Level Design

Want to make it look like your map is enormous without it actually being large? Read on!

Make a door that can only be opened with a key card

This is the second tutorial on moving lasers. In this one the laser is in a round tunnel, it moves back and forward through the tunnel and revolves at the same time.

create a CCTV style monitor that will display two different camera locations on one monitor toggled by a button.

The input/output system for the Source engine is a very powerful tool, read on to learn its secrets

How to make a simple door that swings open

Introduction to the light_dynamic entity

This is a tutorial showing two ways how to make a door that stays locked until the player has a 'key' to unlock it. Can be used with any sort of door. This tutorial will use a func_door , a func_rotating_door .

Part one of an In-depth tutorial covering the ins and outs of lighting in the Source Engine

Shows how to make an angled pipe using displacements.

This is a tutorial about rappeling. Cops and combines dropping out of the air to make life difficult for the player.

A short tutorial illustrating how to get an npc_metropolice to shoot a flare into the air.

An intermediate tutorial, it will try to give as much step by step as possible, but assumes you have Basic knowledge like making a room, using an info_player_start, and putting in a light entity.

You have an nice interior area of your map. You have a few opaque windows and you want to have them cast light into your map.

Part 1 - This tutorial shows how to make a single drawbridge.

Create a remote control mechanism that applies to a vehicle.

An easy little tutorial that teaches the user to create hinged objects. In this example, we'll be making shutters.

Doing Buildings and Models the Combine way of life.

How to add custom sounds to Source maps

This is a tutorial on how to make a 'real' lift/elevator. This is the prop_dynamic model lift seen throughout the HL2 game, primarily in Eli's Lab.

Making Maps Realistic

This is a tutorial for creating an initial block map for an outdoor real world location.

Leaks, Pointfiles, and You

In HL2 City 17 - there's a scene where you and some rebels are trying to get through a combine gate.

This is another PORTAL tutorial. This shows how to make the 'Emancipation Grill' or Portal Cleanser, that removes the useful boxes, when you walk through.

Elapsed Time by Bud Doug Lee

It is the Battery Puzzle in HalfLife 2 where you have to get the batteries all hooked up.

This tutorial is another train oriented one. It shows how to make a couple of trains go from one tunnel to another, and after a short while they do it again endlessly.

This tutorial covers the env_steam entity , and includes a valve to turn it on and off.

Making it Rain or Snow

DON'T LOOK AWAY

Hang 'Em High: phys_ballsocket

Texture variation within a terrain surface

This is a tutorial from Nero that shows you how to make a carryable blowtorch that you can use to cut open a door.

The basic principles to Game_UI and Logic_Compare entity control.

Learn how to install the Source SDK correctly and how to use Valve’s Hammer Editor

Making a Breakable Window

This shows how to build a Revolving Door. The tutorial will cover making a plain door; a door with glass in, and a door with breakable glass in.

This is an extension of the tutorial on cameras.

Following on from the bomb target tutorial - how to set Bomb advance in your CSS map with fire and sound. This is a VIDEO tutorial.

Making a freight elevator with props

Make a button turn a light on and off

Placing a BuyZone in a CSS map.

How to make a hanging/swinging light fixture.

This is a tutorial is the first on the logic_choreographed_scene.

You saw them, you want to make them...

This tutorial gives you a better idea of how some of those cool water effects in HL2 are created. It's surprisingly simple

You want to make a ceiling collapse, whether to let in combine soldiers or headcrabs, or just to block a route. In this tutorial, I'll be showing you the basics.

A quick guide on how to make that really fantastic looking water from Half Life 2/Counter Strike.

This tutorial explains how to make a picture of your choice load up as the background picture on the ingame menu page.

Simple Swinging Light

An easy to use tool that makes life easier in many ways.

A trick for improving player movement through your single or multiplayer level. Touches on the proper use of prop_physics, player clips, and layout techniques.

Tutorial showing how to get citizens (NPC's) to come through a door.

shows how the oncoming train in d2_coast-07 was put together.

Using Math_Counters To Trigger Single Events From Multiple Triggers

A short tutorial on how to add decals to brush entities.

Quick and Easy Working Ladders

In this series of tutorials we will take the room made in the first tutorial, duplicate it, and make a two level room.

This is a basic tutorial about the ai_goal_police . This is basically an entity that when triggered forces a named npc_metropolice to guard a particular area in your map.

Based on a VMF supplied by Bud Doug Lee this shows how to set up an active Energy Ball launcher and trap for PORTAL.

Create a basic water setup for your source level

Ever wondered how you can make caves like in Episode 2?

This is a tutorial for how to spawn objects with a press of a button.

A short and sweet tutorial that shows a simple way to blend fog seamlessly into the horizon.

Weapon entity

Create a simple corridor in hammer

Creating different glass types

Getting it done despite the bugs

This is another tutorial about ncp_strider. It will cover crouching and crouch/walking under things. This was difficult to get to work, but the important issue seems to be make sure there is enough space all around the strider.

How to blend two existing textures

Making Props Show Up

This is part two of the dangly wire/electrified water tutorial. It uses the set up in the last tutorial and only adds a water brush and a trigger_hurt brush, and a couple of adjustments to outputs.

Hidden and Dangerous: npc_sniper

Shows you how to make a tunnel through the use of displacements

This is a simple tutorial; how to make it snow. The standard brush env_precipitation does not really work, everything in it looks like rain. However env_embers is a good substitute.

This tutorial shows how to make the plug that features a lot in the game.

This tutorial will explore how to use the env_screenoverlay entity. This is used in the intro to HL2 with G-Man musing about calling on Gordon again. The tutorial covers just the basic stuff about how to make it work.

This tutorial illustrates how to recreate the effect of Gordon Freeman waking, then getting up.

how to make water rise and fall in a map

This tutorial shows how to make a breakable padlock, enabling access to a locked/padlocked area. This is the promised extension to the env_steam tutorial ( No: 51) and uses that VMF.

This is fairly basic and does not require an extensive knowledge of Hammer.

Making a Spawn and func_buyzone in CS:S

This tutorial shows the very simple way to make cylinders and spheres using displacements.

How to place weapons with ammo in CS:S

This is a tutorial on the env_soundscape entity, written by Mynameisme. It shows how to put in two different soundscapes and how they work in changing from one to another.

In this tutorial I will try to describe how to make a 3d skybox. See tutorial 100, here for the theory. The map I am making here is a bit like the SDK_3dskybox map, simple enough, but the principles apply to more complicated maps

This tutorial shows how to make an 'Iris' door.

This tutorial is about the Clip tool.

This is a tutorial illustrating a use of the info_node_link. An entity that has a link to another info_nodethat can be turned on and off.

This tutorial shows how to place a Thumper (The combine machine that scares the antlions) This is the version you can climb and switch on and off.

It shows how to get npc_metropolice to jump down off walls. (Level d1_canals_01a for example).

Sun, rain, dust and fog

This is a tutorial on Neon Signs, made by Bud Doug Lee. The VMF has three letter 'A' in red, that blink on one at a time, then all blink on and off.

PORTAL tutorial illustrating how to set up the wake up scene at the beginning of the game. It is similar to the scene where Gordon Wakes Up in HL2.

How to set up a zombie breaking through a wall, out of a cupboard and through metal panels (a bit like in the early coast level). I have tried to show a few ways of doing it using, and in the process illustrate a couple of ways of blowing up walls.

Creating doors

In this short tutorial we'll get a citizen to run from one side of the map to the other screaming.

How to construct one from scratch - though there is a prefab in Hammer.

Made in Episode 1 config. Tutorial shows how to blow up doors with combine lock on.

This tutorial shows how to make a simple rotating light. It's illustrated here as two lights on opposite sides of the fitting, but you can have one or three or more.

Displaying something, and plugged into the wall

Using the displacement feature

Creating an arch that fits in a square hole

CSS Bomb target

how to make rock structure from multiple displacements

how to make a mirror

This is a basic tutorial on displacement mapping

In this tutorial we will build a room and divide it with a wall.

A tutorial on how to create a tire swing with physics and constraints

how to make the Magnusson Device spawner from Episode 2.

In this tutorial I will show you how to use lightmapscale to help make good, realistic looking shadows.(#1Duck)

In this Tutorial we'll explain you how to navigate the Hammer Editor. You'll learn more about the functions of the Tools and the handling of the Editor.

This is another PORTAL tutorial. This one is the basic circular door model this time with two buttons needed to open the doors.

This is a tutorial about ncp_strider . It will cover walking.

In this and the last tutorial, I have tried to show how to set up a zombie breaking through walls: out of a cupboard and through metal panels

This tutorial shows how to get citizens to jump down, as in the d3_c17_04 level HL2.

Need to make a dropship fly in and drop off some combine soldiers?

This is a basic tutorial about how to get the Strider to fire the minigun and the cannon. The set up is straightforward, just a bit specialised for the demonstration VMF

This is just an illlustration of what can be achieved with creative brushwork, so you don't always have square or rectangular rooms in your map.

This tutorial is about Teleports. The map shows four teleports, A to B then B to A.

This tutorial on an alternative multi choice lift using func_movlinear instead of func_tracktrain.

a way for setting off events (explosions in this case) randomly

Part 2. Add manhacks to your level that are hostile towards the player

This is a small tutorial demo, showing how to use the 50 percent falloff distance and 0 percent falloff distance in the light and light_spot entities.

Part 3 - This tutorial shows how to make a double drawbridge.

Draws a basic outside area with trees and fog, and suggests a couple of good sky and light environment combinations to get a good effect.

This is a follow to Simple Lasers. It demonstrates how to link lasers to entities which move. Two ways are illustrated here and in 137 - a laser that goes up and down and one that revolves and moves to and fro at the same time.

This tutorial attempts to show how to make them come up through the floors.

This is an example using the undocumented info_lighting_relative entity. Its primary use seems to be to light a prop_dynamic or prop_physics in a situation where a normal lighting source will not fit, or where a special lighting effect is desired.

This shows one way of using the aiscripted_schedule entity. We will create a group of combine, who will seek out and come after the player.

The tutorial is one way of making a zipline.

Let you map have light! A tutorial that will give you a better idea of how simple lights are implemented into your maps and also the effects that they will have on the compiled product.

This tutorial was put together by Raidenator and shows how to make flares the player can pick up.

List of Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike Source skynames

Take your first steps into creating a map in Valve’s Source SDK.

Ever wondered how Valve made them, find out here!

Making a Camera

This is a timer put together by Bud Doug Lee for PORTAL. It is set up so that as soon as the map starts the timer counts down from 30 seconds to zero.

Need to make some good old fashioned glass in Source? Read on.

This tutorial shows how to hang something from a rope/cable. In this case it's a citizen - but the same principle applies to other models/entities.

This Tutorial covers some very basic stuff about env_global specifically the effect of the Gordon Pre-criminal setting in relation to NPC_Citizens following or not following the player.

A list of them, and solutions

In this and the last two tutorials, I have tried to show how to set up a zombie breaking through walls: out of a cupboard and through metal panels

This tutorial demonstrates some of the action in the Coast levels in the game.

Create a simple room with a light

We'll show everyone who wants to do a Map for HL2 or a different Mod

This tutorial will teach you how to make a func_breakable_surf start out broken when the map loads without the player doing anything to it.

Disguising the player as a combine by Treb_Treb

Using the 'Clipping' tool to cut holes

In this second tutorial on the Arch tool. In it we will look at how to make curved corners and coving in rooms.

and why yours might not work

making a moving background map on the menu page of the game.

Using them, and stopping them from kicking up dust

how I made the tunnels in my map

This one looks at how you get a dropship to take troops to a particular location on a map.

An intermediate tutorial, it will try to give as much step by step as possible, but assumes you have Basic knowledge like making a room, placing entities and texturing.

This tutorial was written in response to a query on the Chatbear forum. Shadowofamn wanted to know how to make a ladder, like a fire escape, that slides down to ground level so you can use it.

Resembling the automatic stairs in Portal, this was made for Ep 2. It will work in both Half-life 2 and Portal, just be selective with your textures.

Real Constructive: Hammer Geometry for Unreal Mappers

Alot of people have problems with opening their console.

Adding that touch of ambience to your Source maps

It shows a good way of using a math_counter and triggers, to set off a number of events.

Make a door open when shot

This tutorial covers the basics of gameflow, why it is important and how to achieve it.

Moving water layer

In this tutorial we will learn how to use the sew command with displacement mapping, as well as a few tips for easier dispacement mapping.

Cordon Tools in Hammer are useful for enclosing a map for compiling, if you don't have a skybox yet. Also useful for locating errors in a large map.

The Tangled Web We Weave: Ropes in HL2

This shows how to make a npc_c scanner on the same path patrol endlessly.

Create a simple setup with a door that rotates

This is a tutorial showing how to make double sliding doors

Ever wanted to give areas in your map a name that'll show up under the radar, next to teamchat and that bots will refer to?

A guide to light ents for newbies