Useful Information & Troubleshooting

Guide for Sketchfab/ArtStation Ripper

Revision 3 - last updated 09/06/2022

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Contents
1 Information 4
1.1 URLs in this document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 ”3D Ripper Pro” and other similar tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 The Dyno bot’s ”help” message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 sfConfig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.5 Latest version: v1.18.0 beta 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2 Common issues 6
2.1 Distorted textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.2 ”URL is not supported” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.3 Converted files not present in ”downloads” folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.4 ”Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReaderException” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.5 Pasting (Ctrl+V) a link crashes the tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3 Less common issues 8

3.1 ”Unable to save SketchfabRipper.ini” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.2 ”Marmoset viewer data not found” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.3 Stuck converting Sketchfab animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.4 Broken Sketchfab animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.5 Empty model file when ripping from Sketchfab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.6 Missing/broken parts on Sketchfab model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.7 Marmoset Viewer models broken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.8 Marmoset Viewer models not rigged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.9 Errors involving MSVC/VCRUNTIME DLL files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.10 System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.11 Tool crashes on Windows 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.12 Point clouds from Sketchfab don’t work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.13 ”How do I get Sketchfab models in a T-pose?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.14 Animations aren’t exported . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.15 Sketchfab models don’t have quads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

4 Retarded issues 10
4.1 ”I can’t rip from [insert link to page without 3D viewer]!” . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.2 3dcadbrowser.com & shapeways.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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4.3 ”[plug-in] is broken, fix it!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.4 ”sfConfigGenerator does nothing and closes immediately!” . . . . . . . 11
4.5 Sketchfab model not visible in Blender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.6 Spector.js not working or giving watermarked textures . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.7 Textures extracted with Spector.js are too small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.8 2D view not available for Sketchfab model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.9 Tool stuck on ”Dumping .binz files...” and opens a Chrome window . . . 12
4.10 Missing textures when ripping a Sketchfab model . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.11 ”The tool isn’t downloading all the formats offered by Sketchfab!” . . . . 12
4.12 Tool doesn’t run on Windows 95 with 16 MB of RAM . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.13 Tool crashes on Windows 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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1 Information

1.1 URLs in this document

Some of the URLs in this document link to specific posts in the ”3D Model Server”
on Discord. If you use the Discord desktop application, these links may not open as
expected and will redirect to the Discord login page in your browser. If that happens,
just log in and you should see the post. If you’re not a member of the ”3D Model
Server”, these links won’t work.

1.2 ”3D Ripper Pro” and other similar tools

3dripper.com, sketchfab-ripper.com, hash512.com and rigmodels.com have all sold a
tool (currently named ”3D Ripper Pro”) which has contained malware such as crypto-
currency miners and clippers. See here for more information. While it is true that
”3D Ripper Pro” can export Sketchfab textures correctly, it can only do so on a small
number of low-quality models that the tool’s developer archived before Sketchfab im-
plemented texture obfuscation. For those who are interested, the archived files can
be found at http://s1.3dripper.com/3DModels/ and http://s2.3dripper.com/3DModels/.
Feel free to waste money on ”3D Ripper Pro”, but you do so at your own risk.

1.3 The Dyno bot’s ”help” message

If you’ve been a member of the ”3D Model Server” long enough, you’ll know that any
message containing the word ”help” will trigger a reply by the Dyno bot. While it may
appear helpful, unfortunately, following those instructions will often lead to more is-
sues. The build of Sketchfab/ArtStation Ripper linked by the bot is broken and should
not be used. Several plug-ins are missing, and ”Enable conversion” has been set to
”False” which often leads to confusion when users don’t find the converted files in their
”downloads” folder. Instead, use the build linked here and apply this update.

1.4 sfConfig
Due to site changes, the Sketchfab plug-in is unable to extract the sfConfig value
automatically. Unfortunately, the latest (private) build of SketchfabPlugin is incompat-
ible with v1.18.0 beta 2 and there probably won’t ever be a ”next version”. For now, an

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alternative solution is to use sfConfigGenerator and a batch file to get the latest value,
then to update it manually in SketchfabRipper.ini and set the file to read-only. An
alternative batch file which automates the whole process can be found here. Note:
sfConfigGenerator extracts some values from Sketchfab’s viewer and encrypts them
before printing the result. The generated string is not unique to any specific user, nor
is it usable by any third-party software. There is no risk in sharing the string publicly
(considering that anyone, even Sketchfab, can generate the same value by simply run-
ning sfConfigGenerator), yet for some reason posting it in the #sketchfab channel
may lead to a ban, so posting it there is discouraged.

1.5 Latest version: v1.18.0 beta 2

If you’re using a version older than 1.18.0 beta 2, don’t be surprised if your downloads
fail or get stuck. The ”Check for updates” button doesn’t check for beta releases, so
even if it says ”No updates found” there may be a newer version available. If the tool
opens a Chrome window while downloading or displays ”Dumping .binz files...” (newer
versions show ”Decrypting .binz files...”), you’re using an old version and should update
before reporting an issue on Discord. Use the links in section 1.3 to download the latest
build.

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2 Common issues

2.1 Distorted textures

If your textures look similar to the example shown above, don’t bother reporting it.
This has been a known issue for several months, and there are currently no plans to
fix it. However, there are alternative manual methods for extracting them. One such
method involves using Spector.js. Several video tutorials have been provided in the
#sketchfab channel on Discord, such as [1], [2] and [3]. It’s also possible to use
Ninja Ripper with the Pale Moon browser. If you choose to use Ninja Ripper, keep
in mind that all the textures will need flipping - there’s a useful utility for that here,
just extract it to the folder containing DDS files and run convert.bat . There’s also
a recently-released Android application which is able to extract textures, but it shows
advertisements, requires an emulator to run on PC and doesn’t support password-
protected or restricted models. It’s also a very time-consuming process if the model
has many textures - Ninja Ripper is usually the best choice for such models. More
information here.

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FAQ

1.
• Q: Can I skip downloading textures since they’re all broken?
• A: No.

2.
• Q: Is there an automated method to rename textures downloaded through
Spector.js to the names assigned by the ripper?
• A: No.

2.2 ”URL is not supported”

99% of the times this error is shown, it’s because your antivirus is blocking the plug-in
files or has deleted them altogether. The message is misleading - it doesn’t mean that
the URL is unsupported, just that the tool couldn’t find or load a plug-in which supports
it. The message has been amended in the update linked in section 1.3. Does the issue
persist even when you’ve disabled your antivirus? Then you’re missing something -
perhaps the files are being extracted to a temporary folder which isn’t whitelisted, or
you’ve downloaded an incomplete copy of the ripper. The odds of this error being an
issue with the tool are very small - every single time users have posted this issue on
Discord, it’s been a problem with their antivirus.

2.3 Converted files not present in ”downloads” folder

As mentioned in section 1.3, the files provided by the Dyno bot are incomplete and
will cause issues. Set EnableConversion=True in SketchfabRipper.ini , or re-
download the ripper from the links in section 1.3.

2.4 ”Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReaderException”
You need to update the sfConfig value in SketchfabRipper.ini . See section 1.4 for
more information. Make sure SketchfabRipper.ini is set to read-only after updating
the value, otherwise the tool will overwrite it.

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2.5 Pasting (Ctrl+V) a link crashes the tool
Known issue which is probably caused by the obfuscation applied to SketchfabRipper.exe .
Whether this issue presents itself or not seems to vary between PCs. Workaround:
Right-click the text box and click ”Paste” instead of using Ctrl+V.

3 Less common issues

3.1 ”Unable to save SketchfabRipper.ini”

This usually only happens if you’ve applied the sfConfig fix which involves setting
SketchfabRipper.ini to read-only, and you’re trying to change some options. Re-
move the read-only flag before opening the Options menu.

3.2 ”Marmoset viewer data not found”

This message has changed in the latest update (see section 1.3) and is now more
descriptive, but if you’re running an older version then this error is only thrown when
there isn’t a Marmoset Viewer file on a model’s page. If you want to rip a model
from ArtStation, CGTrader or TurboSquid, it must have an interactive (freely rotatable,
zoomable) 3D viewer. 360◦ views don’t count since they’re just a set of images.

3.3 Stuck converting Sketchfab animations

Known issue caused by the obfuscation applied to SketchfabPlugin.dll . Work-
arounds exist and have been posted many times in the server before - example. Old
versions can be found here.

3.4 Broken Sketchfab animations

This is a known issue with the scripts used to import animations - the script wasn’t
originally mine and unfortunately I haven’t got time to fix it. Some models work, others
don’t.

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3.5 Empty model file when ripping from Sketchfab
Try the different modes listed in the ”Conversion” tab of the Options menu - some
models will only work in Static mode, while others only work in Rigged mode. If the
issue persists, try changing ”Send to start pose”. If that doesn’t fix the issue, the scripts
may not be able to convert that model. Buy the model or rip it using Ninja Ripper with
the Pale Moon browser instead.

3.6 Missing/broken parts on Sketchfab model

In some very rare cases, models ripped from Sketchfab may have missing or broken
(incorrectly scaled/positioned, corrupt geometry) parts. The cause of this issue is
unknown, so a fix is not being worked on.

3.7 Marmoset Viewer models broken

This is an issue with the conversion scripts caused by high polygon counts, use the
individual OBJ/FBX files instead of the single, merged file.

3.8 Marmoset Viewer models not rigged

The script used to convert .mview files does not support bones or animations.

3.9 Errors involving MSVC/VCRUNTIME DLL files

Make sure you have all the necessary Visual C++ runtimes installed. Click here for an
all-in-one installer, or click here to download them individually from Microsoft.

3.10 System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception
You’ve probably downloaded a broken copy of the ripper, or your antivirus has deleted
some of its files. Re-download the ripper from the links in section 1.3 and make sure
your antivirus isn’t interfering with the tool or the extraction process.

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3.11 Tool crashes on Windows 7
Is PresentationFramework.Aero2.dll in the same folder as SketchfabRipper.exe ?
The file was accidentally left out in v1.18.0 beta 2, so users who haven’t been updating
from older versions may be missing it. If the file is present, is it ~165 KB in size? The
file should be ~251 KB, if it’s not then you’ll need to re-download it. Download the file
here and place it next to SketchfabRipper.exe . You may also need to unblock the
file - right-click it in Explorer, select ”Properties” and tick the ”Unblock” box near the
bottom.

3.12 Point clouds from Sketchfab don’t work

Point clouds are not supported.

3.13 ”How do I get Sketchfab models in a T-pose?”

If the model is rigged, uncheck ”Send to start pose” in the ”Conversion” tab of the
Options menu.

3.14 Animations aren’t exported

If the model uses morphs for animation, it won’t work. Only bone-based animations
are supported.

3.15 Sketchfab models don’t have quads

Sketchfab doesn’t use quads in the viewer - model_file_wireframe.bin contains
line data used to draw the overlay in the wireframe view, there isn’t any polygon in-
formation.

4 Retarded issues

4.1 ”I can’t rip from [insert link to page without 3D viewer]!”

Buy the model.

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4.2 3dcadbrowser.com & shapeways.com
Cloud-based viewers which deliver a sequence of images to your PC. Impossible to
rip from.

4.3 ”[plug-in] is broken, fix it!”

If a plug-in is broken, a fix may or may not be released depending on multiple factors,
such as the complexity of the fix, whether I have time, popular demand, etc. There
are currently no plans to fix Sketchfab textures or the sfConfig issue. v1.18.0 beta 2
is probably the last version I’ll ever release, so don’t expect updates anytime soon.

4.4 ”sfConfigGenerator does nothing and closes immediately!”

sfConfigGenerator is a COMMAND-LINE tool. Running it from Explorer will not work.
It should either be run from the Command Prompt by passing a Sketchfab model ID as
an argument (e.g. sfConfigGenerator.exe 9688985db84d447580d40e40e1649407 ),
or from a batch script (such as this (automatic update) or this (manual update)) which
automatically passes the correct arguments. If it still appears to be doing nothing after
running it properly, be patient. It may take a while to extract the necessary values.

4.5 Sketchfab model not visible in Blender

Scaling the model down by a factor of 100 or 1000 usually fixes this, use a higher
value if necessary.

4.6 Spector.js not working or giving watermarked textures

Try again and/or keep looking. The method works, but if you don’t know what you’re
doing it can take a few tries to get it right. I don’t use this method myself so unfortu-
nately I can’t offer any support for it.

4.7 Textures extracted with Spector.js are too small

Tick the ”Full Capture” box before capturing.

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4.8 2D view not available for Sketchfab model
The 2D view isn’t necessary to extract textures, use the 3D view instead.

4.9 Tool stuck on ”Dumping .binz files...” and opens a Chrome window
You’re using an old version, probably 1.17.x. Update to 1.18.0 beta 2 - see section 1.4
for download links.

4.10 Missing textures when ripping a Sketchfab model

The model probably uses vertex colours.

4.11 ”The tool isn’t downloading all the formats offered by Sketchfab!”
The ripper downloads content from the Sketchfab viewer, not from their model repos-
itory containing the original files. It’s possible to download the source files of free
content and assets that you’ve purchased or own by using the ”Sign in to Sketchfab”
feature, but if you don’t have access to them then the tool only downloads files which
Sketchfab provides to the viewer.

4.12 Tool doesn’t run on Windows 95 with 16 MB of RAM

Update Windows and get a better PC. This also applies to any Windows version prior
to 7, and 32-bit PCs in general.

4.13 Tool crashes on Windows 11

The tool has only been tested on Windows 10.

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