Level Design

a tutorial on how buildings that are not accessible to the player, but form an essential part of maps, were made, and were able to look so realistic.

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?

how I made the tunnels in my map

This tutorial shows how to insert your own .wav file and get a model (GMan in this case) to mouth what you have recorded.

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

This is another PORTAL tutorial. This one is the basic circular door model. Next tutorial will deal with the button that you put the box on to open it.

Creating doors

Alot of people have problems with opening their console.

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

This is a tutorial about stairs.

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.

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

Using assault_ entities to direct Combine assaults

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.

The following tutorial shows how to spawn antlions that attack you.

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

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.

Triggers, Inputs and Outputs are an intricate part of adding interactivity to your levels

This tutorial by Terrenteller shows how to spawn an npc_stalker by a button. The stalker walks across the room then disappears.

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

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

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

Illustrates the use of func_tracktrain, path_track and the phys_ragdoll_constraint.

The PVC is a camera that you can have static or moving. It changes the players view from the player, to anywhere you like.

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

This is an illustration of some of the things you can do with Trigger_push. Most of what you need to know is in the VMF as you can experience the effects there.

Real Constructive: Hammer Geometry for Unreal Mappers

In this first tutorial on the Arch tool, we will make a tunnel, like those seen in HL2.

how to get npc_seagull to spawn and to fly.

Create a TV with Breen talking on it

how to make rock structure from multiple displacements

The Tangled Web We Weave: Ropes in HL2

This is a short tutorial on the new func_reflective_glass and texture,

Shows how to make an escalator using the func_tracktrain.

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.

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

This tutorial shows a way of getting two Combine soldiers to Rappel from a helicopter.

This is a tutorial on simple lasers using env_beam ). It looks at 'Trip' Lasers, that when you walk through make something happen and harmful lasers that hurt or kill the player.

Introduction to, and use of, a logic_case

This tutorial shows how to make an npc_combinedropship carry and drop off an npc_vehicle_apc.

Using the displacement feature

This camera is good for when you join a map, it gives you a view of the map before you join a team

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.

Practical Displacements

This shows how to construct a water area that kills the player. Obvious example is from Lost Coast - where if you venture into the water you see all these white leeches and you die fairly quickly.

how to set up the exploding Gaspumps found in one of the coast levels.

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

This was my first tutorial, for a pop up ground turret as seen in d3_c17_10b

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 follows a request on the Halfwit-2 forum about respawning items.

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

This tutorial shows how you get a Dropship to drop a Strider.

You are able to examine a VMF and pull out the bits you are interested in looking at, and learn how Valve used entities and how they relate to each other, to achieve certain effects.

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.

Put together by Dylan Holcomb, this helps you find your way around the new Particle Editor.

A teleporter that goes to a random location

how to make a mirror

Making a freight elevator with props

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

How to blend two existing textures

This tutorial will try to explain how the phys_pulleyconstraint entity works.

Looks at both way of putting a sun (env_sun) into your map.

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.

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

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

A guide to light ents for newbies

how to make water rise and fall in a map

This is a PORTAL tutorial. Shows how to construct the Rocket Gun - from a VMF by Bud Doug Lee.

A keypad tutorial with a difference

This is a small tutorial demo, which has an npc_combinegunship flying around for a while and then exploding.

Env_Beam

CSS Bomb target

Weapon entity

In this tutorial i will show you how to create a basic room with a nice light and how to use the HDR effect in your maps.

Finding leaks in the new Hammer

Learn how to use the npc_maker entity to create attack waves of enemies

This tutorial shows how to build a garage door that opens up and over.

This is a revision (April 2009) of the original tutorial which turned out inaccurate either because I'm dumb, or because of a change in the SDK. It's an addition to the tutorial (53) on the Point_viewcontrol entity.

A basic application of the ai_relationship entity

This tutorial demonstrates the use of the logic_case and logic_timer entities.

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

Illustrates a use of the trigger_wind entity. The VMF has a simple set up some containers on a table and a cardboard box are blown by a gust of wind.

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

CSS hostage resuce

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

Making it Rain or Snow

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

A guide on the three diffrent types of glass the source engine is capable of

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.

*Clip clip* Learn it. Use it. Love it.

In this Tutorial we will explain you how to create your first room. You will learn to place one light and a player start and something more. So you got a basic knowledge of building a map.

Set the mood of a scene easily using Source's in-game GUI colour correction editor.

Ambient_Generic

Ever wondered how Valve made them, find out here!

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.

Have you ever noticed that some 'grass' textures also have tall grass and weeds that show up in game?

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

Second Video tutorial showing how to get your creations into Half-Life2 by means of a logic_choreograpphed_scene.

Early on in Portal, the Portal gun can only place one type of Portal, so the other will be present already. This tutorial originally by Namelezz! shows how to do this.

Doors in HL2: The prop_door_rotating Entity

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

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

This is a tutorial is the first on the logic_choreographed_scene.

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 a tutorial on the 2-D skybox, which is the simpler of the two types of skybox in Hammer.

Create a remote control mechanism that applies to a vehicle.

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

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

This tutorial was written by Boomstick123 (with hints from Bornstein) and creates a fully operational keypad for unlocking a door.

Making the Gman into a 'Model Citizen'

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

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.

Reducing Vis Times

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

Moving water layer

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.

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

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.

This is a basic tutorial on lighting which I discovered on thread at Facepunch Forums. I liked it's simple straighforward four step approach to getting good basic lighting effects.

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.

how to make the Magnusson Device spawner from Episode 2.

Making a Ladder

This tutorial shows how to 'fuel' an energy source.

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.

Movable objects

Disguising the player as a combine by Treb_Treb

This is another PORTAL tutorial. This one is the basic circular door model with the button that you put the box on to open it.

Portal: Changing Textures/Signs

Hanging Entitys from a rope in CS:Source

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

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

Counter-Strike Source and R_speeds

These cameras are working monitors that turn on when a button is pushed.

Texture variation within a terrain surface

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

Making a Rotating Fan

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

This tutorial shows how to make a conveyor that transports the player - so a moving floor I guess. I will put up a tutorial on how to make one for transporting objects later.

This is part of a series of tutorials on making better maps through simple techniques. This isn't about performance, this is about style, read another tutorial to get higher frame rates.

How to create a rotating door using models.

This is a short simple tutorial outlining the steps you need to take to get an NPC to lead the player to a particular place.

How to create destroyed holes realistically via the Clipping and Vertex Edit tools

This tutorial by Maloof?/Superbacon of the Facepunch Forums, covers the placement and basic animation of the Citadel Core from Halflife-2: Episode 1.

This tutorial is a continuation of the fourth tutorial, we will take the rooms made there and join them with a corridor.

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.

I have taken the Hotel building from Trainstation and constructed it from scratch.

Control NPC actions

Want some realistic terrain? Read on!

In this tutorial I have tried to show how to set up scripted_sequences.

Sun, rain, dust and fog

Blow up a wall with an airstrike

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.

Making Respawnable Entities

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.

little how-to on the new way to link entities

Create a simple corridor in hammer

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.

The tutorial shows how you can respawn the func_physbox (which puts the map back to the start) by means of func_buttons.

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

An introduction to scripted_sequences in Source.

Using them, and stopping them from kicking up dust

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

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

Simple Swinging Light

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

Add Breakable Glass to your level

This tutorial shows how to electrify something so that touching it hurts the player.

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.

I put a vmf in the 'Workshop' covering a few ways of making a cop kick down a door, but they were hacks really, so this is the real thing.

AI path Finding in Half-Life 2

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

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