Hammer Editor Documentation

A Hammer Editor screenshot.

The Valve Hammer Editor is a 3D design tool used for creating levels for Source engine games.

The Hammer editor can be used for:

• Creating level architecture -- geometry, texturing, and lighting.
• Placing models (props) created in 3D modeling packages, such as XSI.
• Placing entities for gameplay.
• Scripting gameplay entities with Inputs and Outputs.
• Adding AI navigation information for NPCs.
• Compiling and running game levels.
  
  

Getting Started Introduction to Editing -- A introduction to the basic principles of editing with the Hammer Editor. Your First Map -- How to create and run a simple map using the Hammer Editor. 3D and 2D Views -- How to navigate the 2D and 3D views. What's New -- New features of the Valve Hammer Editor for Source. See also Source SDK FAQ -- Information to help solve some common problems. Source Mapping Conversion -- For users familiar with the Half-Life 1 Map Editing Tools. Source SDK Release Notes -- Find out about current known issues in the Source SDK. Hammer Editor article on Wikipedia (external link)

Hammer Reference Menus -- Reference for the menus. File Edit Map View Tools Window Help Dialogs -- Reference for dialog boxes and options. Toolbars -- Description of toolbars and icons. Hotkey Reference -- Listing of all keyboard shortcuts.