SFM/Movie mode and game mode

In the SFM, you can be in one of two modes: movie mode or game mode. You record in game mode; you modify that recording in movie mode. (You will probably spend most of your time in movie mode.) You can toggle game mode on and off with F11.

Tip:If you use Alt+Tab ⇆ to switch windows while you're in game mode, you won't be able to move the cursor in the SFM. To fix this, go back to the game mode window and press F11 to toggle game mode off.

In game mode, you can do anything you could normally do in that game: fire a weapon, switch weapons, take damage, kill an enemy, move around with WASD, interact with the environment and other players, and so on.

When you toggle game mode on, your player character will start out at a player spawn point. You can run through the map to the place where you want to record your gameplay, or, in movie mode, you can teleport the player to the viewport's camera by right-clicking in the viewport, clicking Game, and clicking Teleport Player to Camera.

Note:If you switch back to movie mode without having recorded gameplay, you will not be able to see the character you just moved into place. Movie mode shows only what you've recorded or manually placed in your scene. Don't worry; your character is still there in game mode.

Tip:In game mode, pressing 5 on the number pad toggles between first-person and third-person view.

When you have your player character in position, you're ready to record gameplay.

See also

• Populating your scene overview