz ppppwwww rrrrvvvv (repeats for each actor)
Where:
a = Actor number
x = Position on x-axis
y = Position on y-axis
z = Position on z-axis
p = Rotation around x-axis
w = Rotation around y-axis
r = Rotation around z-axis
v = initialization variable sent to actor
If the actor is link, use 0 for a and 0xFFF for v

Rooms List

Each room is two pointers, start and end, which game searches for in the file system. Format:
ssssssss eeeeeeee (repeats for each room)
Where:
s = Room virtual address start.
e = Room virtual address end.

Room Behavior

08xx0000 0000yyzz

xx

00 - No effect/restrictions
01 - Prevents the Sun's Song time effect.
02 - Disables jumping through the action button.
05 - ??? (Used only in boss rooms)

yy - Unknown. 01 in Shadow Temple rooms 0, 2, 00 in room 1

zz - Sets extra idle animation OR makes the room too hot without the Goron Tunic

00 - Link tends to stand in place and glance back at the player
01 - Link's cold sneeze
02 - Link wipes his head
03 - Triggers the Heat timer! Camera seems to move in and out rapidly, and ever so slightly for the "heat" effect
04 - Link stretches and yawns?
06 - ?
07 - Bends over and gasps for breath
09 - Brandishes sword even if not equipped
0A - Re-adjusts his tunic?
 
FF - Link hops on Epona (even as a child)

Entrance List

Contains a list of start position and room pairs. Indexed based off of the entrance called by the exit table.
pprr (repeats for each entry)
p = Which start position to use, defined by the start positions list (command 0x00) for the scene
r = Which room to load for this entrance

Mesh Header

Format:
ttcc0000 ssssssss eeeeeeee
Where:
t = type (see below)
c = number of entries
s = start of the entries
e = end of the entries

Mesh type 0

Simple mesh format; render all display lists specified. Format:
xxxxxxxx yyyyyyyy (repeats for each entry)
Where:
x = display list with opaque geometry. Set to 0 if unused.
y = display list with translucent geometry. Set to 0 if unused.

Mesh type 1

This format uses the header slightly differently. e is not the end of the entries, but the ROM address of the JFIF image within the room. Following e are 0x14 unknown bytes, perhaps bounds of some sort. At the offset given by s are the display lists, in the same format as mesh type 0.

Mesh type 2

Mesh that clips if the player is not within certain bounds. Format:
aaaabbbb ccccdddd xxxxxxxx yyyyyyyy (repeats for each entry)
Where:
a and b = X and Z maximum player coordinates to render first display list from,
c and d = X and Z minimum player coordinates to render first display list from,
x = first (close) display list. Set to 0 if unused.
y = second (far) display list. Set to 0 if unused.

Object List

Each entry is a two-byte entry of the object number, of the game's object list. Objects are required to load any actors that are not object 1 or object 2 (if the area is not a dungeon) or object 3 (if the area is a dungeon).

Unused Environment list

tt00 xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
Where tt = environment type:
00 - Nothing
01 - Light coming from outside of the room
02 - Punctual light source

Type 01

Format:
0100 uu00 vvcc cccc 0000 0000 0000
Where:
u = noth-south direction the light is coming from (00 = no light from noth or south, 01-7E = light from north, 7F-FF light from south)
v = east-west direction the light is coming from (00 = no light from east or west, 01-7E = light from east, 7F-FF light from west)
c = RGB color of the light

Type 02

Format:
0200 xx00 yy00 zz00 cccc cc00 rr00
Where:
x = Position on x-axis of the light source
y = Position on y-axis of the light source
z = Position on z-axis of the light source
c = RGB color of the light
r = radius of the emitted light

Path List

Actors which have a "route" to follow, such as the carpenters or the graveyard boy, do not have the route hard-coded within them. Instead, the points which they make straight lines to are mapped out in a list. That is, a point is marked at every turning point, and they follow straight lines between the turning points. The data pointed to by the scene header is a list of:
aa000000 llllllll (repeats for each path)
Where:
a is the number of points for the given path, and
l is the location of the first point of the path
The path pointer list at offset l has a entries, each consisting of:
xxxx yyyy zzzz (repeats for each point of path)
x, y, and z are the (signed) coordinates of the specific point on the path.

xdaniel figured this out while working on SayakaGL, and the information was verified by spinout by reversal of a function which reads the data. (Graveyard boy @ func_809E1E90) (SayakaGL Implementation)

Transition Actors

Scene actors change the room that is loaded. They usually don't have their own collision, it must be part of the collision specified by the collision command in the scene header. Format:
ffmmbbnn aaaaxxxx yyyyzzzz wwwwvvvv (repeats for each transition actor)
Where:
f = Room to switch to when triggered from the front of the object (for doors, the front has the knob on the right)
m = How the camera reacts during the front transition (effects depend on actor, best to experiment; recommended are 0, 0F, and FF)
b = Room to switch to when triggered from the back of the object
n = How the camera reacts during the back transition
a = Actor Number
x = Position along x-axis
y = Position along y-axis
z = Position along z-axis
w = Y rotation
v = actor variable

Environments list

aaaaaa bbbbbb cccccc dddddd eeeeee ffffff gggg hhhh (repeats for each environment type)
Where:
a = Ambient light color (format RRGGBB, usually 0x462D39)
b = First diffuse light direction (format XXYYZZ, usually 0x494949)
c = First diffuse light color [illumination of Link from upside] (format RRGGBB, usually 0xB49A8A)
d = Second diffuse light direction (format XXYYZZ, usually 0xB7B7B7)
e = Second diffuse light color [illumination of Link from downside] (format RRGGBB, usually 0x14143C)
f = Fog color (format RRGGBB)
g = Fog near distance
h = Fog far distance

Exit List

Each entry is a two-byte exit number, from the game's exit list. The length of the list is undefined, the engine assumes all indexes within the list which it asks for exist.

Check out the collision format for more information about exits.

Cutscenes

MM Cutscene Data

Entries
xxxxxxxx yyyyuutt
xx = Offset of cutscene data
yy = Exit
uu = Entrance cutscene activates at
tt = Event flag

Cutscene Header
xxxxxxxx yyyyyyyy
xx = Number of markers
yy = Length (Frames)

Small list of cutscene markers:

0000000A Text
0000005A Camera data
00000066 Zelda
00000070 Epona
00000078 Romani
00000082 Happy mask man
00000096 Sound effects?
00000097 ???
00000098 Screen Transition
00000099 Motion blur?
0000009B ???
0000009C ???
000000C8 Link
000000C9 Tatl
0000012C Play song
0000015E End Cutscene

The formats for these markers should be the same as they are in OoT, except for the camera data.

Alternate Header List

Each entry is the offset (including bank) of the alternate headers for the current scene/room. The number of alternate headers is undefined, but there must be a minimum of three alternate header records, one for all four combination of day/night child/adult when you add in the main header.

Camera Settings

19xx0000 000000yy

xx sets restrictions on both camera movement and c-up camera usage.

00 is used in scenes which don't rely on pre-rendered environments, and have free c-up camera control.
10 is used with shop scenes, which have a fixed camera that switch between two views, and no c-up option
20 is used in scenes which have pre-rendered backgrounds that can rotate, where pressing c-up gives you
a bird eye view.
30 is used in scenes which have pre-rendered backgrounds that are fixed, no c-up option.
40 is used in scenes which have a pre-rendered backgrounds that rotate, but have no c-up option. 
50 is used in the shooting gallery.

For more details on skybox camera attributes, see collision camera data.

yy sets the scene's location on the world map.

00 Hyrule Field / not applicable
01 Kakariko
02 Grave
03 Zora River
04 Kokiri Forest
05 Sacred Forest Meadow
06 Lake Hylia
07 Zora's Domain
08 Zora's Fountain
09 Gerudo Valley
0A Lost woods
0B Desert Colossus
0C Gerudo Fortress
0D Haunted Wasteland
0E Market
0F Hyrule castle
10 Death Mountain Trail
11 Death Mountain Crater
12 Goron City
13 Lon Lon Ranch
14 ? (Windmill/Dampe's Grave)
15 Ganon's Castle
16+ Undefined

Credits

spinout, jsa, cendamos, MNGoldenEagle, xdaniel, fkualol probably others