This guide will give you information on how to import assets from Source engine games into Source Filmmaker. In order to import content you'll need to have the game installed.
Before you can follow along with this guide you'll also need to download GCFScape[nemesis.thewavelength.net].
- Source Engine Games[en.wikipedia.org]
- GCFScape[nemesis.thewavelength.net]
Extracting Content
Before content can be imported into Source Filmmaker you need to extract the components from the content packages located within the Steam folder. To do this load GCFScape[nemesis.thewavelength.net] and go to File > Open.
Navigate to your Steam folder and look within the following directories for both GCF and VPK files, these are the packages which contain content for Source engine games.
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common
If you're looking to use content from a game which uses a VPK format, you'll need to open the main VPK file typically named pak01_dir.vpk. Keep in mind that games using the VPK file format do not usually store maps within the VPK, which means you don't need GCFScape to extract them.
With the content package open in GCFScape, select the folders you want to use and right click on them. Choose Extract from the drop-down menu. Whenever you're extracting content from GCFScape it's advised to keep the folder structure intact.
Navigate to the game folder within the Source Filmmaker directory. This can typically found here:
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\SourceFilmmaker\game
Create a new folder within the game directory and give it a name which you can use to identify the content. In my example I'm extracting Portal 2 content, so I named it portal2.
Once you click ok the content will begin extracting to the designated folder. This process can take a while depending on the amount of content being extracted.
Adding Search Paths
Once the content files have been imported into the game folder within the Source Filmmaker directory you'll need to add a search path. This lets Source Filmmaker know that the newly created directory exists and it should search for usable content within it.
To do this open up the gameinfo.txt file located in the following directory:
C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\SourceFilmmaker\game\usermod\gameinfo.txt
With the text file open navigate to the SearchPaths area. Add a new line in the same format as the others and make the name the exact same as the directory you imported the content from GCFScape into.
When you're done save your changes. It's advised to keep a backup of the gameinfo.txt text file every time you make change as Source Filmmaker has a tendency to overwrite it whenever it updates.
If you've somehow lost your gameinfo.txt, you can copy and paste the following default configuration into a new text file to place within the usermod directory.
"GameInfo" { game "Source Filmmaker [Beta]" gamelogo 1 type multiplayer_only nomodels 1 nohimodel 1 nocrosshair 0 hidden_maps { "test_speakers" 1 "test_hardware" 1 } nodegraph 0 SupportsDX8 0 FileSystem { SteamAppId 1840 // This will mount all the GCFs we need [240=CS:S, 220=HL2]. ToolsAppId 1840 // Tools will load this [ie: source SDK caches] to get things like materials\debug, materials\editor, etc. // // The code that loads this file automatically does a few things here: // // 1. For each "Game" search path, it adds a "GameBin" path, in \bin // 2. For each "Game" search path, it adds another "Game" path in front of it with _ at the end. // For example: c:\hl2\cstrike on a french machine would get a c:\hl2\cstrike_french path added to it. // 3. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "MOD". // 4. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "DEFAULT_WRITE_PATH". // // // Search paths are relative to the base directory, which is where hl2.exe is found. // // |gameinfo_path| points at the directory where gameinfo.txt is. // We always want to mount that directory relative to gameinfo.txt SearchPaths { Game |gameinfo_path|. Game ep2_workshop Game episodic_workshop Game lostcoast_workshop Game tf_movies Game tf Game left4dead2_movies Game dod Game hl2 Game workshop } } ToolsEnvironment { "Engine" "SFM" "ToolsDir" "../sdktools" // Default Tools path. NOTE: This is relative to the mod path. } }
Testing It Out
Assets which you've imported are accessible within their corresponding directory name on each selection menu. If you had Source Filmmaker open while you were importing new content you'll need to click on rescan before it will show up.
On the selection menu adjust the mod filter near the top to the name you gave your directory when you imported the content. You can then click through the folders to find your newly imported assets.