Hi all, I havnt posted here in some time, but here is some info on the new* Source SDK Update today.

When launching Hammer with one of these games selected:
Half-Life 2
Counter-Strike: Source
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
Day of Defeat: Source
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Solution:
You need to add -engine ep1 to the Source SDK Tools launch options, and the restart Source SDK. This will launch the old version of Hammer, without the errors.

For further info, there are many problems listed so far with the SDK update including one that renders Hammer almost useless for Mapping for DODS.

When you have started hammer and use the model browser, it crashes and closes all SDK programs and taks you back to the desktop.

There has been no official reply yet to the issues raised by anyone on the Valve forums.

For info checkout:

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=620671

and

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=620867

Look like the update wasnt tested correctly again :(

I'm sure they're working feverishly on it and will have a fix asap !

No Worries !

:D

I'm sure they're working feverishly on it and will have a fix asap !

No Worries !

:D

Yeah, that's what I said on the steampowered forums too, but people are still freaking out! I don't get it... sure, it's inconvenient, but it's not as if they're not trying to fix it. I just wanted to say to them "chill out, go play a game or something!"

Anyway, I can't wait until DoD:S is updated to the new engine so we can use the updated Hammer with it... I saw a few new little features in one of the toolbars like a button that toggles showing/hiding of nodraw textures and a few other things I don't remember... that was before it crashed on me :rolleyes:

Completely unrelated, but does this mean that the SDK has been updated so that it can be used to map for TF2 and Portal?

That's the idea, but I think I read something about cubemap errors or something when mapping for those games. I don't remember all the details, but they're still ironing out some of the kinks with that too. Check the steampowered forums if you're curious.

Short answer: yes.

Thanks. I guess I won't be restarting Steam any time soon, until they have the problem worked out. :confused:

Oh they messed up the Model Viewer again too :|

Thanks m8 ,trying to fix this all morning you save my day:D

After this update, everytime i start Hammer i get this error.....

Cant Open FileSystemOpenDialog.dll

ok, sorted that bit, by adding the ep thingy, but now hammer crashes everytime i open the model viewer . GRRR!!

Valve's update policy must reminds me of the one in battlefield 2

'Update the game, create more bugs'

Sorry Guys, no fix yet, no fix or timescale suggested.

just read this over at HL2World, apparently its from a dev at Valve:

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just wanted to let you know that a release is going out tonight ( friday night) that addresses a few of the issues people have been reporting.



1. Fixed problem with building cubemaps for TF2, Ep2, and Portal
maps.

2. Added missing models and textures for Hammer and Model Viewer.
This addresses two crashes.

3. Fixed problem loading 'FileSystemOpenDialog.dll' in Hammer and
Model Viewer.

4. Changed the game configuration logic such that only Orange Box
games are available in the active games list when the SDK is set to use
Orange Box tools. Only pre-Orange Box games are available when the SDK
is set to use the Ep1 tools.

5. Hammer lighting preview modes are temporarily disabled until
compatibility and performance issues can be addressed.



I'll try to get another update out tomorrow to fix more bugs.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This bit
I'll try to get another update out tomorrow to fix more bugs.

made me laugh.

seems tht the model viewer still is f@ked

seems tht the model viewer still is f@ked

Well, it's not Friday night yet. :D

Does this mean that there will be an actual setting to change from Episode 1 to Episode 2? Or will we be forever typing -engine ep1 into the SDK when we want to map for DOD? Wouldn't it just be easier to select the game, and have the SDK choose the correct engine? Why am I asking all of these questions when I know that the developer won't see them?

You won't have to once DoD is updated to Ep2 era engine.

As for having two different SDKs, a beta one, or whatever else, Mike's already stated the changes were too important to allow for this, and this is definitely the largest update we've seen in recent time. Not to mention the rest is still coming, new tools like the particle editor.

For now though, one way to fix the model browser is to disable the VGUI option in Hammer. You'll go back to the first model browser we had way back when, but that's better than nothing.

Does this mean that there will be an actual setting to change from Episode 1 to Episode 2? Or will we be forever typing -engine ep1 into the SDK when we want to map for DOD?

Just make two desktop shortcuts, one for each version.

The problem with the original model browser is that there are no preview pics for the dod models. This bugged me a lot when dod was released (most of you will remember that the vgui browser came in a later update), so I took pics of most of the models in hlmv, and put the pics in my models directory. I still find that it's faster to locate a model using the old browser with pics, than it is to find one with the vgui browser.
Anyway, if anyone needs to revert to the old browser until these updates are sorted out, but finds the lack of pictures to be as much of a nipple twister as I did, then download dod_modelpics.zip (http://www.invalid-brush.com/images/dod/dod_modelpics.zip), and extract it to your models folder.

well, my SDK just updated, i can now open hammer without needing ep1, but 3D view is stuck in wireframe, has wierd lines flying miles off into the distance, and the model viewer still dont work :s

If you map for DoDS, you still need to have the ep1 line. If you don't have it, you're mapping with the latest Hammer, which is only Orangebox compatible.

Update from Mike :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Durand
I can duplicate this and am working on a fix for it now.

I haven't been able to fix the crashing model viewer in the Ep1 version of Hammer yet but you can work around the problem by unchecking 'Use VGUI Model Browser' in the Hammer options on the General tab.

On Monday I'll continue fixing this and other bugs but wanted to share this workaround.

BAH so i gotta wait til sometime next week :P i really wanna try this lighting thing aswell xD

Lighting preview won't be around next week. Valve needs to update shaders across all their games to allow for this, so a coordinated steam update has to be planned. That's gonna take more time.

With that said, I really couldn't care less if that ever makes a come back. I know it's really the least expected answer to give to this topic, but while that would have been useful ever since we got the original SDK, now that VRAD has been upgraded and takes ten times less time to render lighting, you can compile ready to release maps in a matter of 5 minutes.

Im still getting the error when I try to select a world model in Hammer for a model.

Doesn't happen in Orangebox, but for ep1 era tools, you have to revert back to the non VGUI model browser for now

well, my SDK just updated, i can now open hammer without needing ep1, but 3D view is stuck in wireframe, has wierd lines flying miles off into the distance, and the model viewer still dont work :s

This is the problem I am having. Reverting back to the old config seems to be the only solution.

I am really looking forward to a lighting preview. I know it's not essential, but it will really help speed up the tweaking process.
Another thing that will be very useful is the prop_scalable entity. It never worked properly in the last update though. Hopefully it will be something like UnrealEd, where you just grab the model, and stretch it to the size you want.

A dream addition would allow the mapper to see the sky texture, and the fully rendered 3d skybox in editor.

As far as the wiki is concerned, prop_scalable can only scale a non solid prop. I guess the system doesn't take into account the collision model, so instead of having a huge model with no collision or vice versa, you have to have your prop set to "not solid".

With that said, it's not in the TF2 fgd.

Prop_scalable! Never heard of that before, sounds really handy for the skybox :) Hope we'll get it for dods soon.

http://www.hl2world.com/bbs/6-vt48649.html?start=75

Some images of the prop-scalable in action. Working on a non-solid prop would be okay for things that are most likely to be scaled, and reused several times I think. Stuff like trees, pillars, doors and windows, where the collision is usually turned off.

I suppose anything could be re-scaled, provided the mapper is willing to make a collision box out of nodraw brushes, like in the old hammer.