Interlopers.net Forum - Half-Life 2 News & Tutorials

Hey all

I have a couple props I was wanting to reskin and i was wondering if i edit the vtf of the prop and save it as "PropName_2" and do the same with all the other files would that work? (copying and renaming the vmt and model files) I'm not sure how models know where their texture is located.
I know I could just edit the original vtf but I want to have a couple of color changes

While I'm here, is there a max number of props you can have in a map? just curious
And in one of my maps I have a lot of tables and shelves made out of brushes, is it better to make them func_detail or get propper and make them static props?
...and hahah one last one i have 4 chairs around each of said tables, is there a way I can combine them into 1 prop? I'm downloading propper now but idfk what it actually does

Thank you for your time !

Changing the prop's name and where it looks for its texture would require decompiling them, editing their QC so they had unique prop names and a different $cdmaterials path. You would have to keep the VTF/VMT files' names the same, but copied to the new $cdmaterials path.

My prop editing is really rusty so I won't try and go in to excruciating detail about it.

But to start, you need Cannonfodder's "MdlDecompiler," Wunderboy's "GUIStudioMDL," and "NotePad++." You can use the default Notepad, but Notepad++ makes it far easier to edit QC files. If I recall, you also want the fixed version of MdlDecompiler.

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Mdldecompiler

There's actually two different fixed versions, but I don't know which one is better or if it even matters. Hooch's fixed version doesn't require you to edit newer versions of .mdl files before decompiling them, which is really nice.

Anyway, setting up MdlDecompiler and GUIStudioMDL can be a pain but there should be tutorials on all that on their respective websites. But once they're properly configured and whatnot, decompiling, editing, and recompiling is a total breeze.

You will need to decompile them and recompile with $texturegroups in the .qc. It's actually a little complicated and if you're new to the whole process you might want to put aside a day to get your head around it. Source is notorious for extended toubleshooting.

For decompiling get the latest studiocompiler, it comes with mdldecompiler built in and I think it is updated more regularly. Just don't change the output path or it crashes for some reason.

For re-compiling your model with multiple skins, read these pages:
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Multiple_Skins_for_a_Single_Model
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/$texturegroup
You may need to learn about .qc first, but if you just add in the relevant lines to the .qc file that the decompiler spits out you should be fine.

For a little about how source deals with model materials, I made a quick video that might help you once you are more farmiliar with the system, and need to troubleshoot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjKUSW-6SPk

Finally I advocate not using guistudiomdl. It encourages laziness and prevents the user from getting a grass roots understanding of the compiling process and of qc. Instead, use a bat file and drag your .qc onto it:
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Compiling_a_model#Compiling
Although if you don't plan on really getting good at modelling for source then go ahead and use guistudiomdl, it's good if you're lazy.