COL Palette File Format
256-color RGB palette format.
Each file maps color indices (0–255) to RGB values. Models reference palette entries via color_index in solid-color face data (see 3D.md).
Overall Structure
All COL files are exactly 776 bytes.
| Offset | Size | Type | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0x00 | 4 | u32 | file_size | Always 776. |
| 0x04 | 4 | u32 | magic | Always 0x0000B123. |
| 0x08 | 768 | [u8; 768] | palette | 256 × RGB triplets (3 bytes each, values 0–255). |
Palette entry N is at offset 8 + N × 3, yielding bytes (R, G, B).
Usage
COL files are per-scene, not per-model. Different levels use different palettes (e.g. ISLAND.COL, CATACOMB.COL). The same color_index in a model’s face data produces different colors depending on which palette is active.
Entry 0 is always (0, 0, 0) — black.
Related Formats
- TEXBSI — the
CMAPsubrecord in animated TEXBSI images uses the identical 256 × RGB triplet layout (768 bytes). CMAP palettes are embedded per-image; COL palettes are per-scene. - FNT — font files embed their own
BPAL/FPALpalettes (same 768-byte layout), independent of scene COL palettes.
External References
- UESP: Mod:Palette Files — dedicated Redguard COL page with the 8-byte header + 768-byte palette layout.
- UESP: User:Daveh/Redguard File Formats — COL size and palette usage notes.