BSPZIP

VBSP ▶ VVIS ▶ VRAD ▶ BSPZIP

BSPZIP is a command-line tool that allows arbitrary files to be embedded within a BSP. When the map is being loaded the files will be mounted as if they were present in the game's real content folders.

Tip:Several GUI utilities have been created that may be more convenient than using BSPZIP directly.

Tip:Embedded content can be examined with archive tools that support uncompressed and  LZMA-compressed ZIP files by opening the BSP file.
In some instances, it may be necessary to open via hash, as certain operations will cause additional data to be written after the "pakfile" lump in the BSP.

Bug:Custom VMT files located in the root of materials/ folder may fail to be packed into the BSP, use subfolders for custom materials.
example: materials/my_custom_materials/  (tested in: )

While it is usually a good idea to BSPZIP content, there are times when it can cause problems and other times when it won't work at all (e.g., for Maplist Thumbnails). When this happens, a resource list can be used instead.

Usage

BSPZIP is found at "common\<gamename>\bin\bspzip.exe". It performs several functions:

Adding a List of Files

The most common function. There are two related commands:

-addlist <input bsp> <file list> <output bsp>
-addorupdatelist <input bsp> <file list> <output bsp>

Include file extensions. The former command packs all files in the list, the latter (untested, Orange Box only) packs only those that have changed since the last operation.

Tip:The input and output files can be the same.

The "file list" is a .txt file containing this pattern:

internal_path/file1
external_path\file1
internal_path/file2
external_path\file2
...

• Internal paths (relative paths) are the location the file will take within the BSP; e.g., materials/metal/new_steel.vmt.
• External paths (absolute paths) are the location of the file to be packed, e.g., C:\Users\Public\our_maps\materials\metal\new_steel.vmt.

For example:

materials/foo/bar.vtf
D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Source\cstrike\custom\stuff\materials\foo\bar.vtf
materials/foo/bar.vmt
D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Source\cstrike\custom\stuff\materials\foo\bar.vmt
sound/lorem/ipsum.mp3
D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Source\cstrike\custom\stuff\sound\lorem\ipsum.mp3

Adding a Single File

The same principle as above, but without a file list.

-addfile <input bsp> <internal path> <external path> <output bsp>

Viewing and Extracting Files

If you have an archive tool installed that is able to look inside BSPs, it's better to use that. If you don't, these are the commands you need:

-extract <bsp file> <output.zip>
-extractfiles <bsp file>
-dir <bsp file>

Handling Cubemaps

Should be self-evident:

-extractcubemaps <bsp file> <output folder>
-deletecubemaps <bsp file>

Warning:-deletecubemaps actually deletes all .vtf files in the .bsp—handle with caution!

Bug:-deletecubemaps may actually delete the entire PAKFILE lump, rendering the map broken! Use VIDE or VPKEdit instead.  (tested in: )

Testing

There are situations where files won't be loaded from BSP files correctly. As time goes on, they become fewer in number, but it's always worth checking regardless. The easiest way to do so is moving all of the embedded content out of the game's folders—or even better, not storing it there in the first place.

Compression

(in all games since ) (also in ) Repacking allows you to compress your map using  LZMA to save hard drive space and download times. To repack a map and compress it, these commands are used:

-repack -compress <bsp file>

To decompress repacked maps, run the same command but ommit the -compress command:

-repack <bsp file>

Warning:

• Repacked maps won't work in Source Filmmaker and will crash the program on load!
• Trying to build cubemaps on a already compressed map will result in the game crashing!

Bug:Map compression may sometimes result in packed ADPCM and MP3 audio files not properly caching, resulting in improper playback on subsequent loads^[1]. This does not happen if the audio cache was created when the BSP file was uncompressed, or when using uncompressed audio formats. This also does not seem to occur when using Team Fortress 2's workshop uploader^{[citation needed]}.
Since files which are flagged as streaming (* sound character) are not loaded from the cache, they are unaffected by this bug. As such, it may be preferable to only use ADPCM for looping music.
Likewise, engine versions which do not use the sound cache ( ) are unaffected by this bug.

Workaround:Don't compress the compressed formats^[1]. This can be done with VPKEdit:

1. Add all files and folders to be packed to the uncompressed BSP, except the sound folder (using your packer of choice).
2. Compress the BSP.
3. Open the compressed BSP in VPKEdit.
4. Go to Edit>Options>Properties..., and change "Compression Type Override" to "Per-entry", and click OK.
5. Go to Edit>Options>Add Folder..., and select the sound folder that will be packed. Save the BSP.

This, however, isn't feasible for TF2 Workshop maps, because the Workshop uploader forcibly recompresses the BSP before uploading.

  (tested in: )

Bug:ANI files will not load correctly from a compressed BSP.

Note:

• The BSPZIP included with Authoring Tools doesn't support repacking.
  Confirm:Does even support compressed BSPs?
• automatically compresses BSPs when uploading to the workshop.
• supports compressed BSPs, but the BSPZIP included with doesn't support repacking (relevant GitHub request). Use the BSPZIP that comes with instead.

Tip:The map will need to be decompressed before BSPZIP will allow new files to be packed into the BSP.

Workaround:Edit the compressed BSP directly with VPKEdit.

GUIs/Replacements

The following GUI tools are often preferred to BSPZIP directly, and they may aid you in determining which files need to be packed into your map.

• Compile Pal
• Packbsp
• Map Analyst
• Pakrat
• VIDE
• VPKEdit
• Moltard's BspZipGUI(2020) - This app allows you to embed a folder with your files into BSP file, repack (compress and decompress) and can save different map configurations. It uses bspzip for the actual packing.
• BspZipGui(2016) - The app allows you to embed a folder with your files into BSP file in just a few clicks. It uses bspzip for the actual packing.
• AutoBSPpackingTool - Automatically detects content that is used in the map and packs it. It has a GUI as well as a command line interface which makes it easy to add as a compile step in Hammer.
• QuickPack - This script quickly finds and packs all dependencies in a map. For models with different skins, it only packs used skins to save file space.
• TeamSpen's Hammer Addons - This includes a post-compiler which automatically finds and packs custom content, and adds entities to control auto-packing.

See also

• Resource list (Alternative method to push content to users)
• GCFScape (Read-only tool for inspecting BSP contents)

References

References
1. A potential fix to mp3 and shader caching bug. Needs engine changes. · Issue #1322 · ValveSoftware/source-sdk-2013 on GitHub.