CA3 File

What are CA3 files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CA3 file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your CA3 files.

What is a CA3 file?

CA3 files have multiple uses, and Crack Art Bitmap is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Crack Art Bitmap

Crack Art high-resolution images store full-detail monochrome graphics created by the Crack Art drawing program on the Atari ST by Detlef Röttger and Jan Borchers. These files capture fine line art and drawings in high resolution so artists can work with sharp, precise visuals where each pixel is important.

The files are generated by Crack Art when the user selects the highest available display mode (resolution = high). Pixels are stored in a planar (monochrome) format without a color palette. Images can be saved either raw (uncompressed) or using Crack Art's built-in compression scheme. Programs such as image converters or viewers aimed at Atari ST formats can read them and transform them into standard bitmap images for use on modern hardware.

Files of this format begin with the ASCII magic number CA followed by a compression flag (0 for uncompressed, 1 for compressed) and a resolution byte (2 for high resolution). No palette data follows in this mode because monochrome graphics do not require one. If uncompressed, the image data occupies exactly 32 000 bytes of raw screen memory. The byte signature at offset 0 (43 41 00 02 in hex, "CA" then compression=0, resolution=2) uniquely identifies uncompressed high-res Crack Art bitmaps.

How to open CA3 files

Important: Different programs may use files with the CA3 file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your CA3 file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested five different CA3 openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 25, 2026

All known file formats using extension .CA3

While Crack Art Bitmap is a popular type of CA3-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .CA3 file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Tales Runner Animation

Tales Runner Animation (v3) files store animation data for character models used in the game Tales Runner. These files supply skeletal motion or frame-based actions for characters, such as walking, jumping, or other pre-defined animations, allowing the game engine to play back character motions. They are created by the game's content tools as part of its asset pipeline.

Files are bundled inside the game's asset packages and loaded at runtime by Tales Runner when the gameplay requires the corresponding character animation. Game editors or modding tools may also use these files to import, preview or convert character motions for adjustment or reuse in external graphics or modeling software.

Every file begins with a header signature, CharAnimationFile3 in ASCII, located at byte offset 0x0. This signature identifies the version of the format (v3) and distinguishes it from earlier or unrelated formats.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of CA3 files. Remember, different programs may use CA3 files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

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