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PVP Texture Palette

The .pvp (Power VR Palette) file format is a specialized texture palette format used primarily with the Sega Dreamcast’s PowerVR graphics hardware. These files store color palettes for indexed-color PVR textures, allowing developers to efficiently use memory by separating color data from texture data.

Technical Specifications

File Structure

A standard .pvp file contains the following elements:

  1. Header Section

    • Magic Identifier: “PVPL” (4 bytes) - Identifies the file as a PowerVR Palette
    • Data Size: 4-byte integer specifying the size of palette data that follows
    • Format: 1-byte value indicating the color format of the palette entries
    • Entry Count: 2-byte value indicating the number of colors in the palette (typically 16 or 256)
    • Padding: Optional padding bytes for alignment

  2. Palette Data

    • Series of color entries in the specified format
    • Each entry is typically 2 bytes (16-bit) or 4 bytes (32-bit) depending on the format

Color Formats

PVP files support the same color formats as PVR textures:

Format IDNameDescription
0x00ARGB15551-bit alpha, 5-bit RGB (16-bit total)
0x01RGB565No alpha, 5-bit R, 6-bit G, 5-bit B (16-bit total)
0x02ARGB44444-bit alpha, 4-bit RGB (16-bit total)
0x05RGB555No alpha, 5-bit RGB (16-bit total)
0x06ARGB88888-bit alpha, 8-bit RGB (32-bit total)

Usage

Development Context

.pvp files are typically used alongside palettized PVR textures (those with formats PALETTIZE4 or PALETTIZE8). This separation allows:

  1. Memory Efficiency: Multiple textures can share the same palette
  2. Color Swapping: Changing the palette allows for quick texture variations without duplicating texture data
  3. Optimization: The Dreamcast’s PowerVR hardware has dedicated palette memory for efficient rendering

Loading Process

When working with palettized textures:

  1. Load the .pvp file into palette memory
  2. Load the associated palettized .pvr texture
  3. The rendering hardware/API combines the texture indices with the palette colors during rendering

Creating PVP Files

Typically, .pvp files were created using:

  • Official Sega Dreamcast SDK tools
  • Tools like PVRTool
  • Custom exporters for modeling software

Implementation Example

typedef struct {
    char        magic[4];       // "PVPL"
    uint32_t    data_size;      // Size of palette data
    uint8_t     format;         // Color format (e.g., RGB565)
    uint16_t    entry_count;    // Number of palette entries
    uint8_t     padding;        // Padding byte for alignment
} PVPHeader;


// Function to load a PVP file
bool load_pvp_palette(const char* filename, uint16_t* palette, int max_entries) {
    FILE* file = fopen(filename, "rb");
    if (!file) return false;


    PVPHeader header;
    fread(&header, sizeof(PVPHeader), 1, file);


    // Validate magic identifier
    if (memcmp(header.magic, "PVPL", 4) != 0) {
        fclose(file);
        return false;
    }


    // Read palette entries (limit to max_entries or header.entry_count, whichever is smaller)
    int entries_to_read = (header.entry_count < max_entries) ? header.entry_count : max_entries;
    fread(palette, sizeof(uint16_t), entries_to_read, file);


    fclose(file);
    return true;
}

Compatibility

The .pvp format is primarily associated with:

  • Sega Dreamcast development
  • PowerVR-based arcade hardware
  • Certain mobile PowerVR implementations

Most modern texture formats have moved away from palettized textures, but understanding the .pvp format remains relevant for:

  • Dreamcast game preservation and emulation
  • Retro game development targeting the Dreamcast
  • Working with legacy PowerVR content