Mapping basics for beginners

[WR_]

Mapping basics

For beginners

What is Source SDK?

Source SDK is a free tool to create maps for Source games. All you need to start your very own map, is a source-engine powered game.
This tool is located at: Steam > Library > Tools.


Beginning to map

After downloading and opening the Source SDK, you should see the main menu.
Choose "Source Engine MP" and the game from drop-down lists and start up "Hammer Editor". I'm using Counter-Strike: Source for these basics.
In case you want to map for Garry's Mod, Check this video and follow the steps to install Garry's Mod for Source SDK. I still prefer to use some other game for the basics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRWrQajcU0U


To start a new map, go to File and select New.
Set the grids sizes for your own needs by dragging from the middle and moving it.
Now press "camera" at up-left corner in the full-black box, and select "3D Shaded Textured Polygons"

Next, press the white cube in the tools list located at the left side of the tool. It's the fifth tool.
This tool is "Brush". You use it to create the elements to the map.
Next select the texture. Texture can be selected from the right side of the tool by clicking "browse".
Select any texture and make a cube in your map by dragging a cube anywhere in your grid.

You can move in the camera by moving your cursor into the camera field and using W,A,S,D and arrow-keys.

To move the block you made, select the "cursor" tool in the toolbox.
Click on the block in the camera, and move it on the grid.

To change the grid size, there's two buttons in up-left corner. Under "Edit", there's small grid with "minus" and grid with "plus". By pressing the plus one, the grid gets 2x bigger, and by pressing the minus one, the grid gets 2x smaller and so on.

Remember to save your map usually! Source SDK crashes alot and this might make you lose the latest edits of your map.


About the sizes

So, in Source SDK, about 53 inches is one meter. Inch is Source SDKs measuring unit.
Height of standing player is 72 inches, and height of crouching player is only 36.
Players eyelevel while standing, is 64 and when crouching, 28.

"Normal" doors height is 108 inches and width 48 inches. If you want to make passable vent, the height must be at least 37 inches and width 33 inches.

More about dimensions here.

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Dimensions


About the tools

Here's the basics about tools.


1. "Selection tool"
This tool is used to select, re-size the brushes and move entities and brushes around in the grid.

2. "Magnify tool"
To be honest, I'm not sure what is this used for. Tell me if you do!

3. "Camera tool"
This is used to make moving in your map easier. Select this tool and click on the grid to move there right away.

4. "Entity tool"
This tool is used to spawn an entity. Default entity is "info_player_terrorist". This is terrorist spawn.
To turn it into counter-terrorist spawn, double click on it and change it into
"info_player_counterterrorist".

You can also create props with this tool. Drop an entity to the ground and change it into "prop_static"
or "prop_physics". All the props can't be both. For example, some of the boxes can't show up in your
level if it is "prop_static", they are made to be "prop_physics".

Let's say you change it into "prop_static".
Now, to change the propmodel, double click on "World Model" in the list of properties of the entity you just created.
At up-left corner, there is alot different folders to select the models from. Select "MDL Files". It is the top one. Now, type in the filter, which is located at bottom-left corner, anything you need, I will look for a tree. Select any tree model by doubleclicking on it and set it up in the map by pressing "Apply".
To check if the prop you are using, is physics, static or dynamic, open "World Model" list and under the "Model camera", there is a "Info" tab. If physics-box is ticked, it's physics prop, or if more than one of the boxes is ticked, it can be used as one of those.

5. "Block tool AKA Brush tool"
This tool is used to create blocks and brushes to your map.

6. "Toggle texture application"
This tool is used to change and edit the brush in your level. By selecting this tool, and then clicking on some face of the block, you can edit one of the faces, or if you want to edit multiple faces, hold your CTRL and click on the faces you want to edit.

You can change the scale of the texture by rising the value of the texture scale.
By using the "texture shift", you can move the texture the way you like.
And of course you can change the specific faces' texture by browsing for a texture and applying it.

7. "Apply current texture"
This tool is used to change the whole blocks texture quickly. Just select the block you want to re-texture and look for new texture. Then click on this tool and it changes its texture.

8. "Apply decals"
This tool is used to apply decals on your blocks.
Open your texture browser, and type in the filter "decal". Select any decal and put it in your level with this tool.

9. "Apply overlays"
This tool is pretty much the same as "Apply decals". Just browse for overlays instead.

10. "Clipping tool"
This tool is used to cut a part off from your block. Select a block you want to cut and then select this

tool. On the grid, drag from the first point to second point you want to cut. The red area is cutted off.
If you want to keep the red area instead, click again on the clipping tool to make that area white.
If you want to keep the both sides, click one more time on the clipping tool.
Then just press enter.

11. "Vertex tool"
This tool is used to edit the block. By selecting a block and then selecting this tool, you can move the dots and edit the block the way you want. When you feel like you have edited your block enough, just select the "Selection tool" again.


Simple skybox

Almost every map needs a skybox. To create a skybox for your map, browse from texture browser for
"tools/toolsskybox". This is used to create the skybox. Now, cover your whole map with the skybox
texture with one block, and press enter. Then go to "Tools" which is located at the up-left corner.
Select "Make hollow" from the list and type instead of 32 a negative number, for example, -32.

To change the skybox texture, go to the "Map", which is located again in up-left corner, and select the bottom one, "Map properties". There you find a line "SkyBox Texture Name". Its default is "sky_day01_01". To change it, type in some of these instead.

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Sky_List

There you have a simple skybox.
But if you really want something harder, like 3D skybox, check out this site:

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/3D_Skybox


Compiling your map

To compile your map for the game, you just press F9, and wait through the compile progress.
After the progress is done, the map should appear in the maplist in your game.


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Adding custom stuff to your map

If you want to add custom textures, models or sounds to your map, you need a tool for this.
You can use tools like PakRat.

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Pakrat

This tool allows you to add the files to the .bsp file so these custom files are downloaded with it.
To add the files to the .bsp, just open "pakrat.bat" and click "file". Select Load BSP and look for your map. Open it and then press "ADD".
Now look for the custom files to add to the .bsp file. After you have managed to find the files, click "file" and Save BSP. Save it and overwrite
the already existing file. Now the custom textures should appear to everyone in your level.


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This is for starters, if you have mapped before, it probably looks amusing.
If you find something wrong in the guide, tell me.
I hope you understood what I wrote and this was useful. Have fun mapping! You can add me on steam if you have something to ask about mapping.

http://steamcommunity.com/id/-WR

[TowerSheep]

This looks really awesome, did you write this?

Even if you just pasted it here this is really nice to know. I may try my hand at mapping as I have several ideas.

[WR_]

This looks really awesome, did you write this?

Yea, I did, and thanks.
I had made it in notepad when I was bored and edited it to look better.