create/convert materies/textures into hammer
Is there any way to add more (lots) of textures/materials into the hammer texture gallery? What would make me really happy is if I can get the textures already in AutoCAD or SketchUp into the program.
I'm an Architecture major and I'm exploring hammer and Portal (no gun in this case) as a means to render projects. All we're learning are static renderings or recorded fly throughs. I want an interactive digital model, but for the most part the textures in hammer are all beat-up looking. I'm just looking for many materials (new-looking) that could be good for rendering detailed buildings.
Thanks!
You need to convert your images to .vtf files using the sdk, then write a .vmt script file containing basic information on how the texture will be rendered.
Check the articles on developer.valvesoftware.com
You need to make the textures as a .VTF and acomany it with a .VMT which is just a text file telling hammer and the game the relevent ino about the texture, wether it is metal glass... or where it's normal map file is.
to make the .VTF you can use the Nvidia photshop plug in or VTEX, which I think is in the bin folder of the sdkcontent, if memory serves
The .VMT is, as I said, just a text file with a new extention.
Once you've made the files you need to put them in right sdk content folder and also in the right game folder.
http://www.snarkpit.net/editing.php?pag ... HL2&id=121 This goes through the process and its reasonably clear.
I've seen architecture things done with HL2 before, search youtube.
if you're wanting to do renderings of flythroughs and such, I would recommend an animation program. with hammer you're limited to poly limits, have very limited lighting techniques, and the shaders are incredibly difficult to edit compared to other programs like 3dsmax or maya. 3dsmax even has its own Architecture shaders and materials designed just for this purpose.
However, 3dsmax cost several hundred dollars, while hammer is free 
Blender might be a viable option though... :shrug:
well, if making an a product for a client, you want to be taken seriously 
and if you're a student you can get a educational version of 3dsmax from anywhere from $150 to $600 depending where you buy.
ive seen some really interesting things done in quicktime by doing spherical renderings...
upside you'd be able to walk around and look in every direction
downside would be you'd be forced to use a movement method similair to myst, click to move
if you've played myst: exile thats what they used
its not as interactive as a game, but allows for far greater detail and image control.
I haven't done this myself but ive seen it done, just thought I'd give you ideas 
doing a myst style game now would be totaly pointless. when they made myst they made their high res 3d model and then took pictures at each point so that when you played it on your own pc it would run at a decent speed. but computers are so much more powerfull now doing something like that makes it worse not better.
And for architecture you want something you can move around properly.
Two architecture class progects on youtube:
An experimental house -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21KOGmZtNu8
And by far the better of the two -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3KdPDQjmvg
I wasn't talking about a game
I'm talking about architectural representations. If I were to be commisioned to do one for a client, there are several options I would consider. 1) animated CG model 2) tabletop model 3) hi-resolution 3d spherical imagery (like what they used in exile) and finally 4) using a game engine
I put them in that order for the following reasons:
Clients would likely want something as close to the real thing as possible, an Animated CG model in a program like 3dsmax XSI or maya provide the most realistic lighting, and aren't limited to polylimits during presentation. In order to have realistic lighting and specular highlights on objects, even sharp edges need to be beveled, even if very slightly, this allows the specular highlight to appear on the surface normals of the bevel. This effect is very hard to do in a game engine, sharp corners in games often look like sharp corners.
If a 3d app were not available, I would likely look to real-world modelmaking. Its something physical something you can touch, also its a standard in the industry.
number 3 and 4 are not to my knowlege really standard for companies to use. Number 3 allows the benefits of number 1, but gives a dimension of interaction that may be useful.
I would be really careful using number 4, the sameway I wouldn't use Poser for a project. I wouldn't want to have to tell a professional client I made their building in a video game. But mainly, the limit of size and scale that comes with a game engine. It's too taxing to put the detail into small objects to make them look more than a game object. This would lead to low framerates for large buildings to show proper detail to the client.
Now there are only a few reasons I can see an architect student to use hammer for a project:
1) haven't learned 3dsmax, maya, or similair animation program in your studies yet.
2) game engines are approved by the instructor
3) assuming #2 is true, already having knowlege of hammer
4) #2 being true, desire to learn hammer to later make game levels
I'm not trying to flame or anything I'm actually just giving my advise from what ive seen in animation classes and the like. where animation is concerned the program known as "poser" isn't looked upon very well. My instructor actually told the class of an incident at a company he once worked at, where a collegue made a project storyboard using poser (rather than drawing), and was then fired, and other employers heard about this and he had a hard time. I'm not sure if this could happen here if you tried hammer professionally, but I woudn't try it unless its company standard.
If you haven't tried 3dsmax, you can get a trial version. Editing textures is infinitely easier than hammer. As far as interactivity, animated sequences can be programed together, so the user can click where to go, and the appropriate animation plays. Im not sure how to do that but ive seen someone do it.
heres some sites I looked up with great videos.
http://www.spine3d.com
http://www.midwestmodel.com