Start here
Open the right folder, then let Ariane do the rest.
Ariane reads the world directly from a classic PC game installation. Give it a safe workspace before you make the first change.
The default save target is the file Ariane loaded. That can be an original game file or a file owned by another mod.
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1
Get Ariane
Download the Windows package from the community Discord and keep all included files together.
Open the Ariane Discord -
2
Extract it into the game root
Put Ariane beside
gta3.exe,gta-vc.exe, orgta_sa.exe. The nearbydatafolder is how Ariane detects the game. -
3
Launch Ariane
Open Ariane from that folder. It loads the game’s DAT, IDE, IPL, models, textures and collisions into one editable 3D world.
The editor does not require ariane.asi
Install the plugin only if you want Test in Game or San Andreas Hot Reload. Those live-game features are Windows-only and also require a working ASI loader.
Your first edit
Place one object in five minutes.
Follow this once from top to bottom. Every larger workflow in Ariane builds on the same loop.
Find the place
Hold WASD to fly. Drag with the left mouse button to look, middle-drag to pan, and use the wheel to change the field of view.
Pick an object
Press B. Search or browse a category, select a model, choose Place, then click the world. Hold Shift while clicking to place more than one.
Put it exactly where you want it
Click the object. Press W for the move gizmo or Q for rotate, then drag an axis. Hold Shift while dragging for the snap increment configured in Tools.
Seat it on the ground
Press G to snap the selection down. Use Shift+G when the object should also follow the surface angle.
Review, choose a target, save
Press F to inspect Changes. Choose File → Save Target, then press Ctrl+S. Read the save section below before doing this in a real project.
Save safely
Choose where Ariane writes.
File → Save Target changes the destination. It does not change what Ariane loaded into the editor.
Loaded source files
Writes back to the files Ariane actually loaded.
- Use when intentionally editing that exact map or mod.
- For modloader maps, this can be a file inside the active mod.
- Existing streamed instances can be persisted to their IMG data.
Export copy to modloader/Ariane
Writes an override under modloader/Ariane.
- Useful for a new, isolated modloader project.
- Leaves the loaded source file untouched.
- Ariane warns when another mod may still win the same path.
Ariane can edit existing streamed instances inside IMG archives, but GTA may lock those archives while running. If Ariane blocks the operation, close the game and use Save. New placements are written to a custom text IPL rather than inserted into a binary IPL.
Automatic backups
A second safety net is already on.
By default, Ariane snapshots modified IPLs and dirty San Andreas path areas after five idle seconds, at most every 300 seconds, and keeps ten snapshots.
<game>/ariane/automatic_backupsConfigure or run one now in Tools → Automatic Backups.Unsaved water.dat edits are not included in automatic IPL backups. Save water work deliberately.
Workflows
What do you want to build?
Start with the outcome. Open a guide only when you need it.
01Place and arrange objectsThe everyday editing loop
Find & place
The Object Browser has Categories, IDE, Search, Favourites and Prefabs tabs. Switch between a compact list and thumbnail tiles, then choose Place.
Select precisely
Click to replace selection, Shift-click to add, Alt-click to remove, or Ctrl-click to toggle. Shift-drag an empty part of the viewport for a rectangle selection.
Transform together
The gizmo moves or rotates every selected object as one group. Copy, cut and paste preserve a reusable selection, with LOD-aware placement where supported.
Verify the change
Press F for a chronological, color-and-label Changes view. Undo/redo covers the current editing session; save when the result is correct.
02Paint and scatter with the BrushFast placement for vegetation, debris and repeated props
- Open Object Browser with B and choose an object.
- Open Tools with X, expand Brush, and choose Start Brush.
- Click to place one burst or drag to paint continuously. Right-drag looks around; middle-drag pans or orbits.
- Press Esc or middle-click to leave Brush mode.
Each click or paint burst is grouped into one undo step. Use spacing and delay together to control continuous painting.
03Turn a selection into a PrefabSave a composition once, place it anywhere
.arianePlace from PrefabsPrefabs keep the relative layout of up to 256 instances. File-menu and drag-and-drop imports place the composition immediately in front of the camera. For a placement ghost you can position before clicking, use the Object Browser’s Prefabs tab.
04Import a custom objectSan Andreas only · writes to modloader/Ariane
A COL is optional; Ariane can generate collision from the DFF geometry. Matching sibling files are detected when you drop a DFF, TXD or COL onto the window.
- Choose File → Import Custom Object or drag a matching file onto Ariane.
- Confirm a free object ID, model and TXD names, draw distance, IDE flags and collision source.
- Import. Ariane registers the files under
modloader/Arianeand places one instance in front of the camera. Use the Object Browser for more.
Names may contain letters, numbers and underscores; model names are limited to 23 characters. Complex multi-entry COL files may need cleanup before import.
05Edit San Andreas water and streamed pathsAdvanced, game-specific workflows
Water editor
Press H, then use Polygon mode for whole shapes or Tab into Vertex mode for precision. Create quads or triangles, duplicate, delete, grid-snap, set Z, and tune flow plus wave values.
Water has its own undo history. In water mode, Ctrl + S saves water.dat.
Streamed paths
Inspect car and pedestrian path previews, select nodes and edit link or navi data. Path nodes cannot move across their 8×8 area boundary.
Path changes use the separate Save SA Path Areas action—not Save All IPLs.
06Inspect, filter and exportUnderstand the map before changing it
ariane/dff-txd-exports
Some overlays are inspection tools rather than editable data. Save actions are explicit when a workflow supports persistence.
Close the loop
See the edit in game.
The live-game tools are optional. Both require Windows, a working ASI loader and ariane.asi somewhere under the game folder.
Test in Game
Saves your supported changes, launches GTA III, Vice City or San Andreas, and places the player near Ariane’s current camera.
III · VC · SAHot Reload
Applies supported add, move and delete changes to a running San Andreas game without a full restart.
SA onlyClose the game and Save when your changed instance lives inside an IMG archive.
Controls
Find a command when you need it.
Search by action, key or context. Ariane also includes the canonical searchable list under Window → Keyboard Shortcuts.
No controls match that search.
Troubleshooting
When something does not look right.
Ariane does not detect my game.
Run Ariane from the classic PC game root—not Downloads and not a nested tools folder. The same folder should contain the game executable and a data directory with gta3.dat, gta_vc.dat, or gta.dat.
My saved modloader copy does not appear in game.
modloader/Ariane is an override copy. Another mod with the same logical IPL path can shadow it. Check Ariane’s warning, inspect modloader priorities, or switch Save Target to the loaded source when you intentionally want to edit that active mod.
Hot Reload says this streamed change is unsupported.
The changed instance is stored in a binary IPL inside an IMG archive. GTA keeps that archive open. Close GTA, press Ctrl + S in Ariane, then launch the game again.
Test in Game cannot find ariane.asi.
Install ariane.asi in the game root or a subfolder scanned by your ASI loader. Confirm the loader works with your game version. Editing and normal saving remain available without the plugin.
I need to recover an automatic backup.
Close Ariane and the game, choose a snapshot, and read its manifest.txt. Text IPL and path files can be restored to their matching paths after you preserve the current files. Items under streaming/ are individual archive-entry payloads—not complete IMG files. Reinsert those with an IMG-aware tool or use a valid loose modloader override; never copy one over gta3.img. Ask in Discord if you are unsure.
Custom object import cannot continue.
Custom import is for San Andreas. Check that the DFF and TXD exist, the object ID is free, and names use only letters, numbers or underscores. Model names must fit the 23-character limit. Try auto-generated collision if an external COL has incompatible entries.
Reference & support