Hi

So I'm new to mapping, and I was wondering if there was a way to load
in an image into Hammer's views that I could then trace over. For
example, if I had architectural blueprints I could put a floorplan into
the top view and an elevation into the sideview and then trace them and
end up with something like the actual building. Or I could sketch out a
map on paper, scan the sketches, and then load the sketches in Hammer
and trace them. You can do it in Blender or Maya, so I was wondering if
hammer has that feature, and if so, how I use it. Sorry if this
question has been asked already.

Thanks

This question was asked aeons ago and I am pretty sure that the answer was negatory.

Welcome to Snarkpit.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Not directly.

You can however load it into Maya, 3DS Max, and other modeling programs, make models ... then transfer that to hammer.

I cannot find a link now though to tell you how. I think you can either save as a *map format ... or ... there's a DWG -> MAP converter out there.

I'm sure someone else has more information though!

I should point out, though ... this is a larger pain in the ass than just making the thing directly in hammer, unless you are making a very obscure structure as the entire map (which bringing it in as a model would actually save a lot of headache for the game engine. There's a reason why Ghost Recon runs so smooth)

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

• print the over lay
• trace with tracing paper
• tabe paper over your screen

works for me*

*assuming I've tried it, which I havn't

Ehhh you could convert the scan into a texture then make a big brush and place the texture on it and that would give you a rough guideline in the 3d view.

I placed a grid over a floorplan i had (in photoshop) and used that for the basic layout. What helps there is to set the gridsize to a large value. That should help building the rough layout.

What you have to keep in mind though is that realworld sizes don't (always) translate to playable sizes in game. That cool looking hallway in real life might need to be scaled down (or up) in game to make the game work.

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http://maps.nappy.cc for more info and maps

What you have to keep in mind though is that realworld sizes don't (always) translate to playable sizes in game. That cool looking hallway in real life might need to be scaled down (or up) in game to make the game work.

Yea, stick to powers of 2. All textures are made to fit on sizes like 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 ect. Use this grid for your architecture.

Thanks for the info, those are all good ideas.

Crono, I never heard of making a map in a modeller. I just make the
whole map in Blender and then port it in? How would I texture it? I've
never played the Ghost Recon map you're talking about

Thanks for the info, those are all good ideas.

Crono, I never heard of making a map in a modeller. I just make the
whole map in Blender and then port it in? How would I texture it? I've
never played the Ghost Recon map you're talking about

You would texture it once it's all in hammer.

Anyway, it's a bad idea, and a pain in the ass! I'd only suggest it if you want to make incredibly complex structures.

Otherwise, if you have the blueprints of some layout you want to make, it has measurements. You can use those in HL2 hammer, everything is in inches though. I know you can change it to feet and inches, and that changes the measurement at the bottom of the screen, almost on the task bar. That'd be the easiest way to recreate something.

But, to answer your questions it IS possible. It'll suck though. Be hard, and yield very poor results.

The reason I mentioned GR, is because A) It's old and B) all the maps were made with 3DS Max. There is no level editor for the game, I think there's one for entities so you can put in that sort of stuff. But texturing and everything else is done in the modeling program.

Because the entire map is a model, it is very efficient. There are NO world calculations so the game runs like a dream in an incredibly large expansive environment.
The same would happen in HL2 ... it's just really hard and not really worth it. That was my point though. It'd run faster. But those are compiled models.
The question you're asking is "How to move an un-compiled model to hammer". Which, I said is possible, but I don't suggest.

Anyway, this is long winded. If you don't want to read it all:

You can transfer an un compiled model to hammer through various programs (I believe those modeling programs have a to MAP type of option)

However. That will allow the geometry you made in the modeling program to be world brushes in hammer ... it just isn't a good idea.

If you want to model the entire building, however, that'd be a very interesting idea! I would imagine that'd run pretty damned smooth. Just be aware HL2 requires world brushes for vis blocking.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

What you could do is model the map in a program like Max or Maya, but only model the faces you want visible, then chop it up into smaller pieces before exporting and compiling the models. Then just place them all lined up in hammer and build the brushes you need for occlusion around them. If you've got UT2004 check out DM-Gestalt in UnrealEd, all of the level geometry was made in a 3D program and imported into UnrealEd in pieces. The lightmaps were also baked into the skins of the models and they're unlit in the game, completely avoiding the artifacts that vertex lighting can cause. The lights in the level are only to light the players, not the level geometry. There is a grand total of 7 world brushes in DM-Gestalt.

That method really isn't advisable though unless you're pretty proficient in a 3D modelling program, UV mapping, skinning, lighting, and just have a lot mapping experience. It would take a lot more planning than just building your level in Hammer, plus you'd have to make the skins for all of the models. The benefits are, as Crono mentioned, performance, so you can add a lot more detail, and the fact that you can go crazy with the textures and they never have to tile, depending on the size you use for the skins. It would probably be hard to play test the level though, unless you built it with brushes first to test the layout, then modelled according to the final plan after a bunch of testing. There's great potential for the end product of this method, but the process of building it would most likely take a lot more time and dedication.

You could also make the very basic layout in a 3D modelling program using the blueprint, place that model in hammer and just trace over it with brushes then hide the model before compiling. But then there's also the problem of how real-world scale and layout usually doesn't make a good level. If it's a small building that would work well in the game, you could model it and use it as part of a level. In any case, things like balance, objective positioning, the different routes players can take, all benefit a lot from being designed as a game level instead of a real-world structure.

[EDIT]
Fixed some weird sentences and stuff to make it a little more coherent, I was distracted a little while writing ;P

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o