Packing Custom Content.

[Tango]

I've been straying away from Custom Textures, models etc; because I have issues with packing them. I've tried CompilePal (CompilePalX too) but they don't seem to work or function properly. But now some models I've found would be super helpful in my maps but I can't add them without causing packing issues. Please any kind of recommendation or explanation would really help.

 

[Grubzer]

Try to use VIDE
you can find tutorials on it on youtube

Tip:

Store custom assets inside /tf folder

Storing them in /custom folder will make a VIDE's autopacking feature almost useless

 

[Tango]

Link please to VIDE. It would be much appreciated.

 

[Grubzer]

Link please to VIDE. It would be much appreciated.

http://www.tophattwaffle.com/packing-custom-content-using-vide-in-steampipe/

 

[Vel0city]

I recommend CompilePal though over VIDE. Alongside a much nicer UI for your compiling needs it has an automated packer that doesn't give a damn about where you store your custom files (which really should be in tf/custom to keep the base install clean).

 

[Diva Dan]

Compilepal has given me lots of issues packing personally and can miss out on some models if you don't prechache them, like flag pickups or stuff like that. I much prefer vide because it's really quick and everything that you need is saved into the bsp 100% of the time. Compilepal also can't take BSPS so if you wanted to pack a bsp you already uploaded (and packing failed) you would have to compile the whole map again which can take a lot of time.

 

[LadyRaee]

Tip:

Store custom assets inside /tf folder

Storing them in /custom folder will make a VIDE's autopacking feature almost useless

I don't think so good sir

 

[Grubzer]

I don't think so good sir

For me it wasn't working at all, so i moved everything inside /tf

 

[Freyja]

Compilepal also can't take BSPS so if you wanted to pack a bsp you already uploaded (and packing failed) you would have to compile the whole map again which can take a lot of time.

If you feed it a vmf with just PACK checked it'll look for a bsp of the same name and pack that

 

[Diva Dan]

Oh, I had no idea, I'll note that. I wonder why it can't just take bsps directly. Not that the pack option on compilepal works for me anyways...

 

[Tango]

Is there anyway to manually pack a custom asset into a BSP? Or are the softwares presented are the only way?

 

[fubarFX]

Oh, I had no idea, I'll note that. I wonder why it can't just take bsps directly. Not that the pack option on compilepal works for me anyways...

CompilePal is a build tool, not a packing tool. It's a build tool that happens to do packing and it's great at being a build tool. CompilePal does not aspire to be a good packing tool. it's just a different approach to similar issues. Just figured I'd clear up the core philosophy of what compilepal is. Also unlike all source tools, compilepal is still in (semi)active development (well, at least it's not dead), so all bug reports are welcome and will be ironed out in time.

 

[Diva Dan]

Yeah I understand that it's main purpose is to build bsps, I'm just saying I prefer vide for packing content, which is what OP was having a problem doing.

 

[Tango]

Quick Question: When using VIDE, should I scan though all the custom content or just the models / textures i used. Also when I put in the custom content they turn white, I couldn't find a expliantion on YouTube for this

 

[Lampenpam]

The scan folder should be a root folder, not models or anything like that. So try the folder above models.

 

[DrSquishy]

Quick Question: When using VIDE, should I scan though all the custom content or just the models / textures i used. Also when I put in the custom content they turn white, I couldn't find a expliantion on YouTube for this

VIDE doesn't auto pack the custom folder, instead, after packing the main tf folder, if you put your custom content into the custom folder (I just put them into the base models and materials for convenience), just add \custom to the end of your scan path(so it becomes C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\custom), and then it will scan through the custom folder

 

[Crowbar]

Custom folder doesn't work like that, though. It doesn't contain /materials, /models and such (it wouldn't serve much of a purpose if it was so) - folders within it need to.

 

[DrSquishy]

Custom folder doesn't work like that, though. It doesn't contain /materials, /models and such (it wouldn't serve much of a purpose if it was so) - folders within it need to.

I meant as in tf\models and tf\materials

 

[Lampenpam]

And what do you do with VIDE when you have custom content that is in different folders in the custom folders? That's why I use the custom folder only for client mods and just use the the tf root folder for mapping. So I got those two things appart. Isn't that the point of the custom fodler anyway? To store different client mods? Or am I overlooking a better way to organize mapping stuff for the custom folder?

 

[BIO BENNY]

I personally use pakrat, and make a separate duplicate directory on my desktop called putinMAPNAME with all the custom content I used that links perfectly. It's a bit tedious with any kind of scripts like soundscapes and other manifests but you can easily edit the path manually which I find more useful then automated packers. I find pakrat useful because if I screw up I can easily tell where I did, because it's all in the directories.