After the installation of the program first a path should be set to the working directory.
In the file menu select 'Set Working directory Path ' and choose your directory.
In principle 360g can be everywhere installed; here it was installed at 'C:\Programme\360g'.
In the working window all folders, materials and textures are represented as symbols. In the installation directory no material/image files are present. Therefore only link to the parent folder is indicated by the file symbol with the name '..'.
The current path of the working directory is indicated in the lower status line.
By double click on a file symbol the working directory can be changed.
After the installation of the program first a path should be set to the working directory.
In the file menu select 'Set Working directory Path ' and choose your directory.
Thus the materials (textures) are usable in the game, the path must be set on the directory ' material ' of the Mods (here Counter Strike) or a sub-directory.
So that one brings equal from the outset order into the things, one should make sub directories under the directory 'materials' for its own material files. In our example the directory '360g' was already created.
Important: All textures used be materials, must be in the same directory.
Our path was set to:
'E:\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\Gordon Freeman\counter-strike source\cstrike\materials\360g'
In the file menu this path can be taken up to the direct list.
Up to four work paths can be taken up there.
In the first place stands always the current working directory.
A working directory becomes current, if something were changed in it.
If in this directory already material and image files lie, they are shown in the working window. In our example it contains only one texture.
In the status line the complete path is indicated.
If one leaves the cursor untouched some time over a file, the texture/material name is indicated; with texture files additionally the width and height and if existent an alpha channel.
However the pictures may have only certain edge lengths (powers of 2), so that they can be used in HL2. Powers of 2 are 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 and 2048. A common usual display format is 512x512. If an edge length is not power of 2, the size can become automatically adapted (scaled).
The nearest edge length is suggested. Naturally also different edge lengths can selected.
Except the visible pixels, a picture in the TGA format can also have an alpha channel. That can be used in the map for special effects. These are also transferred to the VTF file.
If the transformation was successful, the new texture is transferred to the work directory, otherwise an error message pops up.
If an texture with that name already existed, it is inquired whether it is to be replaced.
Here an image file (TGA with alpha channel) was inserted.
By one double click on a texture a view window opens. In the status line of this view window the size, the number of MIPs, the actual indicated MIP and their size are indicated. Through turn at the roll wheel it is possible to view the other MIPs.
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The texture flags can be viewed by selecting 'VTF flag' in the option menu.
In the file menu one can select between the following image formats:
The alpha channel of a texture can be inserted or replaced, by selecting the texture (simply click on the texture) and then drag a picture on this texture exactly. Here the texture 'watch' were chosen.
In the info box it is now visible that an alpha channel was inserted. With one double click one opens the opinion window, in order to examine the texture.
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With a Bump map one can give the surface structure. For providing a Bump map one needs a picture with appropriate elevator profiles. Dark places deep and bright places mean high positions. Also color pictures can be used since they are always converted to black and white pictures. With some textures (e.g. bricks, rock etc..) even to use the original picture as Bump map. Here a profile was 'created'.
The Bump map must always end on '_ normal', since otherwise only a simple texture and no Bump map are produced. Bump maps look usually bluish.
New material files can be provided over the selection of 'New Material File (VMT)' in the file menu.
If one have selected a texture, this will be the base for the material. Selected textures receive a yellow border.
After the selection of 'New Material File (VMT)' in the file menu the following dialog box pops up:
Here now the desired attitudes are made.
In the selection 'Surface' the run noise is selected and the new material file is nearly finished.
With 'OK' the material file is stored, with 'cancel' one leaves the dialog without any change. One cannot select its own name for the material file however, since it always get that of the 'base texture'. But one can choose an other base texture without changing the materials name.
Afterwards the new material file is marked by a 'M' in the upper right corner and shown in the working window.
In selection of the textures (Base or Bump) and/or surface gloss (Specular) the textures can be selected, which are present in the working directory.
Only the texture name is indicated. That locally, relative path (in our example '360g') in the materials tree is inserted, but not shown.
As in the case for the basis texture a preview is indicated.
Values, which are missing in the dialog window, are not changeable, remain however in the material file.
For this nothing needs to be done further. But usually one want to change the surface sound.
In order to produce materials with transparent places, one needs an alpha channel in the basis texture. The darker place is, the more transparent is it. Above the texture 'girl' was introduced. With the used alpha channel the background can be faded out. Just set the check box 'transparency' in the 'base alpha' group of the dialog box.
Materials can emit light! In addition the check box 'Light' is to be set in the 'extras' group. Additionally one needs 'lights.rad' a file, in which one can specify which color the light to have is and how the intenseness is. Here one could let the material ' watch' shine, if the file 'lights.rad' contains the line '360g/watch of 16 16 255,600'. The texture must be always relative to the 'root' materials. The next three values describe that red, green and blue tone of the color and the last value the brightness. The file 'lights.rad' must be located somewhere in the file tree of the appropriate Mods, e.g. in the material file. As shader 'UnlitGeneric' is to be selected.
For Decals only the appropriate check box in the 'extras' group must be set. With the scaling field the size of the texture can be changed. Small values mean a reduction (0.5 means e.g. half as largely). If one has transparent areas (by an alpha channel) one can also set the 'transparency' check box.
In addition one needs a texture with the ending '_ normal'. In the material dialog this texture can be selected then in the field 'Bump'.
For producing special gloss effects one can use either the alpha channel of the basis texture, alpha channel of the bump texture or its own texture. Bright places mean strong gloss and darken according to a weak gloss. Additionally one can adjust the coloring (Tint), the contrast and the saturation of the gloss. For that the gloss will be visibly in game, one have to insert envcubes in the map and once in the engine be initialized.