XBLAH's Modding Tool

XBLAH's Modding Tool is a tool written by XBLAH to improve Valve games modders productivity and quality of life.

Modding

Libraries

The libraries used by the games and mods in the tool are automatically set if you have a legit Steam installation. Keep in mind the libraries set here are only used by the tool, and the games and mods will still use their gameinfo to mount their contents.

The libraries can be checked and and new libraries can be added through File > Steam Libraries.

New Mod

Creating a barebones Source engine mod usually requires more than just creating a gameinfo.txt. Mods based on Half-Life and Half-Life 2 games can be created with the XBLAH's Modding Tool using an intuitive interface, that creates all the required files and directories. Mapbase mods are also supported.

• When creating Half-life 2 mods, it will replace the default font file so all letters are available, since the stock font file only contains the letters that make Half-Life.
• When creating Mapbase mods, it will include Thexa's PBR Shaders by default.

This can be accessed within the tool through Modding > New.

See more in Create a Mod.

File Explorer

All the files mounted into the game info can be previewed with XBLAH's Modding Tool in the File Explorer. The File Explorer replaces the GCFScape as the ultimate file browsing tool, since it will mount all the VPKs and loose files according to the game info, to show the modder a compreensive list of files. This relieves the modder of having to browse vpks individually, and the integrated features of the tool usually dismisses the necessity of extracting the files from the vpks, since they can be accessed natively.

This can be accessed within the tool through Modding > File Explorer.

See more in Game Directory.

The File Explorer contains context menus for each file, targeting them to their respective native editor.

Clean mod

Before shipping the mod, the XBLAH's Modding Tool provides the modder with a list of unnecessary files, which can be removed with the push of a button.

This can be accessed within the tool through Modding > Clean.

See more in Pre-publication evaluation#Excess_files.

Game info

The mod information can be edited with XBLAH's Modding Tool through a comprehensive UI without requiring the modder to mess with text files. It includes all the major keys of Source SDK 2013 Single-player and Source SDK 2013 Multi-player, more than enough for the majority of Source modders.

This can be accessed within the tool through Modding > Game info.

See more in Gameinfo.txt.

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  Name

• 

  Options

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  Steam games list

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  Engine and tools

Chapters

Chapters for single-player games can be created with XBLAH's Modding Tool through an UI. The modder can easily create new chapters, select the chapter images, chapter background images, the first map of the chapter, the background map, and the tool will do the dirty work of creating the required vtfs, vmts and scripts. It gives the option to automatically blur the background images, so the modder can just take a screenshot of the background map and the tool will apply the usual blur. This replaces the need of saving VTFs, creating chapter images with weird proportions, and so on.

This can be accessed within the tool through Modding > Chapters.

See more in Adding chapters to your mod and Menu Background Map.

Menu

Main menu items can be added, modified or removed with XBLAH's Modding Tool] based on a provided list of options.

This can be accessed within the tool through Modding > Menu.

See more in Manipulating the game menu items.

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  Menu items

• 

  Add item

Content Mount

The mod mounted content can be edited with XBLAH's Modding Tool, pointing to directories and vpks in the desired order, without the risk of messing the game info.

This can be accessed within the tool through Modding > Content Mount.

Assets

Exporting

You can select a few VMFs in XBLAH's Modding Tool and it will list you all the required assets, showing you to which pack or loose folder they belong, and giving you an option to copy what you want to a separate folder under /custom/. By default, it will select all the files not located inside VPKs, but you can extract the files from the VPKs on the go, if you want to, in case you are using assets from games not everyone own.

Currently, it detects the following files:

• Compiled maps
• Materials (and required files)
• Models (and required files)
• Sprites
• Sounds (used by ambient_generic)
• Particles
• Skyboxes

This can be accessed within the tool through Modding > Assets > Export.

Packing

Instead of distributing loose files, you can select the files you want and pack them into a VPK. The selected files will be automatically deleted after they are packed into the VPK, cleaning up your mod folder. The VPK will be saved under /custom/.

This can be accessed within the tool through Modding > Assets > Pack.

Animations

Choreography Editor

The Source Choreography Editor will be automatically configured if ran through the XBLAH's Modding Tool, patching the missing icons.

This can be accessed within the tool through Animations > Choreography Editor.

Maps

Editor

The level editors will be automatically copied and configured if ran through the XBLAH's Modding Tool.

For Goldsrc games, it will run Jack with the correct configurations, ready for editing and compiling. Fold Source games, it will run Hammer++ (for compatible branches) or the stock Hammer 4, with Slartibarty's Compile Tools (for compatible branches). It will also run Hammer++ ready to be used with Mapbase, with no special configurations or shortcuts needed.

This can be accessed within the tool through Maps > Editor.

Decompile

Compiled maps for Goldsrc and Source can be decompiled through the XBLAH's Modding Tool. The tool will list all the mounted maps, both the loose files and the ones inside the VPKs. You will be able to decompile the maps without having to extract them beforehand. The decompiled maps will be saved under /mapsrc/ as a loose file.

This can be accessed within the tool through Maps > Decompile.

Prefabs folder

There is a handy shortcut to the Game's Prefabs Folder.

This can be accessed within the tool through Maps > Prefabs Folder.

Materials

Skybox Editor

LDR Skyboxes can be created straight from image files with the XBLAH's Modding Tool using an intuitive interface, that creates all the required vtfs and vmts. All you have to do is select each cubemap face, preview it, and save. It has a built in 3D previewer to check if the skybox is seamless, and supports the regular square skyboxes and the clamped ones.

This can be accessed within the tool through Materials > Skybox Editor.

See more in Skybox (2D).

Particles

Generate Manifest

A manifest file is required for rendering particles in-game. The Particle Manifest file can be generated automatically with XBLAH's Modding Tool, based on all the particle files mounted in the mod.

This can be accessed within the tool through Particles > Generate Manifest.

Sounds

Generate Soundscape Manifest

A manifest file is required for playing soundscapes in-game. The Soundscape Manifest file can be generated automatically with XBLAH's Modding Tool, based on all the soundscape files mounted in the mod.

This can be accessed within the tool through Sounds > Generate Soundscape Manifest.

External links

• XBLAH's Modding Tool Homepage