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Tutorial For Model Making (HL2)

The tutorial will teach you how to make a model for HL2. First we will have to have a texture. In this case I will be using a picture of gold as I will be making a gold bar. If you need an image, you can just copy and pase this one photoshop.

Finished look ->

Please note that this is a 512 x 512 image. All demintions of your image must be 32,64,128,256,512 or 1024. Once you have this texture file you must make a .vmt and .vtf file. To do this follow this tutorial:
http://hl2world.com/postt907.html

Now put the gold.vmt and gold.vtf (make sure they aren't called something else) files in c:\hl2\hl2\materials\models\GoldBar\. Then open the file c:\hl2\hl2\materials\models\GoldBar\gold.vmt with notepad. Then delete ALL of the text and then copy and paste the following stuff into it.
"VertexLitGeneric"
{
"$baseTexture" "models/GoldBar/Gold"
}

Now start up milkshape 3D and make your model. I will asume you know how to make your model.

Half Life requires that all vertexes are assigned to a joint. To do this, simply go to the model selection and click the "joint" box. You should then be able to creat a joint in the work space by simply clicking wherever you want. Then click the "select" box. There should now be new options under the heading "Select Options". Select the "Vertex" box under "Select Options" NOT under "Tools". Now go to the Joints tab. You should now see a box with "joint1" written in it and afew boxes under the heading "Joints". Select ALL of the vertexes in your model and then click on the box called "Assign" and the "Joints" heading.

Now to assign the texture. Select all of the faces on your model. Click the "Groups" tab. There should be some groups there. It doesn't matter what they are called. Select all of the faces in your model in the workspace and click the "regroup" box under the "group" heading. Then go to the text space and type "gold" and then click the "Rename" box. Then go to the "Materials" box. Click the "new" box and then go the text box and type in gold.tga. Then click the "Rename" box. Next, go to the first "<none>" box down from the top and find your gold texture. It doesn't matter what file type it is, but it must be called gold. Then, with all of the faces on your model selected, click the "assign" box right under "rename". Now the model should be textured.

Ok, now export your model as a .smd file 3 times. Each time it should be exported to:
c:\hl2\hl2\models\GoldBar\
The first time it should be called "GoldBar_ref" and select the reference option after clicking OK. The second time it hsould be called "GoldBar_phys" and select the reference option after clicking OK. The third time it hsould be called "Gold Bar_still" and select the sequence option after clicking OK

Now you must create a .qc file. Open notepad and type the following:

$modelname GoldBar.mdl
$scale 2.0
$body "Body" c:\hl2\hl2\models\GoldBar\GoldBar_ref.smd
$cd "hl2\hl2\models\GoldBar"
$staticprop
$sequence GoldBar_still "GoldBar_Still" fps 1
$collisionmodel "GoldBar_phys.smd"
{
$mass 222
$concave
}

Save this file as c:\projects\myfile.qc

Now copy your studiomdl.exe and all of the .dll files to c:\hl2\hl2\. Then go to a dos promt and go to c:\hl2\hl2. Then type:
studiomdl c:\projects\myfile.qc
You may get some error message about checking your smoothing groups. Never mind that. It will work perfecly fine. But do wory if you get a message about not being able to find your textres.

Now you should have several files that start with "GoldBar" in c:\hl2\hl2\models. Now create a .jpg file (it doesn't matter what it looks like but it MUST be called GoldBar.jpg. Save it to c:\hl2\hl2\models\.

Now start Hammer and create an entity prop_static and go to it's properties and select your .jpg file c:\hl2\hl2\models\GoldBar.jpg. Done. Run your map and play. See final image above.