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[Luciann1009]

 

File Name: Propper, Outputs a model instead of a bsp

File Submitter: LuciaNnX

File Submitted: 04 May 2020

File Category: Software

 

Propper is an add-on for Valve Hammer Editor that can convert any map geometry into a Source model, suitable for static props and physics props.

 

Propper is an edited version of vbsp that outputs a model instead of a bsp.

 

Many mappers need to make props for their maps, but don't want or dont have time to learn a separate modeling program. This tool allows them to make models in Hammer in a one-step process. It's also useful to modelers who work with mappers. Propper keeps texture mapping intact, and auto-generates a physics mesh.

 

Features

• Can create static props, dynamic props, or physics props
• Generates a .qc file and automatically compiles the prop for use in your game.
• Generates a working physics mesh.
• Automatic material conversion--Turns map textures into valid model textures.
• Distinguishes between real textures and "tool" textures.
• Respects Hammer smoothing groups or autosmooth.
• Configure your prop from within Hammer.
• Displacement support--outputs any displacement surface you can make (not solid).
• skins support--use multiple textures on the same prop.
• custom gib support
• $keyvalues support: cables, particles, and physgun interactions are available.

Installation
To install Propper-2013, simply extract propper.fgd and propper.exe into the bin folder of the game the tool will be used with.

 

After installing, the game configuration should be changed a bit. Open Hammer under the game within which Propper was installed, and click Tools, then Options.

 

Go to the Game Configurations tab, and click the Add button, next to the Game Data files area. Open propper.fgd when prompted (it will be right there if installed correctly). Then click OK or Apply to save the settings. Finally, restart Hammer so the settings take effect.

Reduced 63%
465 x 531 (134.05K)

Note: The custom folders may need to be created in * c:\propsource\USERNAME\Your_Custom_Model_Folders_Here * in order for Propper to work.

 

Making A Prop
To use Propper, open the map in Hammer and then turn some brushes into a propper_model entity.

 

There are number of important properties to the propper_model entity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name The name that other entities refer to this entity by. Origin (X Y Z) The position of this entity's center in the world. The model's origin point defines how it is lit and is how the prop is positioned in a map. For static props, put the origin somewhere that enables easily aligning the prop. Model Name The directory and name of the finished model. Relative to /models the model will be created here, inside the "models" folder of the selected mod or game. The .mdl extension is not needed. Material path Location of the model's textures. Relative to /materials. Make sure this folder exists before running! Propper extracts material files from the mod folder or game cache, and makes a copy in this location. Scale Scale the model up or down by this factor. Surface property The physical properties of the model--affects impact sounds and weight for physics props. Physics mesh Pick any brush entity (including this one) to represent the physical shape of the model. Leave this field blank for a non-solid model. If you leave this blank while making a physics prop, Propper will automatically use the propper_model entity for collisions. Mass Weight of the prop in kg. Enter zero or lower to automatically calculate mass. Concave collisions Used to make a concave collision model. If no is selected, the model will be 'shrink-wrapped'. Smoothing mode Determines how vertex normals are computed for lighting. Source folder Location of source .qc and .smd files. The final directory will be /. This folder path may be anywhere on the hard drive that is convenient. Smoothing threshold If auto-smooth is enabled, edges flatter than this angle will appear smooth. Pick from 0 to 180. Snap to Hammer Every vertex will be snapped to the nearest grid point. Welding threshold Vertices will be snapped together if within this tolerance. A value of 0 is not recommended because there may be visible gaps in the mesh. Larger numbers will merge vertices together, and may be useful for optimizing the model. Auto-Center The model's origin point defines how it is lit and is how the prop is positioned in a map. Auto-center moves the model's origin to the center of its bounding box and is recommended for physics props. Disable normal mapping This option removes all bump map info from the converted materials. This is useful when using -StaticPropLighting to light props. Don't warp displacement textures In Hammer, when moving a displacement point, the texture moves with it. If yes is selected, the texture will stay in place.

 

Compiling
You run Propper just like you would compile a map with vbsp. Pass it the current game directory and your vmf file.

 

Launch Parameters

 

 

 

-game The path to the Game Directory. -nocompile Optional. Prevents Propper from running studiomdl to compile the props (this makes it a great .smd exporter). -logging Optional. Propper will create a .log file with all its output. -nomaterials Optional. Prevents Propper from copying and converting material files. -obj Optional. Will cause Propper to output Wavefront OBJ files instead of SMD files. Useful for exporting geometry to other 3D tools. The name of the vmf file containing the props. must come last

 

Propper can be run from within Hammer. Just create a new Run configuration and run Propper instead of VBSP.

Reduced 65%
558 x 347 (21.13K)

 

Important: There must be no extra spaces or lines in the parameters box. Propper may refuse to run if anything comes after $file.

 

Run Propper. For each propper_model entity there is in the map, it should create a new model. Hammer may have to be restarted to see the new models.

 

Additional options
There are a number of optional entities you can use to configure each prop. They all contain the following property:

 

Model to apply to Pick a propper_model entity for this property to apply to.
This determines which of your models will be affected by the entity. For example, if you have a propper_model entity called myModel1, any of the following entities should use myModel1 here.

• propper_physics: If this entity is used, Propper will configure your model as a physics prop.

See Prop data for documentation on the following.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Origin (X Y Z) The position of this entity's center in the world. Rotating entities typically rotate around their origin. (not used by propper) Health preset Dictates how strong the prop is vs. different weapons. Health Overrides the prop's health. Setting this to 0 will make the prop unbreakable. -1 will use the default value from "Health preset"(recommended). Flammable Will it burn? Picking this enables the 'ignite' options. Ignite at half-health Just like those barrels in HL2. Ignite from explosions Won't break right away if something explodes near it, but will ignite. Explode damage Damage to do when breaking Explode radius Radius of explosion Gibs Generic shards to spawn when the prop breaks Gib count How many gibs? Gib skin Which skin to use on the gib models, if applicable.

• propper_skins: Propper can create alternate skins by replacing a texture that is on the prop. If multiple textures on the model are necessary, this entity can be used more than once.
• NOTE: There is a limit of textures on any one model. Both the model and extra skins should not have more than 32 textures. This does not include the tooltextures.

Propper.31 has lifted the limit of textures.

 

Material Pick a texture that's present in the original model. This will be skin 0. Skin(1-14) This texture will replace the original when picking skin #.

• propper_attachments: Add attachment points to a model (for cables and particles)
• propper_cables: Add ropes/cables to dynamic models!
• propper_particles: Attach particle emitters to dynamic models (2007 engine and later only)
• propper_physgun_interactions: Add custom behavior to physics props--eg. stick to walls, paint splatter, impale enemies
• propper_gibs: Pick custom physics models to use as gibs when the prop breaks
• propper_lod: A brush entity that can be used to create low-poly versions of the model.
• propper_bodygroup : Bodygroups allows swaps between parts of a mesh. For example, the model could have a door with several different knobs and allow the mapper to pick one.

 

Reported Bugs

• An instance was found where textures were being applied incorrectly and to the wrong faces.
• If materials are used that are in the root materials\ folder, Propper will try and convert the material for every face on which it appears.
• The 2007/2009 versions no longer create folders when saving source (smd and qc) files.
• When propper_model x,y,z is set it will reset to center point when model is move and/or saved then reopened. Note: using spaces between x y z(0 0 0) will save.
• When multiple models are made from one file the first and last model will have their textures but in-between models will have no textures.
• Propper sometimes may not run because of what you have in /custom folder. Try clearing it if you have this issue.
• In Hammer for CSGO SDK, adding propper.gfd to hammer will crash the editor after loading a normal map. A simple fix will be removing @include "base.fgd" and creating the missing classes manually.

 

Steampipe / SDK 2013 Update
With Valve's new Steampipe content system, all Valve games reside in the "common" folder, instead of a "[username]" one. Now, as a stopgap, mappers no longer access Hammer through the SourceSDK tool (so do not download this). Instead, go into your game's bin folder and double-click "Hammer.bat" to access Hammer (and the same for some other tools). (For example, to access Hammer for Counter-Strike Source go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Counter-Strike Source\bin, and find "Hammer.bat".)

 

FAQ
I get this error when I run propper

CODE
Can't load c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\xxxxxxxxxxxx\sourcesdk\bin\orangebox\bin\filesystem_steam.dll.--VFileSystem017
This is due to using a version of Propper compiled against an outdated engine version. The latest official version created by the original author no longer works after Valve's SteamPipe update. To fix this error, download the latest version of Propper compiled for Source SDK Base 2013.

 

I keep getting an error like this:
CODE
Error opening d:\program files\steam\steamapps\blah\mymap

 

.vmf: File d:\program files\steam\steamapps\blah\mymap

 

.vmf, line 1: Invalid argument.
This happens when you have a line break or other white space in the parameters box of Hammer. Don't copy-paste the parameters in there. Type it in.

 

I can't find these prefabs I've heard about. Where are they?
Propper no longer includes any prefabs for the config entities. You should use the entity tool and find propper_options in the list of entities.

 

My prop's collisions are wrong. It's solid where it shouldn't be.
There are some cases where two brushes get combined into one big collision piece. Try to avoid making brushes overlap and it should not be a problem.

 

My prop's collisions are in the wrong place.
If your useing a func_brush to show propper where to make the collisions, you will need to set the origin of the func_brush in the same place as your propper_model. Secondly make sure your func_brush entity (your collision entity) has the right origin set, even if the .vmf shows a proper fit, the collision brush may still shift during compile.

 

I made a large building into a model and the lighting is not as good as a brush model. What gives?
Models in Source use rather simple vertex lighting, whereas brushes get radiosity lightmaps. What that means in simple terms is your map gets nice soft shadows and bounced light, but props don't. Buildings just look better when they're made from brushes.

 

In some cases, you can get better lighting on your props by enabling per-vertex lighting when you compile your map. In the command line of vrad, include -StaticPropLighting to enable that feature. Models that use normal mapping aren't compatible with per-vertex lighting, so use the "Disable normal mapping" option when you use Propper.

 

Propper quits with an error saying it can't open such-and-such file.
Be sure that you have permission to write to that folder, that it's not write-protected, and that you have entered a valid folder.

 

Why would I want to make a prop anyway?
It's also not uncommon for mappers to run into the brush/face/plane limits for a very large or detailed map. Props let you add detail to your map without pushing this limit. If a feature is used several times in a map, making it a prop will reduce the size of the .bsp and the system memory needed to run the map.

 

Models can be smaller and more precise than the stuff you make in Hammer. Plus there is the fun stuff Propper lets you do with physics models.

 

Hammer's a mapping tool! People who want to make models should learn a real modeling program like Blender or XSI.
I agree, but maybe they don't want to. For better or worse, people are more comfortable working with tools they know. The learning curve with Propper is far lower than that of the "official" tools - you use virtually the same procedures you already know from Hammer. Propper was originally meant to be a map optimization tool, but people have used it to make some very nice models.

 

Using Propper With Displacements
If the tool is run on a map with no brushes (displacements don't count), Propper will crash. Thus, if making a model solely from displacements, place a normal (non-displacement) brush somewhere in the vmf file. This is an obscure bug from VBSP that hasn't been tracked down yet.
Tips/Caveats
If certain invisible textures are used (eg. clip, nodraw, sky), on a face, that face will be erased. This can lower the final poly count of the model by using nodraw on any face that the player won't see.
LOD entities are not yet sorted by distance. So always make the closest LOD FIRST, and so on. Otherwise, they won't switch right.
It is now possible to construct a physical shape for the model. Make it a func_brush, and point the propper_model to it.
Hammer has a one-unit grid limit while working. However, it is possible to make a model at a larger scale--say, 16:1--and then tell Propper to scale it down to the correct size. That would allow the creation of model objects as small as 1/16 inch. (It is also possible to resize brushes within Hammer itself, as always.)
Don't set "materialpath" to the same folder as any of the map textures. The model materials may overwrite the map materials! It's best to follow the convention of putting model textures under "models\"
Propper will over-write files without asking, so make sure there are no files in the selected folders that you don't want to lose.
Left 4 Dead(2), Alien Swarm, and Portal 2
Propper doesn't currently work with any SDK newer than the Orange Box-era SDK. If mapping for these games, try the following:

 

Extract the materials (VMT and VTF files) that will be used from the post-Orange-Box game using GCFScape and mirror them in an Orange Box game (Such as Episode 2, or Portal).
Run Propper from the Source SDK as normal.
Take the files created by Propper and copy them into the appropriate folder in the Game.
This process does work when using Propper with Alien Swarm.

 

Counter Strike: Global Offensive SDK
Propper can be used with the CS:GO SDK. The installation process is similar to other Source games. Source SDK will also be necessary!

 

Extract the csgo materials folder and move it into SteamApps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\
Confirm: 'SteamApps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\' or 'SteamApps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\csgo\'
Use the above instructions to unzip and move the propper to the right location
In the Run Map menu, create a new configuration and select "Executable" while pressing the cmds button
Navigate to either sourcesdk\bin\source2009\bin or sourcesdk\bin\source2007\bin and select the appropriate propper.exe
Add the normal parameters
If getting these errors while compiling a model and/or the converted props textures are wrongly scaled etc.:

 

WARNING: *** Encountered VTF file with an invalid minor version!
WARNING: *** Encountered VTF file with an invalid full header!
Then use the ep1 propper.exe, it might sound weird but it works. This may come from a texture that got converted with a newer version of VTFEdit.

 

Disclaimer
This program has been used with some success by community mappers. It's based on VBSP, which we all know and trust not to destroy our PCs. That said, use at your own risk. I claim no responsibility for damage to your computer or games that may occur while using Propper.

 

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