Valve Hammer Editor
 |
This article needs to be wikified. (December 2011) |
Valve Hammer Editor, which used to be called Worldcraft and is now often called Hammer, is Valve Corporation's map creation program for their game engine, Source. Worldcraft was originally made for Quake and Quake II, but is now used on other games such as Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source and Left 4 Dead 2.
Contents |
History [change]
In September 1996, Ben Morris created and released the original Worldcraft as a tool for making custom Quake maps.[1] On July 14, 1997, Valve hired Ben Morris and started to use Worldcraft in Half-Life.[2]
Basic tools [change]
After opening an existing map or new map you can see four windows. It's divided into four views. View from top, front, side, and the resulting 3D view. When you do something in one window you can see result in others. The program offers this tool's: Selection tool is used for selecting and manipulation with objects. Entity tool is collection of objects from door after spawn place. Block tool is basic item to create box, wall, floor and nearly all. Toggle texture application is of course helper with coloring and texturing objects. Clipping tool with them we can cut objects. At the last important tool is Vertex tool. It spread item and we can manipulate and edit individual parts.
But this is tools are only static. We often need create dynamic objects. Breakable window, openable doors, elevators, moving objects etc. On this is used tool "Tie of entity". This tool has many useful options. Class is main choice of type function. Here we can setup almost important options. Bookmarks: Output and Input are option, how object will respond to neighthood.
File format [change]
When we save map, it have suffix vmf. This format which is openable for next edit but it isn't playable. We must compiling map to format nav but it isn't openable in hammer editor. In compiling option is the most important Additional game parameters. If we haven't original version, we must write parameter –steam. Without this we can't open and play our map. it's important know in which game will be map open. In bookmark tools/options are loaded library with textures etc. And when we can play map in some others game, the game doesn't find it. So we need load into hammer correct library.
References [change]
- ↑ "Hammer Editor version history". Valve. http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Hammer_Editor_version_history. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ↑ "Valve Press Release". Valve. http://www.bluesnews.com/pressreleases/WC16release.doc. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
Other websites [change]
- Valve Developer Community, Official wiki dedicated to editing the Source engine.
- Zoner's Half-Life Tools, alternatives to the GoldSrc compiling tools.
- TWHL - A large, active mapping community with support for both GoldSrc and Source engines.
- Blue's news Archive - Many old Worldcraft and Quake related articles.
- Interlopers.Net - A guide on the format and interpretation of the .vmf file.
