What tools and plugins are recommended for TF2 mapping?

Wichilie2

L1: Registered
Nov 10, 2023
15
2
Hey, I wanna try my hand at doing some TF2 mapping and I was wondering if there are any tools or plugins that I should use to make that experience easier. I found Hammer++ and Boojum Snark's mapping resource pack, but are there any others? Thanks!
 

Lacry

L6: Sharp Member
Feb 25, 2019
359
287
I did some useful prefabs, that no one seems to care
 

Miki

L2: Junior Member
Feb 10, 2022
66
52
I did some useful prefabs, that no one seems to care
Not true, I've used all 3.

For tools I like: Tails8251's Coldmaps, you take a demo file and an overview image and you get a heatmap to make informed decisions on
cp_granary_storm_v1_heatmap-jpg.201083
Puddy's Small Mapping Resource Pack, which adds entities and quality of life features.

Zungry's Improved Displacement Cube, fancy brush used for surface normal alignment while sculpting displacements.

And externally, Obsidian, which is a free writing app for your phone, tablet, or desktop. Great to jot mapping ideas on the go or write longer prose like a write up on your map.

And then the more common: Gimp, VTFEdit, GCFScape, CompilePal, Notepad++, Dropbox, and absolutely Hammer++.
 

Wichilie2

L1: Registered
Nov 10, 2023
15
2
Thanks for the responses, these all look very useful! ^^

I did some useful prefabs, that no one seems to care
Actually, I found those before you posted them here and already used the environment one for my first test map. Was just having a look at the game modes. They're a big help!