Level Design

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 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.

This tutorial is just another way of triggering something into action.

Triggered door with button

Making a Rope/Cable

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.

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

Using displacement maps to preserve texture alignment around arches.

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

The most common reason for props not showing up in the game

Counter-Strike Source and R_speeds

This is how to recreate the dog/ball interchange that appears in Eli's lab in the game.

Making Props Show Up

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.

In this tutorial we will take the room made in the last and put in two ways of turning the light on and off.

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

Wanted to make something like in Unreal tournament a bounce pad,

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.

This tutorial is about the Clip tool.

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

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.

This one shows how to create the Zombie lying on the floor who gets up when you appear, 'Zombie Slumprise' I think.

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

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

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

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

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 is a basic tutorial by Raidenator on how to create a displacement brush. These are the brushes that are used mainly for creating terrain.

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

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 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.

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

CSS hostage resuce

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.

Create a remote control mechanism that applies to a vehicle.

Hanging Entitys from a rope in CS:Source

Introduction to, and use of, a logic_case

Using them, and stopping them from kicking up dust

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.

Creating different glass types

Import Custom Textures

AI path Finding in Half-Life 2

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

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.

Ever wondered how Valve made them, find out here!

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.

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

Portal: Changing Textures/Signs

how to make the Magnusson Device spawner from Episode 2.

Create a simple lift/elevator system for your maps

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.

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

Displaying something, and plugged into the wall

The tutorial is one way of making a zipline.

Control NPC actions

This tutorial is on the Vertex edit tool. It attempts to show how to use this tool to manipulate brushes into different shapes.

An introduction to terrain creation

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.

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

Create a simple setup with a door that rotates

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

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.

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

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

Making a Camera Part 2

A different way of doing it

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.

Create a simple room with a light

This was put together by qwerty who was trying to find a way to make the Citizen act like a metrocop guarding an area (ai_goal_police).

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.

how to get npc_seagull to spawn and to fly.

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

Using the Nodraw Texture

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 tutorial will describe how to set a sky different than the default one. At the end of the tutorial there is also a list of all the available skies as well as a link to a picture of them for reference.

Leaks, Pointfiles, and You

Part 2 - In this Tutorial I have included two fake mechanisms.

Disguising the player as a combine by Treb_Treb

How to make breakable glass

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

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.

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

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.

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 .

This tutorial shows how to make a simple camera and project a scene onto a monitor.

Using assault_ entities to direct Combine assaults

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

Real Constructive: Hammer Geometry for Unreal Mappers

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

A guide to light ents for newbies

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

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

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

Practical Displacements

Texture variation within a terrain surface

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.

It makes a Rope Bridge that spans a gap of 256 and is 64 units wide. There are two examples one is breakable.

Placing a BuyZone in a CSS map.

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

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.

A teleporter that goes to a random location

This is a tutorial showing how to make double sliding doors

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

This tutorial is a basic guide to the ai_goal_actbusy entity.

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

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

Elapsed Time by Bud Doug Lee

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.

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

The actbusy system is used to make NPCs appear busy. NPCs do so on placed nodes and will act busy until certain conditions are met (such as hearing an explosion).

Add manhacks to your level that are hostile towards the player

Covers four different ways of making Volumetric Light and in part two shows how to create fake shadows.

Using the 'Clipping' tool to cut holes

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

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.

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

this is how you make the camera drop to the ground like in the singleplayer game.

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

An introduction to scripted_sequences in Source.

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.

Reducing Vis Times

This tutorial shows the basic steps to change from one map to another (level change)in the game.

How to make a simple door that swings open

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.

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.

Design realistically-breaking glass doors

how to make rock structure from multiple displacements

Making it Rain or Snow

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

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.

Making a freight elevator with props

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

This shows how to put the Episode 2 car in your map. It also shows how to set up the radar unit, and an example of using it.

Make a button turn a light on and off

Alot of people have problems with opening their console.

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

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

This tutorial shows how to place and link, ai_goal_assault, assault_assaultpoint and assault_rallypoint.

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

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.

This Tutorial assumes you have completed 'Part-1', of making the corridor.

A tutorial covering how to make plugs that can be unplugged and plugged in over and over again, as well as learning how to use the combine power generator prefab.

Illustrates how to make fast zombies climb. Also in here is a way of starting the map in cheat mode on map spawn.

Moving water layer

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?

Using the displacement feature

this shows how to make the headcrab canisters that crash in from the sky and disgorge a number of headcrabs.

Make combine NPCs hurl barrels at the player and fire at them

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.

This is a basic tutorial about npc_helicopter

Create a basic water setup for your source level

This is a tutorial about stairs.

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

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.

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

This example demonstrates how to build a 21 floor spiral staircase using the Paste Special function.

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

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

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

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

How to use XSI to detail your world geometry

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.

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

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.

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

This builds a BASIC ROOM takes you through making brushes, hollowing, placing the player, adding a light source and some basic texturing operations in Hammer

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

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

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

Create a simple corridor in hammer

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

Configure advanced compile to run with extra parameters etc.