Using Valve Hammer Editor to Create Worlds for
The Valve Hammer Editor is copyright 2001-2002 by Valve LLC, Michigan Detroit U.S.A. All rights reserved.
Half Life, Half Life Counter Strike, and other mods are copyright 1997-2002 by Valve LLC. All rights reserved.
This page is (C) 2003 -2004 amckern
Last update
11th December 2004
Welcome to the Valve Hammer Editor (Hammer /WC /VHE) overview and tutorial. Hammer is the tool created by Valve that enabled the Half Life community Level Designers and Artists to create the geometry and game play you experienced in Half Life, or one of its Mods. Hammer allows you to build the ground, sky, walls, ceilings and shapes for your levels. You will then apply textures, props, prefabs, lights and sounds to give them a realistic appearance. Half Life was created using literally thousands of these assets that you may appropriate to create the base for your own level. You may also add your own assets where applicable. Finally, you'll add the game objects that allow other players to interact with your world.
Creating levels is an extremely complex and time-consuming process, and the following is merely the starting point for those who want to learn the basics of building worlds for the Half Life engine. If you've done game design before on 3D or near 3D game, you've probably worked with tools like Hammer.
Contents
Learn what all the Jargon Means
Ready to start with your map, well you need to set up Hammer first
Use this topic by Mobiltune, to learn how to set up Hammer to make Maps for Counter Strike 1.6
Use this sub topic, to learn how to set up Hammer to make Maps for WON Half Life
Making a Simple Room, and your first map
Your First map Simple
Knowing what to put into a map to make it work
Now you have your map, lets add the contents
Learn What Hammer uses, how it stores its RMF Files, and more
Creating Brushes to Fit Your Needs
Time to make a support pillar
Time to get some complex skills, First skill is the camera
Making brushes as ramps
How to chose a brush, which you want to work on
A look at Hammers Nasty Tools, Carve, and Hollow
How to get that brush to move an exact angle, with out the messy turning handles
Advanced Texturing and Alignment
Learning the Texture Application Tool
Make a brush, and then destroy it
Working With Concave Brushes and Loose Faces
How to fix some of the results of nasty brush work, such as carve, and invalid brushes
An introduction to how Half Life entities work
Counter Strike Entity Overview
Lets look at Counter Strikes Most Common Entities
No use having a bitch black map, even when Counter Strike has Night Vision Goggles, This section covers the 4 major styles of lighting a map
How to make your maps have colour lighting
Adding Sky to Your Half Life Level
Time to go out side, and play
Types of Compile and Their Advantages
Learn how to get your map complied, and what the different styles of compile do to your BSP
Advanced options on compiling your map
Factors That Cause Levels to Bog Down
Learn about bad R_SPEEDS, leeks, detail, wire frame mode, and more
Troubleshooting Visibility Leaks
Got a leek, learn how to find
Now you have found the leek, lets plug the hole
More links, extra help, and legal rights
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Revision History
- New Design
- Removed some useless information
- Made each chapter its own page
- Written in MS Word - No Longer Composer 4.7