Level Design

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

How to place weapons with ammo in CS:S

Finding leaks in the new Hammer

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

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

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

how I made the tunnels in my map

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.

Design realistically-breaking glass doors

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).

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

how to make a mirror

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.

Simple tute showing how to do this. Be aware that when they get shot a headcrab appears from nowhere !!

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

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.

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

A different way of doing it

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

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

Simple Swinging Light

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.

Making a Rotating Door

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.

Hidden and Dangerous: npc_sniper

Creating doors

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

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

Make players start out with certain weapons.

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

Getting it done despite the bugs

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

Create a basic water setup for your source level

Adding that touch of ambience to your Source maps

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.

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

Sun, rain, dust and fog

Creating curved geometry using arches

An introduction to scripted_sequences in Source.

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

Triggering a Sound

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

Create a simple setup with a door that rotates

This tutorial is about the Clip tool.

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.

Control NPC actions

How to create a rotating door using models.

Creating different glass types

how to make water rise and fall in a map

Texture variation within a terrain surface

This tutorial is a basic guide to the ai_goal_actbusy entity.

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

Shows how to make an angled pipe using displacements.

An introduction to Source physics

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.

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

Using the Nodraw Texture

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

how to make a func_physbox explode upwards, and basically how to fling heavy objects into the air.

A basic application of the ai_relationship entity

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.

Doors in HL2: The prop_door_rotating Entity

Leaks, Pointfiles, and You

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 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.

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

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

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

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!

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

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

This is a tutorial on how to make ladders that actually work

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.

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.

Using the 'Clipping' tool to cut holes

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

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

Making a Rope/Cable

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

A short story on a 1.6 to source conversion

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.

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.

Create a remote control mechanism that applies to a vehicle.

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

Hanging Entitys from a rope in CS:Source

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

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 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.

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.

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.

Reducing Vis Times

Making the Gman into a 'Model Citizen'

One way of using trigger_look. In the VMF - you see a screen of the adjacent room, then a shelf falls down in the room enabling you to get a gun and ammo. Zombies Optional !

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.

Weapon entity

The basic principles to Game_UI and Logic_Compare entity control.

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.

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

AI path Finding in Half-Life 2

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

Elapsed Time by Bud Doug Lee

Making Props Show Up

Triggered door with button

Real Constructive: Hammer Geometry for Unreal Mappers

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

Making Maps Realistic

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.

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.

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

CSS hostage resuce

How to use XSI to detail your world geometry

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

Using displacement maps to preserve texture alignment around arches.

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

how to make rock structure from multiple displacements

Using the displacement feature

Making Respawnable Entities

Shows how to place water so it looks natural in a displacement area.

Env_Beam

This is our first PORTAL tutorial. It shows how to make the Pits that appear throughout the game.

This is a tutorial on the ai_relationship entity. It will emerge in parts as I experiment with what works and what doesn't. In this tutorial we will look at how to get the npc_combine_s to ignore the player.

Making a Breakable Window

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.

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.

Making a Dynamic Light

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.

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

Making a Bomb Site in CS:Source

Make a door open when shot

DON'T LOOK AWAY

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

Making distant scenery

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

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

How to blend two existing textures

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

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

Shows how to make an escalator using the func_tracktrain.

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 tutorial showing how to make double sliding doors

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Cycling between cameras, chase cameras, etc.

little how-to on the new way to link entities

Introduction to, and use of, a logic_case

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

Making Water

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

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

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

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

Making a Rotating Fan

This is a tutorial showing how to make swing doors.

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

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

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 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.

Creating a Skybox

Practical Displacements

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.

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.

Movable objects

This is an extension of the tutorial on cameras.

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

Creating a Mounted gun, for Orange-box games and mods. (Ep2, etc)