So right, i've been using unreal editor for years without a problem, it's simple and easy to use. Apparently hammer editor is [i]easier[/i] but I don't even know where to begin on it, so many buttons. Is there some kind of detailed tutorial on where to begin map making?
[IMG]http://media.moddb.com/images/downloads/1/12/11039/SourceTower_Screenshot_Hammer.1.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://vjart.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/editor.jpg[/IMG]
I'm starting to learn UDK, and I don't understand it's system. UDK has way more buttons than Hammer.
Hmm. It seems that they almost have the same buttons. I still can't figure out UDK's system :saddowns:
UDK is primeraly a model based system with much larger limits, whereas hammer is designed for indoor areas, and uses a brush based system.
If you want tutorials, check the sticky for the Mappers Encyclopaedia.
Thank you. I'll read that. And it's correct you can make garry's mod, portal AND tf2 maps with it?
[QUOTE=Xenoyia v2;22749362]Thank you. I'll read that. And it's correct you can make garry's mod, portal AND tf2 maps with it?[/QUOTE]
As long as you open it in the correct engine version (the drop-down menu at the bottom of the SDK window), yes.
Although Garry's Mod maps can be made in any engine version.
Hammer is easier to learn for beginners, but the UDK can become an extremely powerful tool if you have all the skills necessary to harness it's abilities.
Any single person can create something decent looking with Hammer in just a few hours, but the UDK just can't do that because everything is model based. If you have a team of people working on a project, however, things can go a lot faster because everything is model based and the work can be split so everyone gets a fair share.
But UDK does create much nicer looking maps and optimization isn't nearly as hard as it is to master in Hammer. And there's also a little something called Lightmass that comes with the UDK. It calculates light bounces extremely accurately and makes sure that color is reflected properly. The best part about it is that every aspect of Lightmass can be changed and tweaked to create the absolute perfect lighting.
And one last thing, UDK has post-processing filters built in and tweakable to a great degree.
[QUOTE=robmaister12;22749594]Hammer is easier to learn for beginners, but the UDK can become an extremely powerful tool if you have all the skills necessary to harness it's abilities.
Any single person can create something decent looking with Hammer in just a few hours, but the UDK just can't do that because everything is model based. If you have a team of people working on a project, however, things can go a lot faster because everything is model based and the work can be split so everyone gets a fair share.
But UDK does create much nicer looking maps and optimization isn't nearly as hard as it is to master in Hammer. And there's also a little something called Lightmass that comes with the UDK. It calculates light bounces extremely accurately and makes sure that color is reflected properly. The best part about it is that every aspect of Lightmass can be changed and tweaked to create the absolute perfect lighting.
And one last thing, UDK has post-processing filters built in and tweakable to a great degree.[/QUOTE]
Don't forget about custom shaders. I love the material editor for the simple fact you can make as many layers of detail and shit on one texture, and it'll look sexy as hell.
im going to download UDK Now, looks good, just wondering does it work with making Gmod Maps?
Hammer still beats UDK a head, ask those who used it for a while
[QUOTE=Cookie Monster!;22752426]im going to download UDK Now, looks good, just wondering does it work with making Gmod Maps?[/QUOTE]
No it doesn't its for unreal engine mods and games.
[QUOTE=FLAPJACKDANNY;22752588]No it doesn't its for unreal engine mods and games.[/QUOTE]
This
[QUOTE=Netheous;22752523]Hammer still beats UDK a head, ask those who used it for a while[/QUOTE]
Not really, UDK is more than just a level editor.
[QUOTE=Legend286;22752865]Not really, UDK is more than just a level editor.[/QUOTE]
But it's for Unreal and such only.
The only thing that really bothers me in hammer in comparision to the UDK is the fact that hammer is still stuck in 2007. Not the interface, but the lack of precise real-time previews for the maps, the limits, and the lack of dynamic lighting to work with.
UDK is hard to get into and frustrating, I prefer Source SDK's hammer for map making but I guess if I got good at UDK it would be far superior.
[QUOTE=Netheous;22752523]Hammer still beats UDK a head, ask those who used it for a while[/QUOTE]
explain your logic :p
they both have their strengths, BUT they both have a vastly different workflow
for example, the only reason you would use bsp in unreal engine, would be to place models against
also, since no one mentioned it, UDK is indeed more then just a level editor, its the engine itself (without the source code, only uscript is available).
you can release a standalone game with it
As an engine the UDK beats Source considerably at this point.
For workflow, Hammer can be tackled easily by a single person whereas the UDK really needs a small team at least.
In terms of community and the sheer amount of games you could map for, Source wins hands down.
There are hundreds of communities relating to Source mapping, modelling, coding etc.
There's always a purpose for any map you make too because if it isn't tailored to a specific game there's always Garry's Mod.
[QUOTE=Netheous;22752978]But it's for Unreal and such only.[/QUOTE]
The point of the UDK is that you are free to develop and market a full game. If you do want to take a profit from the game you are marketing, you keep the first $5,000 you make, but only have to pay 25% royalties after that.
For being able to make a profitable game without paying a penny for programs, 25% isn't too bad for royalties.
And I did forget to mention Kismet, Matinee, and the material editor in my last post.
Kismet is like Hammer's IO system, but allows you to do so much more without having to hop between entities looking at the output tab. It's all in one window. Matinee is actually quite a bit nicer than faceposer, with the little exposure I've had to both of them. Matinee is keyframe based and can be plugged right into kismet to trigger animations at any given time.
The material editor is light years ahead of the Source SDK's text-based material properties. Instead of having to open explorer and find the right vmt, edit it, save it, recompile, test it, edit it again, you can literally just double click a material and you are in the material editor. There is a realtime preview of the texture, with lighting, on the left, so every change you can make can be tweaked without having to hop back into the game. It also allows you to manipulate textures with different types of filters like multiply, add, etc. so you don't have to modify it in the photo editor and export it out to vtf just to make it a little brighter.
Oh yeah, and lightmass lets you light up a room with the emissive textures on models, so you can literally have no light entities in your entire map, but have it all be calculated by the light sources in the level.
The workflow in the UDK is much quicker than the Source SDK for just about everything, with the exception of blocking out a level.
Oh yeah, and carve (CSG Subtract) works just fine in the UDK, it doesn't fuck up the CSG nearly as bad as it does in Hammer.
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