how to you fully compile a map for use in tf2 and sfm while still keeping the original hammer file

Mar 23, 2013
1,013
347
huh? What do you mean? Compiling a map doesn't delete the .vmf

If you want to keep an older .bsp, make a backup.

As this is obvious, it seems you are talking about something else but you have to be a bit mroe specific with your question
 

Flare

L1: Registered
May 30, 2017
20
3
huh? What do you mean? Compiling a map doesn't delete the .vmf

If you want to keep an older .bsp, make a backup.

As this is obvious, it seems you are talking about something else but you have to be a bit more specific with your question

someone said if you want to edit a map you need to decompile it. also what I meant is how to save it as a bsp instead of a vmf I tried to save as but it only gave me the option to save as vmf
 

Crowbar

Spiritual preprocessor
aa
Dec 19, 2015
1,455
1,297
You don't compile maps by saving them as .BSP. You do it by running the appropriate programs (Hammer's F9 shortcut is a good place to start).
 

Flare

L1: Registered
May 30, 2017
20
3
my friend said if I want him to put my map on his server I need to send him a bsp of that map. so what ever the word is for converting a vmf to a bsp is. also, I looked in f9 and I couldn't work out how to compile in a game other than TF2.
 
Mar 23, 2013
1,013
347
well because you are using a configuration *for* tf2 after all.
If you want to make it compatible with SFM, then you only need to compile with HDR enabled (or HDR only, to save file size)
If you want to make a map for a different game then you'd need to use a hammer configurated for that specific game so it uses its entities and assets.
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
aa
Nov 14, 2009
4,694
2,579
If I'm not mistaken, maps compiled for TF2 will still work in Source Filmmaker provided that (A) you don't use any lightmapped props, and (B) you don't try to "repack" afterwards, as SFM predates those features and was never updated to support them.
 

henke37

aa
Sep 23, 2011
2,075
515
Also, you don't want the bsp that the build process creates. You want to build cubemaps and share that file instead.
 

Werewolf

Probably not a real Werewolf
aa
Apr 12, 2011
873
309
looking and it's not there
You also said you couldn't figure out how to compile for anything other than TF2. Question is, did you actually compile anything? If you did, you should have a .bsp file. The only reason there wouldn't be is if:
A) You didn't compile anything at all, or
B) You tried to compile, but got a compile error which prevented a .bsp file being created.

What we would need to know, is which of these two cases happened. A, or B.
 

MOCOLONI

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 16, 2014
373
89
nevermind I just opened it through sfm's source skd thank guys
You shouldn't use that one. Its three compilers (VBSP, VVIS & VRAD) are outdated and IIRC it used to give me troubles with a map in both SFM and TF2 that TF2's Hammer didn't.

Here's what you have to do to compile a map: save your work as .VMF whenever you want through "File>Save" or "Save as...", and then "File>Run" (which will open up a window that the 'F9' button should've opened for you before), then set all the modes to "Normal" and compile the map. It may take a while depending on your map, and while it's compiling, the window is likely to appear stuck (if you are using a Windows OS, it will say "(not responding)", but it's just because it's busy compiling. Once completed, you will be able to scroll the window (or it may just disappear, but clicking on the Tile Bar (top window bar) will bring it back). Then simply navigate to the .VMF's directory and copy your .BSP into TF2's "maps" folder, although it's usually copied automatically once Hammer starts compiling.