View source for Hammer++/Docs/Installation for Other Games

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{{Update|CSGO version is no longer supported. Change example to GMod. Some steps like such as symbolic links may not be needed as Hammer++ for GMOD can read "mount.cfg".}}

{{hammerpp|4}} is a powerful mapping tool that solves many issues that the {{hammer|3.1|nt=1}} introduces, and adds some much needed features that useful to every mapper. However the only official versions of Hammer++ available are for {{css|3.1}}, {{src13sp|3.1}}, {{src13mp|3.1}}, {{tf2|3.1}} and {{csgo|3.1}}. Thankfully, it is possible to configure Hammer++ to use assets and compilers for other games that they were not originally intended for, including {{portal2|3.1}}, {{l4d2|3.1}}, {{bms|3.1}}, and more! Almost every Source game can run using some version of Hammer++. The games in the list below have been proven to work using the method below:

{{hammerpp compatibility}}

'''This method and accompanying pictures were taken from [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2742731712 this steam guide] by the user [https://steamcommunity.com/id/rosemary-webs RosemaryWebs].'''

==Installing Hammer++==
For games that are supported by Hammer++, simply download then extract the contents to the game's {{path|bin}} folder normally.
===Installing Hammer++ on unsupported games===
{{warning|Make sure you have opened the expert compile dialogue in stock Hammer at least once before this process, as doing so creates an important file that must exist before any map can be compiled in Hammer++.}}
{{Note|For the sake of this tutorial, Portal 2 will be used as an example. Make sure to replace the appropriate files and downloads with the corresponding version stated above.
<br>According to Erin-Rose-Webs' original guide, [[User:Ficool2|Ficool2]] has announced the possible release of a dedicated Portal 2 version of Hammer++. If this does come to fruition, this tutorial will persist but will have the examples changed to instead use a different supported game (Editor's note: Will likely be installation for Garry's Mod, L4D2, or Black Mesa when it happens, because that is the next biggest use case that I see-[[User:Equalizer5118|Equalizer5118, an idiot who cant spel]] ([[User talk:Equalizer5118|talk]]) 11:02, 15 October 2023 (PDT))

'''Discuss this [[Talk:Hammer++/Docs/Installation for Other Games|here!]]'''
}}
For games that are not officially supported by Hammer++ (example: {{p2|1}}), users can try other version of Hammer++, such as one made for {{gmod|1}}.

First, make sure that you have the "x86-64" (64-bit) branch of Garry's Mod installed by going to Properties -> Betas -> Change "Beta Participation" to "x86-64 - Chromium + 64-bit binaries". Then wait for everything to be downloaded and installed.

Next step is actually installing Hammer++ into the files. Open the downloaded {{code|.zip}} file, open the folder "{{code|hammerplusplus_gmod_buildxxxx}}", extract the <code>bin</code> folder in the archive into the Garry's Mod folder in your <code>steamapps/common/GarrysMod</code> folder. Now, go into the <code>bin</code> folder and launch Hammer++ ({{code|hammerplusplus.exe}}), which will default to Garry's Mod configuration. We will create a new configuration pointed at the Portal 2 assets. This is where things can get complicated.

First, go to Tools -> Options, click "Edit", add "Portal 2" as game name, then close. After that, copy the information that is seen above into the respective boxes. If your game is in a separate folder than your normal steam directory, you will have to replace <code>$SteamUserDir</code> with the full file directory. Now click "OK" to close and save this information.

[[File:P2hammerppSetup1.png|250px]]

You will get two popups which said that some changes will not update until Hammer++ restarts, but they are not important so just click "OK" on both. With this completed, you are halfway done with configuring Hammer++.
Now, for compiling the map, we need to define the build programs. Go to the Build Programs tab and copy the information below:

[[File:P2hammerppSetup2.png|250px]]

After you do this, click "Apply" then click "OK" to save your changes. Then, close Hammer++. Now, we will have to bring over Portal 2's lighting data into GMod. Because Portal 2 had different texlights compared to GMod, we need to define Portal 2's lights in the GMod directory. Open Portal 2's <code>lights.rad</code> located in <code>Portal 2/portal2</code> with any text editor and copy all of its contents. Then, go to GMod's lights file and paste Portal 2's contents at the bottom of the file. It should look similar to this (comments not needed):

[[File:P2hammerppSetup5.png|300px]]

You have now completed the setup of Hammer++! However if you load a new map you will find that many of your custom models and textures are missing. This is because the program is searching through the GMod directory for the necessary files and then it doesn't find them it presents you with a missing model/texture. To fix this, we will need to mount Portal 2 into Garry's Mod.

==Adding custom content==
To mount Portal 2 content into Garry's Mod, and in turn, Hammer++, go to your Garry's Mod directory "{{code|V:\Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\cfg}}", open {{code|mount.cfg}} and follow the instructions on the file.

Here are the examples:
<pre>
"portal2"	"C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Portal 2\portal2"
"portal2_dlc1"	"C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Portal 2\portal2_dlc1"
"portal2_dlc2"	"C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Portal 2\portal2_dlc2"
</pre>

===Previous versions (CS:GO Hammer++, unsupported)===
This is where things can get complicating. You can copy-paste all your custom files, but that can bloat your hard drive more than it needs to. Instead, it can be more space effective to create symbolic links. This is where the Link Shell Extension can help, but it is possible to use command prompt.
First, navigate to <code>Portal 2\portal2\Gameinfo.txt</code> and add all the Portal_dlcx folders as well as all your custom folders following the format seen below: <br/>
[[File:P2hammerppSetup3.png|275px]] <br/> 
We do this because CS:GO's engine, and in turn CS:GO Hammer++, do not search automatically for the dlcs folders, so we have to manually list them.

====Link Shell Extension====
First, download [https://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html#download Link Shell Extension] and install it.
Next, go to your base Portal 2 directory and Ctrl+Left click all your custom folders and dlcs folders and right click. Select "Choose link source" to start creating links. Then, go to your CS:GO directory and right click an empty space. Hover over "Drop link as" and select "Symbolic Links".

====Command Prompt Method====
Press the Windows key on your keyboard and type "cmd". Right click "Command Prompt" and click "Run as Administrator." A User Account Control prompt should pop up, press "Ok".
{{Note|If you are on {{Win11|4|nt=2}}, you do not need to run Command Prompt as administrator to access the mklink command}}
{{Warning|Running ''any'' program as administrator is incredibly dangerous to your device! We are only running as Administrator to access the {{code|mklink}} command in {{win10|nt=2|4}}. <br/> '''''Never''''' run random apps as administrator or type strange commands you don't know into Command Prompt! '''''It can cause permanent damage to your device!'''''}}
We will now use the {{code|mklink}} command to create a symbolic link. The syntax for this command is as follows: 
{{CodeBlock|style=1|mklink /j "<link>" "<target>"}}
The first directory is the name of the folder the link will be named. The second directory is the name of the folder you are linking to. To simplify, by running this command you are creating a folder in the first directory that, when you open it, will show all the contents of the linked folder in the second directory. By creating a link from your CS:GO directory to your Portal 2 directory, you are not actually copying the files in those folders, you are essentially tricking Hammer++ into thinking that it is accessing a folder in CS:GO's directory when it is actually seeing files located in Portal 2's directory. This also works across drives, so you can have symbolic links on your <code>D:</code> drive that point to folders in your <code>C:</code> drive. 
An example of this command is as follows: <br/> 
{{CodeBlock|style=1|mklink /j "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Stike Global Offensive\portal2_dlc1" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Portal 2\portal2_dlc1"}}
{{tip|Make sure to replace the file paths with the file paths that link to your CS:GO and Portal 2 directories.}}

You will now repeat this process for every custom folder you use, including the dlc folders. This is not needed for the base game (in this example {{code|portal2}}) folder, as hammer automatically mounts this directory.

====Final Result====
After you make links to all the folders, your CS:GO folder should look similar to this, just with all your custom folders instead: <br/>
[[File:P2hammerppSetup4.png|250px]]<br/> 
Now to fix the Hammer models, open the <code>Counter-Stike Global Offensive\platform</code> folder and delete/rename the <code>materials</code> and <code>Models</code> folder and replace them with Symbolic Links to their respective folders in the <code>Portal 2\platform</code> folder. It should look similar to this: <br/> 
[[File:P2hammerppSetup6.png|250px]] <br/> 
{{Note|Even after all these steps, some L4D2 models or textures may appear as missing or as white meshes. This is because L4D2 uses a unique model format and some unique material shaders that are unsupported in CSGO, and by extension Hammer++ for CSGO. Unfortunately, this cannot be fixed. If you need to accurately position these models or textures, use the version of Hammer included in the Left 4 Dead 2 Authoring Tools. Do remember to save frequently; stock Hammer does have some stability issues.}}
After you do this, open Hammer++ again. Now, you should be set! To get a list of all new features, try checking out the Hammer++ website and its page on [[Hammer++|this wiki.]] For general Hammer assistance, check out [[:Category:Hammer|this article]].

{{Note|Some Steam mods use the original game's assets folder for shared content. While this is a bad practice, it must also be taken into account when pointing towards game files. Make sure that if this is the case to also create symbolic links to the original game's vpk folder.}}

==External links==
*[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2742731712 Installing Hammer++ For Portal 2 (original guide)] 
*[https://ficool2.github.io/HammerPlusPlus-Website/index.html Hammer++ Website]
*[https://steamcommunity.com/linkfilter/?url=https://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html#download Link Shell Extension Website]

[[Category:Hammer++]]