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Untextued model with a temporary lighting rig of two diffuse bounces of a blue dome and yellow key.

I totally gave the guys at crytek an education with this mod haha, we played a few rounds loved that mod so much

Last Updated: 2017-04-14 (YY-MM-DD). 1.) How do I get started in 3D? There are many ways to get started, the quickest way is to actually start with a 3D program. There are many to choose from, such as: Maya (Has the most documentation available along with 3ds Max) 3ds Max (Has the most documentation available along with Maya) Cinema 4D (Mostly popular for the movie industry rather than the games industry) Modo (Personal favorite) Blender (Free) If your only goal is to create assets for the source engine, you would have the easiest time in 3ds max using wallworm tools. Your second option would either be Blender, because it's free and has alright source tools or Modo (me and tomm would have to get you up to speed). Results in other programs may wary! Once you obtain a 3D Package of your personal choice (I would recommend you to trial a few, get a feel for them). The next step is to start with tutorials or lessons. There are many on the internet, they range from text and image tutorials to video tutorials. You aren't going to find a tutorial for everything out there, but most will explain techniques that you need to adapt in order for you to achieve whatever final result you want. 2.) Wow! That's a lot of programs! Which one is best? I heard ______ is best. You heard wrong, while you can argue that one program does certain tasks better than another program, there is no one program to rule them all. It has and always will be the skill level of the artist. Which program you choose is solely dependent on your own personal taste and which aspect of the 3D industry you want to be involved in. 3ds Max and Maya are the most hyped throughout the ages and so therefore the most used, and therefore the most documentation available online. The interfaces are like a rocket ship and have a steep learning curve, but there isn't any 3D program you can't learn if you take the time to use it and follow some tutorials. If you're starting out, I would recommend starting with a generalist package and not a specialized one. 3.) Wow, Generalized vs Specialized? How do I know? A generalized package like 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage are packages that let you model, render, animate, texture, and create dynamics all within the same application. They don't require third party plugins or applications to add another basic feature, like a renderer or animation tools. However you can get plugins for these apps to enhance their features. 4.) Ooooh Zbrush, I see so much awesome work from that software, I'm gonna start there! No, you're getting ahead of yourself. You should start learning about basic modeling & important fundamentals before jumping into Zbrush. Zbrush is a great program for advanced users to sculpt in additional detail to their existing models, or to prototype models quickly by sculpting them out. It is not a good idea to get into Zbrush when you're not very familiar with general 3D concepts 5.) Okay, I see I'm not very good at this stuff, can you model ______ for me? No, anybody with any decent skill on this forum does this work for a living or for some kind of gain (mostly). It's important to do what everyone else did, to teach yourself how to fish. Someone who is feeling generous or has the time might help you out, but don't expect the person to follow your every order and make an amazing piece of work, you get what you pay for. 6.) But it's too hard, isn't there any easy button? I don't feel motivated. No, like all things it takes time and effort to master a program, practice makes perfect and playing around with the interface will get the shortcuts ingrained into your muscle memory. Everyone has been through creative block & slumps, and has had their ups and downs. Keep on grinding and you will become a professional twerker. 7.) So which program is the easiest to learn? No, you shouldn't learn a program. You should focus on learning techniques. When you master a technique the program becomes nothing more than a tool to achieve your desired results. As said before 3ds Max and Maya have the most documentation but you should look at learning how to model and the right techniques instead of "What button does X". You can get UI information from the program's help files. F1 and Google are your friends. 8.) "So, what do studios look for when hiring if I don't know program ______ won't I get turned down?" When a studio judges your demo reel and resume they have an order of priority. Quality of Work Versatility Experience Program skills 9.) So studios don't care what program I use? Why do they care about versatility? Except for Animators who are pretty much exempt from most rules of 3D, most studios want people who can perform multiple tasks instead of just a specialized one. They want modelers who can also texture, they want riggers who can also do dynamics, they want lighters who can also texture. It's okay to be specialized in one area, but it doesn't hurt to be versatile, it will always keep you employed. When a studio looks at your program skills they do often look to see if you have experience in their preferred in house package, but MANY times you're going to get a studio that has added their own tools and pipeline so it wouldn't matter what program you know as long as your skills are good. If you know techniques you can pretty much pickup any 3D package in a matter of days. Of course there are some that are hard set that you know program ________ but for the most part what package you know is not that important. (Yes even you Blenderfags can get a job in a studio if you know what you're doing.) 10.) If you want to get into game asset creation, your three primary focus of interests are: Modeling Texturing Animation Low poly modeling is an art in itself, trying to get as much detail with as few polys as possible takes some practice, there is no formula for this. You create a low poly model and use techniques such as good UV textures and normal maps to enhance the look of the model in the game engine. A great place to start for game asset creation: http://www.poopinmymouth.com/tutorial/tutorial.htm Animating for games is pretty much the same as for movies, except that your model has a higher chance of deforming badly and you may not have as much control over your rig. Still the basic concepts of animation will always apply. 11.) Huge list of links. Very handy! 12.) How $details can help your CS:GO models / textures What are $details? $detail is a parameter you can add to your .vmt to add further detail to your texture / model's texture How to find the usable $details folder Use a program called GFCScape or VIDE (I will be using VIDE). In VIDE, under tools I will select the "Package Viewer". With the Package Viewer I will open a .vpk file called pak01_dir (found in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\csgo) Now I will click the "Search" icon and search for "detail". Press enter and scroll down until you find the following: Open this folder and voila, you found quite a few details. This is not all of them, it is hard to track down all of them. A good way is opening up Valve's own .vmt's, like the Nuke ones, and you will run into nice $details for various metals that can really change the game for your model / texture, or keep on hunting in VIDE / GFCScape. You can also create custom detail textures, basically a detail is a grayscale texture that will be overlayed on top of the current work you apply it to. Enough talking, let's give some examples of what they can do! Here, my model's texture is just a flat color so you can easily observe how the $details affect the surface. Here are the parameters for the details I used in the image above: 1) $detail metal/hr_metal/hr_metal_detail_001 2) $detail detail/dt_carpet1 3) $detail detail/dt_wood 4) $detail metal/hr_metal/hr_metal_detail_002 The parameters I use to control my $detail is the following: $detail - Specifies the location of the detail you want to use. $detailscale - Controls the scale of your detail. $detailblendfactor - Controls the opacity of your detail.0 Here is an example .vmt for a model: $basetexture "models/de_transit/cube_preview" $detail detail/dt_carpet1 $detailscale 3 $detailblendfactor 0.5 Valve use this a lot in their models and textures, and you should too. They can range from being very subtle eye-candy, or making sure your diffuse looks like galvanized metal. 13.) Counter-Strike: Global Offensive When it comes to CS:GO, Valve's Developer Wiki will be your new Bible. Most questions you have, can be answered by this wiki. Stop being lazy. A lot of this is straight outta compton Valve’s Developer Wiki. 13. B) Terminology QC, VTF, VMT, SMD, OBJ, FBX What is a “.qc” ? A “.qc” file is a text-file script which controls the process of compiling SMDs into a binary model that can be loaded into a game. The extension stands for Quake C, the programming and scripting language from which the Valve Data Format was originally derived. A QC configures the model's location and name, which SMD files are used to provide geometry, collision meshes and animations, how the model reacts when shot, and so on. What is a “.vtf” ? A texture is a .vtf (“Valve Texture File”) that is the proprietary texture format used by the Source engine. VTF files are generally referenced in a Material instead of being accessed directly, which allows re-use in different ways. Both textures and materials are stored in subfolders of game_dir/materials/. What is a “.vmt” ? A material is a .vmt ("Valve Material Type") text file that defines a two-dimensional surface. It contains all of the information needed for Source to simulate the surface visually, aurally, and physically. What is a “.smd” ? The Studiomdl Data file format (.smd) stores 3D models in ASCII for analysis and compilation by studiomdl. SMD files are usually generated by an SMD export plug-in for a given model editor package like the Wallworm Model Tools for 3ds Max What is a “.obj” ? A .obj is a geometry definition file format first developed by Wavefront Technologies. For the most part it is a universally accepted format. The .obj file format is a simple data-format that represents 3D geometry alone — namely, the position of each vertex, the UV position of each texture coordinate vertex, vertex normals, and the faces that make each polygon defined as a list of vertices, and texture vertices. Vertices are stored in a counter-clockwise order by default, making explicit declaration of face normals unnecessary. OBJ coordinates have no units, but OBJ files can contain scale information in a human readable comment line. Basically it’s a format for your 3D model that you are going to use when compiling your model for the Source Engine, if not an .obj format then an .fbx, .smd or .dmx format. What is a “.fbx” ? A .fbx (Filmbox) is a proprietary file format (.fbx) developed by Kaydara and owned by Autodesk since 2006. It is used to provide interoperability between digital content creation applications. Does mostly the same thing an .obj does. 13. C) Models A model is a collection of points, or vertices, that form a 3D shape known as a mesh. The gaps between the points are usually filled with polygons, and these polygons are usually covered with a material. Models are used for almost every 3D object in Source that isn't a part of a map's underlying brush geometry. NPCs, physics objects, guns, and sometimes even buildings are all models. Models are created in external modelling packages that are not part of the Source SDK. The SDK tool studiomdl is used to compile files exported from a modelling package into the binary MDL format that Source understands. Your collision model(s) have to be made up of convex pieces, that together match the shape of your model as well as they can. They also have to be 100% smooth. You can either create your collision models piece by piece manually or find plugins to use for your piece of software. How do I export models into the game? You have several options assuming you’ve already created a model in a 3d package of your choice. CS:GO supports various formats: SMD, DMX, OBJ and FBX The easiest way would be to export your mesh into OBJ or FBX since most of the 3D packages natively support these formats and there’s really no need for a third party tool (although it does make the process much easier). OBJ format has some limitations you should be aware of: only 1 UV channel. (With the recent update CS:GO supports the usage of two UV channels which is only achievable with an FBX format) can’t use it for collision hulls/meshes. can’t export bones/no animation support. Now I’ll explain the most basic way to get your model into the game without the use a 3rd party tool. First create a QC file, here’s an example testcube.qc: $modelname "de_yourmap\testcube.mdl" $body mybody "testcube.fbx" (As said previously this format can also be an OBJ, SMD or DMX. Don't include this in the QC!) $staticprop $surfaceprop default $cdmaterials "models\de_yourmap" $sequence idle "testcube.fbx" Now create a batch file, let’s call it compile.bat. And paste in the following: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\bin\studiomdl.exe" -game "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\csgo" %1 pause We can now drag and drop our QC directly on our newly created batch file and let it do the compiling process. You can also use Guistudiomdl or Crowbar rather than creating your own batch files, these provide a lot more functionality than a simple batch file. If you can’t see any errors then you should be able to launch HLMV and browse to your compiled model, in this case you would find it inside a directory called “de_yourmap” as specified in the example QC above. My model is pitch black, what’s going on? In the picture above, we’re missing the material (.vmt) since we haven’t created it yet. So go ahead and create a basic material file inside: <path to your csgo installation>\csgo\materials\models\de_yourmap Call it testmaterial.vmt and paste in the following: "VertexlitGeneric" { $basetexture models/de_yourmap/testmaterial (Path to your .VTF) $surfaceprop concrete } Assuming you have your texture ready, save it as testmaterial.vtf and you should be done. That’s pretty cool, but it has no collisions, wat do? Since our model is just a very basic convex shape (a revolutionary cube) we can use it as a collision mesh as well. For anything more complex you’d have to make a proper separate collision mesh. so the resulting QC file will look like this $modelname "de_yourmap\testcube.mdl" $body mybody "testcube.fbx" $staticprop $surfaceprop default $cdmaterials "models\de_yourmap" $sequence idle "testcube.fbx" $collisionmodel "testcube.fbx" Now compile again and enjoy the result after all this hard work. Well that’s beautiful, look at our final model! Alternatively you can avoid all of this long, hard work by using an exporter. Known exporters Maya - MESA 3ds Max - Wallworm Cinema 4D - I/Ogre Modo - Modog Blender - Blender Source Tools Special thanks to @tomm for helping me with the new edition of this handy little guide. Happy git gudding.

If it's fake, kudos for originality and creative writing. I have to agree many of the stuff mentioned feels like the logical next step for SP games. Fuck.. the kid in me really wants all that to be true, but glass breaking in different ways according to the environments temperature? sure... lol.

I've just been linked this https://archive.is/1xWGU smells of bullcrap but is a fun read. Epic comment: Another day, another "trustmeiamfromvalveandiwanttotellyousomethingabouthalflfe3" guy ?

Guyyyyyysss ULTRAFLOW 2 is out on Android! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ULTRATEAM.ULTRAFLOW2 We are so proud of it. Hope you'll like it!

Cooking up something good. Will let you guys know once that weirdo structure is done in the background.

Been enjoying some more laid-back stuff today. OK maybe not so much the first one.

This is a real improvement! But on the bombsite, does the yellow line go over the crack in the ground?

Next patch will have a changelog : -)! I have sadly neglected changelogs on mapcore, I have put every sinlge day for a month and a half into fixing stuff in the level and the scope for changes is so very wide!

I'd prefer it if you wrote down the changes. It's hard for us to spot individual changes on your map by looking at screenshots alone

Hi, I finally finished my crysis mod. Here's a short description of what it is: Cold Fusion is a custom single player campaign for Crysis, taking place in Arctic, Longyearbyen, Spitzberge. Reconnaissance satellites patroling the terrain near the old navy base on Arctica has recorded an increase in military activity. Chinese army is conducting a large scale operation which imposes a threat on the global peace. Any act of terror needs to be eliminated. The goal of the mission is to infiltrate the base and gather intelligence on increased military activity within the region. The level presents an open, varied and detailed environment to explore, intense battles, and multiple ways to reach your objectives. You can dowload it from: http://crysis.gamebanana.com/maps/188761 or http://www.moddb.com/mods/cold-fusion Cold Fusion teaser for more information on design process and post mortem visit: http://lukaszmaj.weebly.com/cold-fusion.html

Re-release day! New workshop post! http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=600728667 The map turned out to be a bit more call of duty paced then I expected however this just means deathmatch is way more hectic than ever!! I wish to thank all of you that have contributed with your time and feedback! Defusal and Deathmatch : -)!

I have a book called "programming game AI by example" and one by o'reilly called "AI for game developers". The first book is really good, the book by o'reilly is not so good. I really recommend getting the first one.

I think this was known before this article tho. To me this was poor writing from a literary standpoint but def had some cool ideas: "Temperature is a factor too and reflects on a lot. For example if it is very cold, glass will become more brittle and easier to break, whereas if it is 700 degrees the metal will start to melt and the rubber will stick to the surface and melt down."

Sorry for the crazy late reply! All I did was grab the global lighting entities from Office as that was the starting idea I was building from. My color and lighting scheme has really been the biggest sore area of my mapping. Been playing Black Mesa and the lighting in the maps have been showing me that I've got some work to do. The skybox is also pulled from office with a weak attempt to move the buildings around into the gaps between buildings. As for the layout I haven't had a chance to touch the map for about a month now and today I was able to sit down and just sketch what my current layout looks like and came to the conclusion that the parking lot is just an old bomb site from a WAY early iteration from when the B site was directly under the A site and going to be replacing the parking lot so the layout will be going under another massive change and wouldn't want to waste peoples time with a layout I know is going to be changed. Will be pretty much remaking the map from scratch at this point, along with the new name.

Well fake or not, he is right about Kelly Bailey making music for Valve again. He did leave but came back to them.

Since I did the lighting fix you suggested, it looks a lot better.

You can update me to Senior Technical Artist btw, still at CA.

I still wait for Molotov skins sponsored by Jack Daniels.

Weeee

Update 3: Changed connector between hostage rooms as well as phase 2 upper paths. Timings are now more well balanced. Changed the dev textures to their borderless equivalent, it's better for the eye Reworked the hall chokepoint to give Ct's a plateform so that they can check the left entry for T's, thus balancing the crossfire Ct's could get into. The new overview with phase 1 paths are now these: I tested timings too for phase 2: Light green path is 40 while walking with the hostage, and 25sec while running withe the hostage. Dark green and strong yellow are somewhat equivalent in timing to the light green one, give or take 2seconds. Pale yellow is 20 seconds running with the hostage, and 35 while walking. light blue is 40 seconds while walking and 25 seconds while running with hostage. And finally, the weird colored one is 20 seconds running with the hostage, and 35 while walking too. For the light green path, be rest assured, the sightline has been broken by some cover: example: Imgur album and Bsp link Thanks in advance for any feedback, I'll playtest it when it will be more ready

can this be called "suburban"?

Hey, great news! 1. The pre-orders are available and you can save 20% ordering Punch Club now. http://store.steampowered.com/app/394310 2. The game is ready and waiting for being released. 3. The game will not launch publicly on Steam and mobile until Twitch has beaten Punch Club. The fate of the game is in your hands! Right now, twitch is trying to beat the game: http://www.twitch.tv/twitchplayspunchclub

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=569110763 And the patches don´t stop!

Been playing without using the pipboy fast travel, only vertibirds and lots of walking. The world is actually a lot smaller than I first realized, but because its not just endless waste between locations it feels a lot bigger. So many unmarked locations that are interesting or have small environmental story telling. You only plan to go round the corner for a quest, but end up spending hours in some underground car park that leads into the subway tunnels then who knows where after. End up further away from where you wanted to go than when you first started. So much to see that is somewhat hidden and probably wouldn't find if you heavily use fast travel. Also since I don't fast travel you come across more enemies so health and radiation is much more of a concern. No longer able to hoard 100 stimpacks and just spam them when needed. Now you have to care about sleeping or using radiated food/water to get health. And setting up settlements is more of a priority so you can have guard patrols while moving between locations, as well as more vendors to buy healing items and offload your junk. Then I got an explosive combat shotgun drop from a legendary super mutant and the game on survival instantly turned into easy mode. Each pellet explodes so anything that doesn't die in the first shot has most of their limbs crippled so cant really fight back anyway. Really is a god tier weapon.

Just thought I'd start a seperate topic for my map. First playtest was tonight so if there are some people with suggestions, here's the place to post them Here are some pics I already posted: de_ali is just a placeholder name. It's short for alicante, which was its initial name when I started it (even prior to de_toledo). If anyone has a better suggestion for it, shoot! A lot of people mentioned that the balconies are too much in favourite of the defending team. One idea to counter this is to make the opposite balcony on the T's side accessible (possibly even the little tower too), but I think that may make the map unnecessary large and would slow down things on the T's side a bit). Here are some pictures of what I'm talking about: (viewed from T's side) (viewed from CT's side) I'm happy to hear everyone's suggestions though! Here's some pics from the playtest. Thanks everyone who joined It was a lot of fun imho. (Puddy succesfully trying to jump away from my grenade after killing me )

I think the atmosphere in HL1 is way better then in HL2. More people feel the same about that?