Okay, so knowing that I am in the mapping section I would hope that all of you use Hammer. Well for me I find Hammer to be one of the worst and flatout restricted map making programs for any game. (No offense to Valve!)

So what I would like this thread to be is a sort of...wishlist. I want to know what other mappers wish Hammer could/would do.

I am not talking about "I wish the models didn't turn black"...that is a bug, I am talking features. What features do you mappers most wish for??

Maybe we will give our friends at Valve some ideas that maybe they didn't think of, or forgot.



I will let you guys start.


Wish away!

- Model browser to remember last category selected when you click it
- The ability to switch between camera and texture apply tool to select multiple textures
- An update button for the texture browser, so if I add a new material to the folder it will immediately be available in game
- Being able to preview render effects such as additive, etc
- Being able to preview particle effects and some other entities that operate in a similar way
- I wish the models didn't turn black (jk)

- Real time rendering as if in game (yeah I can dream)

- no compiling of maps. If you use the Crytek engine for example, you just hit "esc " and boom you're in game. God I wish I had that....

- Compiler launching through batch files rather than the built-in batch display that crashes when you tab to another window.

- Option to render the current camera view with the lighting and whatever effects as if it was ingame (only 1 image rendered, not the whole map)

- Quicker compiling process

- Cliff making tool.. Life has been a lot easier with the displacement-tools, but to actually make rocks/cliffs (read: a whole bunch of them) it's still quite the pain in the ass..

I vote for the Captains idea of a model browser that remembers the last category you were in.

Also I'd prefer a tool that will set the two closest edges of any displacements at the same height so that they can be sewn together. It's near impossible to sew things up sometimes.

Another great feature might be to be a lighting preview. I hate having to compile my map to see the lighting, only to see it's screwed up and I have to recompile after a minor change all over again. It's a time consuming process I'd like to cut out.

Good stuff people!

Somethings I would like:

-Real-time lighting in 3d view: There are so many times where that would be helpful, especially when making volumetric light and placing cubemaps.

-The ability to preview the different skins in the model browser

-As said before no compiling: working with Unreal's editor I felt like it was just seamless mapping.

-More advanced tools alltogether: Hammers functionality has remained pretty much the same forever. I think that if it where a little more like a modeling program or even UnEd it would be 100times better.

-The ability to blend several totally seperate textures together.

-And most of all, the inclusion of all the tools mappers use. I feel like I have to open several progams just to get things done. I wish that you could create textures, particle effects and more while in hammer and then place them right after you are finnished.

Oh right, forgot to add:

- real time scanning of steamapps folder to include any new file since Hammer was opened. I'd rather not have to close Hammer every time I need to load up another custom texture (or what have you) and see how it looks in game

Besides the things already mentioned (real-time lighting, finding updated/new files etc), I'd like a patch mesh system like in QERadiant. I hate how displacements work in source, it'd be far easier if you could just select and move verts around in the 2d views, and weld any verts together. Even moh:aa had patch meshes, which made it far easier to create rounded brushes, for things like bunker corners or bends in pipes.

And also a scale property for props. It'd make it a lot easier than having to map around props. With things like trees it'd also add more variation without having to use multiple models. CODRadiant let you scale models on every axis which was one of the best features of that editor, but any option at all to rescale would be good enough.

-being able to manipulate the vertices of displacements in the 2d views. (not just the 4 corners of the original brush)(similar to terrain and patch meshes in cod radiant)

-add a magic tool that optimizes a finished map with the click of an "easy button" :p

-scrap the new model browser completely and make model browsing as close as possible to the way the texture browser works.


ps. Valve totally rocks for supporting the SDK and modding community like they do. Its really is unbelievable how much extra goodies they hook us up with for free.

the ability to sew two displacements that aren't the same dimensions, and to have a prefab maker for rounded corners. and ofcourse real time lighting.

Oh I forgot one

-A new way of using copy. The ability to do it like in 3dsMax would be awsome, just hold a button and drag now you don't have to spend more time trying to drag it to the same hight or whatever.

-Also a new system of moving things. Maybe as an option mappers can choose to move objects like in modeling programs by dragging the axis they want.

Wait...that is 2

Yeah the model brower is quite sluggish, it takes about 30 seconds just to find something when you type in a search query. It needs to be fast like the texture browser. It's like it isn't cached or something.

auto design button :)

lol sarnie..


I would like to be able to preview lights in the editor, would make placing cubemaps for me less trial and error.

The model browser is slow to query for me, but my mates PC which is arguably lower spec is much quicker (?)

Some form of auto-optimise would be good, even finding leaks is a bit of a mission for me.

Aside from everything already mentioned (ESPECIALLY the "going back to last folder in model browser" and the "able to switch between camera and texture select" ones)...

... the feature of having to do away with the entire UI and have it directly connect to our brains. Speeding up the process.

But more realistically:
- Able to export the 2d layouts/views to AutoCAD
- Able to do a sort of "cross-section" view for 2D so you'd be able to concentrate on your specified set of lines without any other lines getting in the way.

...that's all I remember right now.

It would be nice if Hammer could render the 3D-skybox. It would make it so much easer to align stuff.

The model browser is annoying all round, especially as it doesn't remember last folder used so that could be improved. And massive improvements to displacements.

-A new way of using copy. The ability to do it like in 3dsMax would be awsome, just hold a button and drag now you don't have to spend more time trying to drag it to the same hight or whatever.

You can do this like in Max already, just hold down shift and click/drag.

Oh, yeah...the big one I forgot to mention:

PLUGIN SUPPORT!!!

Originally posted by Bolteh
- Option to render the current camera view with the lighting and whatever effects as if it was ingame (only 1 image rendered, not the whole map)

- Quicker compiling process

- Cliff making tool.. Life has been a lot easier with the displacement-tools, but to actually make rocks/cliffs (read: a whole bunch of them) it's still quite the pain in the ass..

I actually found a good tutorial about cliff making. Heres the link. Cliff Tutorial (http://www.akilling.org/akg/tutorials/wiseCubes.asp)

Originally posted by El Capitan
Oh, yeah...the big one I forgot to mention:

PLUGIN SUPPORT!!!

Agreed!

My "me too" on the model browsing stuff. The filter function also obviously is pretty inefficient as typing in new stuff into the filter field really lags out.

Originally posted by misterunspoken

Another great feature might be to be a lighting preview. I hate having to compile my map to see the lighting, only to see it's screwed up and I have to recompile after a minor change all over again. It's a time consuming process I'd like to cut out.

http://www.geocities.com/cofrdrbob/entspy.html

if he can do it why cant valve/hammer ?
i want that built in

Originally posted by misterunspoken
Another great feature might be to be a lighting preview. I hate having to compile my map to see the lighting, only to see it's screwed up and I have to recompile after a minor change all over again. It's a time consuming process I'd like to cut out.
I also agree with this. I have been fixing up the lighting in my map all day today.

Alot of these suggestions are completely unrealistic.

Though one that would be a great idea is an onboard blend wizard, whether its allowing more than 2 blends or just allowing you to create the blends with a UI. Having to open the material directory just to create another file thats only going to be a few words different than another is a bit redundant.

How 'bout object snap (center, intersection, etc) and ortho (90 degree) switches ala ACAD?

Originally posted by nave
Alot of these suggestions are completely unrealistic.

Though one that would be a great idea is an onboard blend wizard, whether its allowing more than 2 blends or just allowing you to create the blends with a UI. Having to open the material directory just to create another file thats only going to be a few words different than another is a bit redundant.

You'd be suprised how many of these are feasible. I mean even the realtime rendering, I believe that Valve originally said it was going to be in the Source Hammer...but I am not 100% sure.

Actually nave, most of them are realistically possible. If not, all of them. Some of them wouldn't take long to implement either.

ive lost count of the number of times it froze on me in the past couple days. randomly, as im working

..also a prob. , plz repair the 2d zoom-out button "c" !
i have this problem since the beta-sdk .
if i press it , all 2dwindows will move to zoom_out ..
..at the moment i can only use the mouseweel for this.

I'd really like to see a 2D-shape editor like in UnrealEd, that allows you to draw a 2D-shape, and then extrude it or revolve it around an axis, for complex brushes.

I wonder if Valve has any plans on integrating the Source-engine into the 3D-view, so we could have real time preview of effects, since I want to see if my spotlight-ray fits in a light, if my particlesystem works as intended, and a whole lot other things.
Light is a time-consuming compile process, since we are dealing with a BSP-engine, but standard linear light illumination would suffice. Maybe even have a simple radiosity.

This could be split into two settings: 3D Software and Hardware rendering.
Software : Old style like we have now.
Hardware : Real time preview of effects and light. Soundpreview included!

Valve, smite me if this is impossible :S

1. Don't expect real time lighting in the editor soon. Would be nice, but I think the effort to develop that is too much a pain...i'd rather have the others of the great least going so far.

2. Better texture browser. Current one is still clunky.

3. Better custom texture importing tool...fot the whole chain of things you need to do. (not really a Hammer suggestion but oh well)

4. PLUGGIN SUPPORT! Yes...that would rock.

This has been said but:

-being able to manipulate all vertices of displacements individually

Also:

-Something that generates the best places for hint brushes
-Auto placing of env_cubemaps
-net_graph type options to show potential framerates depending on where you are in the 3d viewer

Hammer brushwork to model.

A built in feature that allows you to make brushwork, remove faces, add materials, and compile as a model.

That would far supercede anything Ive seen thus far.

Update content Button:

Push 1 button, and Hammer refreshes all the textures and models automatically so you dont have to friggin restart the friggen program every friggen 5 minutes just to test a friggen texture that probably needs more friggen work done but I just want to friggen see how it looks so friggen far.

- Real Time lighting preview

- Ability to scale models in real time in Hammer (UEd has this feature. Very, very handy)

Another thing that could be handy:
- Option to only see the textured brushes (excluding textures such as nodraw, sky, hint,...) in all the viewports.. I find myself lost at times in all the lines drawn on my 2D viewports..

- sky_camera Far Z clip plane
- more decimal points for textures (1/16 of standard dods tex scale 0.25=0.015625) or new standard tex scale.

if you've tried making a seemless 1/16 scale 3d skybox with fog and water you'll know what i'm talking about :dog: