.MDS File Extension

An MDS file is an information file that describes the formatting of a CD or DVD. It includes header information, which defines the tracks on the disc and the way the data is organized. MDS files are recorded by disc imaging programs and recognized by standard CD and DVD players.

The MDS file is often found with a corresponding .ISO file or .MDF file, which contains the actual data from the disc. It is similar to a .CUE file, which describes the data stored in a .BIN file.

An MDS file contains settings created and used by TestComplete, an application that allows users to test web, desktop, and mobile programs. It stores project settings that are common for testers, such as the names of project items and the scripting language.

One of the main features of a TestComplete project and project suite is to let you and others test different applications using the same settings. An MDS file holds the settings that allow you to do this. The file is similar to a .PJS file but holds information for just one project instead of a suite of projects.

An MDS file is a 3D skeletal mesh saved in a format used by the first-person shooter video games Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. It contains a triangle mesh, UV maps, references to shaders, and animation data. The animation data MDS files contain is referred to as skeletal animations.

Gray Matter Studios developed Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which was released in 2001. Splash Damage developed Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, which was released in 2003. Both games were initially published by Activision and are now published by Bethesda Softworks.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory both use 3D models saved in the MDS format. Primarily, the games use these models to show player characters and NPCs. MDS files contain animations that are linked to a model's "bones;" they can also include tags used to attach them to other models.

MDS files are not meant to be opened outside the games in which they are used. However, Wolfenstein modders have created the RtCW:ET Blender Model Tools add-on to allow them to open MDS files (and other types of Wolfenstein 3D models) in Blender.