"23" Mod Coming With Updated Roster And Animations $New Top 10 Key Notes$

[Andrew]

Hello gang been awhile since i done anything simply because i stopped modding around 2K14 with the gleague mod,But i am here now in 2K23 thread with something totally new...First i'd like to thank the modding community for all the threads and research that allowed me to do and make this happen!!So with those thanks lets get into the details a little bit! This mod will change the gameplay of your NBA2K23 from the way they Run,Rebound,Pass,BoxOut,Ally etc!Some things aren't compatible with NBA2K23 but some files are from the newer versions of the game such as 24,25!! Sigshots when importing sigshots it crashes the game so i tend to stay away from those for now until i figure out more about the file structure!So the roster is currently updated i am still working on that i intend to release this mod sometime next year before the end of the season..Things you will need CF from 2Kspecialist or Shuajota as some of the faces are there but you may need to rename the png files to the ones in my roster...There will be fictional faces that look similar to the players the best i could do some of the fictional faces i used 2K25 textures so they look really good!

I have alot more to work on with this mod but stay tuned i am really working hard on this to at least keep this game alive as its probably the last game we are able to mod this effectively!!
Well here is a quick first look give me some time to get videos up!!

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one thing about the clippers court i changed the lines and such but i didint how to i change the apron file but maybe i'll give it another shot i think i may have a solution not sure yet

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[kidhybrid89]

I'm interested in seeing what you've come up with.

[Devilish]

I'm interested in seeing what you've come up with.

I am still doing research on the mocap animations some obviously wont work but some will considering 2K seem to use things from older games i've even seen files from 2K1 but it will crash the game!Some movements and layups and contacts will work but some will not it just simply crashes the game but i am taking extra time to see which files will and will not work! In example if you replace a sigshot it might crash the game or if you simply place a sigshot in game that isnt in 23 it will just not show up but other things do work in some aspect

[Devilish]

New video only way to really display this is by playing the game so hopefully i've captured some animations not seen in here

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and obviously im not trying to win these games so don't judge my gameplay lol

[Devilish]

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[Devilish]

So here is something thing that i have found doing research any help with this would be awesome, Mainly about the bone mapping parts!!

To make NBA 2K25 motions work in NBA 2K23, you need to "Retarget" the animations. This process takes the movement from the 2K25 skeleton and maps it onto the 2K23 skeleton using Blender.

1. The Core Tool: Blender Plugin
You need a specific plugin to import and export .iff model and animation data.

The Add-on: Use the NBA 2K Blender Tools (originally by gregkwaste, updated by Trevorjpt33 and looyh).

Where to find it: Search the NLSC (NBA Live Series Center) downloads section or the EyeUC forums for "NBA 2K25 Blender Plugin" and "NBA 2K23 Blender Plugin."

Requirement: You often need specific versions of Blender (like 2.93 or 3.6 LTS) depending on which version of the plugin you find.

2. Identifying and Mapping Bones
Once you have the armatures (skeletons) imported into Blender, you will notice 2K25 has more bones than 2K23. You must use a Retargeting Add-on (like the free Rokoko plugin or the Mwni Animation Retargeting tool for Blender) to bridge them.

Common Bone Map Equivalents: | 2K25 Bone Name (Source) | 2K23 Bone Name (Target) | | :--- | :--- | | Pelvis | Hips | | L_Thigh | LeftUpLeg | | R_Calf | RightLeg | | Spine_03 | Chest | | L_UpperArm | LeftArm |

ProPlay Bones: 2K25 includes extra bones for jersey and muscle simulation. When mapping, ignore these or set them to "Static." 2K23 does not have the engine slots to read them.

[Devilish]

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[Devilish]

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One thing i did notice was how difficult some shots have become which seems more realistic for basketball.The players try multiple put back attempts while being contested in the vanilla version of the game some layups were automatic

[jshgmnz_ph]

phpBB [video]

One thing i did notice was how difficult some shots have become which seems more realistic for basketball.The players try multiple put back attempts while being contested in the vanilla version of the game some layups were automatic

Have you ever accomplished exporting the 2k25 animations to 2k23? or is it still impossible atm?

[Devilish]

One thing i did notice was how difficult some shots have become which seems more realistic for basketball.The players try multiple put back attempts while being contested in the vanilla version of the game some layups were automatic

Have you ever accomplished exporting the 2k25 animations to 2k23? or is it still impossible atm?

not possible atm but i did notice that there are bone structures similar inside of the png files but that would involve trying to rename all bones for all players too much work
i seen that there was a plugin for 25 using models in blender but i never had that work for me never could import it to take a look at the model

[Devilish]

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[Devilish]

The gameplay seems a bit different i really still haven't figured out how to get good shots off or just plainly knock down jump shots it seems more difficult but here is another video trying to capture some things the roster and cf still need updates i'll get around to that at some point again.I did encounter a bug upon loading it will get to 99% sometimes and just hang but restarting the game seems to make it work anyway but i'll try and see what the issue is i am assuming its the load trying to read files in the game that are not there and it is hanging!I did some ambient stuff with the crowd and refs so maybe some animations somewhere is stalling the loading process anyway hopefully you see some differences in gameplay

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[Devilish]

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[Devilish]

--------- Key Notes-----------
How Override Works

When the game loads:

It checks the main game directory.

Then it checks the mods folder.

If it finds a file with the same exact filename, it loads the mods version instead.
-----Key Notes--------
What Would Work

A 2K23-edited nbaanimations.iff → works ---I've Already Done Almost Double The Size Of The Original File!!




A merged 2K23-based file with rebuilt 2K25 animations → maybe works (advanced)--A bit much


------Key Notes-------
Raw 2K25 file dropped into 2K23 → almost guaranteed crash
tip for merging 2K25 animations into 2K23:

Extract skeleton/rig info from 2K23.

Rebuild 2K25 animations to match that skeleton exactly.

Use a hex editor or specialized tool to ensure animation chunk offsets align with 2K23 expectations.

This is a lot of extreme work maybe something I can look into later on down the road but among playing my own games, making my own MMO game and Modding I don't want to spend extreme amounts of time on this...It is simply to give a different feel to NBA2k23 and try to keep the modding updated!!!

--------Key Notes--------------Not Positive But Something I Will Try

Make an Additional nba_animations.iff for 2K23
Start with 2K23 skeleton/template:

Extract the original 2K23 nba_animations.iff.

You need its skeleton, bone structure, and IFF headers as a reference.

Prepare the new animations:

If using 2K25 animations, you must rebuild them to fit 2K23 bones and metadata.

Tools like 3ds Max + NBA 2K plugin or NBA 2K modding tools can retarget animations. ---Which I already have the education version!!

Create a new IFF file:

Duplicate the structure of the original nba_animations.iff.

Insert your new animations into unused slots or as additional chunks.

Make sure pointers/offsets are correct. Any mismatch here can crash the game. ----Can use help i think this is where the game crashes on 99% loading and is fine when restarting and trying again!

Test in a controlled way:

Keep the original nba_animations.iff untouched.

Load only your new IFF in a test build first.

Verify animations play correctly for player models.



Seems a bit rough but maybe if i look into this a little more when i actually have free time, but I am posting the notes here in hopes to get some help, some advice maybe some insight we all worked together to make this community happen I'll do what i can with my extra time for us

[kidhybrid89]

Lots of good info here. I don't mess with the animations much but really cool to see the progress being made here.

[Devilish]

Lots of good info here. I don't mess with the animations much but really cool to see the progress being made here.

Thanks appreciate the notice

[Devilish]

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[Devilish]

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[Devilish]

Things to keep in mind when attempting this!!
Porting 2K25 Mocap Animations Into NBA 2K23 – Why It Works
Core Discovery

The animation engine between NBA 2K23 and NBA 2K25 still uses a compatible mocap format, which allows mocap animation data to be swapped between games if the container structure is preserved.

Instead of importing new animation containers, replacing the mocap clips inside existing containers keeps the engine stable.

You Can start here
1. Extract Mocap Files

Extract animation files from nba_animations.iff in NBA 2K25.

The important files are the SINGLEMOCAP clips inside ANM containers.
Studying files from my 2K14 modding days helped a lot here in knowing the file structure
Example container names:

ANM_2K1_*
ANM_2K5_*


2. Preserve the Original Container Structure Or else crash into the heavens

The critical step is not replacing the animation containers themselves.

Instead:

Keep NBA 2K23 ANM containers
↓
Replace the mocap data inside them

This prevents crashes because:

container headers stay valid

animation indices remain correct

the engine still finds the expected animation IDs = Which I have not tried replacing it just seems it would give more crashes and headaches rather than results




3.Import Mocap From 2K25

Workflow:

Extract mocap from NBA2K25
↓
Open nba_animations.iff from NBA2K23
↓
Drag and drop mocap files into existing ANM containers
↓
Rebuild archive

Tools used for container editing:

WinRAR

7-Zip


4. Why the Game Accepts These Animations
Skeleton Compatibility

The player skeleton structure appears mostly unchanged between versions.

This means:

Bone names
Bone hierarchy
Bone indices

are compatible enough for mocap playback.

Mocap Format Is Unchanged

The SINGLEMOCAP animation format used by the engine appears identical between:

NBA 2K23

NBA 2K24

NBA 2K25

Because of this:

animation frames
bone transforms
timing data

can be read without conversion

5.
Animation Index Tables Remain Valid

The game references animations using an internal index table.

Example concept:

Animation ID
↓
ANM container
↓
mocap clip

Since the containers were not renamed or reordered, the index table still points to valid data.

6. AnimGraph Compatibility

Animation flow is controlled by the AnimGraph state machine.

Examples of states: --- Already changed and tested this hopefully it shows in the videos

Idle
Run
Sprint
Dribble
Shoot
Dunk

Because the state machine structure is unchanged, replacing mocap clips does not break transitions.


7. Signs the Port Is Working Correctly --- Here is exactly what I have been testing the gameplay feels completely different for me

Successful ports will show:

gameplay animations from 2K25 appearing in game ---- I think it is about triggering animations at the right location and time on the court, You can see some players out of nowhere catch it off the rim,or multiple attempts at rebounds

minimal or no crashes

smooth transitions between states

correct player locomotion

Key animations to test:

| Currently Testing |

Run / Sprint
Momentum dribble
Gather steps
Contact dunks
Defensive slides


8. Important Stability Notes
Do NOT Replace Placeholder Animations

Some mocap files inside containers are very small:

~40 bytes

These are placeholder animations.

Replacing them can cause:

animation freezes

looping bugs

crashes

9. Replace Complete Animation Sets

Animations often rely on grouped clips.

Example locomotion set:

run_start
run_loop
run_stop
turn_left
turn_right

Replacing only one animation can cause blending issues.

10. Benefits of This Method

• Allows newer animations to run in older games
• Improves gameplay feel without editing engine code
• Keeps animation index system intact
• Reduces crashes compared to importing new containers
Current Results

Using this method:

2K25 mocap animations can run inside NBA 2K23

gameplay animation sets are functional

only minor crashes occur depending on which animations are replaced


✅ Conclusion

Replacing the mocap data while preserving the original animation containers allows newer animation data from NBA 2K25 to run in NBA 2K23 due to the shared animation format and skeleton compatibility.

[Devilish]

phpBB [video]

So i notice a few things in this game i played mainly with steph curry his movements and shots looked different and also he did the night night celebration not sure if i seen that in 23 before or not, but i do more modding than playing so i'm unsure...another thing i noticed was the passing looked a little different this time upon adding a few animations i seen a player from another team pickup a non teammate and near the end of the game the bench players stood up for the near the end of the game free throws.There was just a lot of interesting things in this video i notice but i cant remember them all