Tutorials
Arch Tool
The Arch Tool is a very powerful and easy to use tool in Hammer. It can be used in the creation of everything from hollow pipes to the obvious arch. This tutorial is aimed at people who are just starting to learn how to use Hammer.
First off you need to select the arch tool. Then create a brush that is square on the Z axis or else when the arch is created it will be warped.
(Here is what it should look like so far)
Once you hit enter to create the brush the arch properties window will pop up. This is used to specify the dimensions of the arch.
The different options can be confusing at first.
"Wall Width" option specifies how wide the walls of the brush will be. If you make the walls wider than the brush then you will get an arch that looks like a pizza (it won't have a hole in the center).
"Number of Sides" option specifies how many brushes the arch will be made of. The higher this number is the smoother the arch will look.
"Arc" option allows you to choose how many degrees the arch will wrap-around. In the picture I have it set to a full 360 degrees (if you click on "circle" then it will automatically set it to 360 degrees). This will make a full circle that you can use as hollow pipes. If you want an arch to use for things like windows, corridors, bridges, etc then the "Arc" should be set to 180.
"Start Angle" will specify at what angle the arch will start. Remember that the first angle "0" is set to start the arch horizontally going from the right to the left.
"Add Height" option is one of the coolest things about the Arch Tool. It will make your arch taller and look like a spiral. The higher this number is the higher your spiral will be. Here is a pic of what the arch looked like when the "Add Height" was set to 70.
The Preview button is important. Everytime you change an option in the Arch Properties you should click on "Preview" to see how your arch will look with the new change.
Once you've specified the dimensions of your arch and your happy with it click on "OK" and it will be created.
Here is what my arch looked like with the properties from the second picture.
Spartan 34