Thread: SDK Tutoring

Originally i had typed out a month or so ago, it started out as a very short post so i kept it in firefox, it grew very long (round 2-3 pages) and while closing the 18 windows i had open, i accidentally closed firefox and since then lost my mojo to retype it all.

With the release of l4d and the eminent release of its sdk around the corner, and interest in the sdk spiking again. Im starting to offer free tutoring sessions on any of the sdk tools: hammer, face poser, etc. Since its the holidays, all lessons are FREE. :3

A little about me: Ive been using World Craft (aka Hammer since valve bought them out) since tribes 2 days (8-9 years, give or take one or two) Ive mapped for a quite a few hl2 mods though none ever turned out to be something (my maps were great just the same ). I personally love to contemplate complex puzzles and make them in hammer, for example i made a 2v2 areana for css.
The arena is very sophisticated and fully functional, it manages everything from player readyups, all the way to a team winning, points alloted and the arena reset.
Ive made fully functional digital keypads as well as sophisticated player tracking systems. My point is that through my small hobby ive transversed a large if portion of hammers abilities and some even beyond (doing some things valve never intented hammer to do before) and since i have a rather large problem with completing a map (due to interest) id rather spend time showing others how to make their own then make more half completed maps of my own.

Heres a few of the areas im offering lessons on for hammer, if you have any specific areas you want to cover that are not listed just ask me and well see what we can do:
The Basics

• Introduction: I go over the basics of hammer, how to configure it and personalize it to your liking, the major tools and ill so you how to create the basic box with spawns, skybox, etc
• Textureing-Carving – Ill show you the basics of texturing, common texture scaling problems, ill explain all the features of the carving tool and some tips and tricks on creating concave and convex walls
• Lighting- basic lighting styles, difference between the lighting entities: point, spot, environment, and a few related light entities such as glow and sun
• Triggers –what they are used for and how to use them.
• Entites- what they are, what to use them for, basic entity usage such
  

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Intermediate

• AppliedIO: How to build the standard, hidden entity environment which maintains its self, things like random sounds, special effects (gas station on hospital camp)
• Custom textures – How to make them, what each key is used for, vertex generic, self illum, non lin etc.
• Another look at Entities – Take a further look into what entities are, all possible uses, applied uses, task automation, tracking, object management, templates, etc.
• Packing up custom files - So that you can skip dealing with resource files, one file to download for all.
• Compiling types – Using 3rd party tools to compile your map exactly how you want it: rad levels and overriding the default values, vis types, radiosity smoothing, chops, luxel density, etc. Tricks for testing for leaks (for those that do not want to compile for 2 hours to get the point file)
  

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Experienced

• Another Look at entities – Take a look at how to use the i/o do to things for you, using the logical entities: relay, auto, branch, listeners, compare, timers, etc as well as the math entities.
• Custom resources - Show you how to make custom sprites, tool textures, displacement textures, skybox textures. How to import custom models, sounds, and animations. How to make scripted sequences.
• Architecture and themes:Ill show you how to create some complex architecture styles in hammer as well as methods to maintain a constant theme throughout your map
• Lighting: various lighting systems, ents such as lightglow, sun, etc. How to make advanced lighting scenes, using various textures, brushes, and tool textures. Cover Volumetric lighting. Step through how to combine multiple light entities to create realistic lighting.
• Npc Control - Ill show you how to use the numerous npc related entites: bullseye, npc furnature, puppets, spotlights, templates, goals, targets, etc.
• Level Design: Theories, methods, styles, architecture. Everything from pencil and paper to the final build.
• Map optimization: everything you need to know and more: how to use occludars, area portals and areaportal windows, hints, skips, detail brushes etc. How to look at your map ingame, vis leafs, lightmapping etc.
• Sound scapes... nuff said.
  

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Very experienced

• Another look at entities and custom i/o functions/and user outs. - Ill show you how to use entities in ways that were not intended by valve ie: counting players in a zone and acting off the result (2v2 arena), making a fully interactive keypad (ie 5 digit combo), tracking player crosshair movement, etc
• Environment immersion: everything from fog controllers, to rain, to custom rain splatters, to custom lighting entities, to lighting styles, to custom environmental effects like lighting and thunder, just about everything .

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If you have any interest in scheduling a session just let me know!



Currently i use a plugin through skype which allows desktop sharing for the lessons, if anyone knows of any better methods please share!

I have a LOT of time this holiday, do I'll like to do an intermediate whenever ya like.

Sure thing guys, be sure to download skype and install the yugmaSE team collaboration extra and hit me up some time in the afternoons (ill be on everyday for a while) and usually am always free in the afternoons (2pm-5pm est)! Or if youd rather we can schedule a time as well, leme know!

Bun-

Originally Posted by DOMINATOR

how do you make death planes?

elaborate please, not sure what you are referring to...

Originally Posted by DOMINATOR

Originally Posted by Bunni

Originally Posted by DOMINATOR

how do you make death planes?

elaborate please, not sure what you are referring to...

i figured it'd be a brush with trigger texture tied to an entity or w/e that kills the player if they touch the brush. (ex. cap E pit on steel)
like doors are... you hit an invisible plane and the door opens.

ahh kk when you said plane you were referring to a brush as apposed to the one that flys in the air


ya, make a trigger brush, convert it to a tigger_hurt ent, up the dmg in its properties, then make it a child of what ever you are tieing it to...