Source Filmmaker

The Source Filmmaker

The Source Filmmaker Beta (2012) is a powerful tool that works with the Source engine to create a flexible, modifiable 3D recording that can be exported as a movie or as a still image. The 3D recording you create in SFM can contain recorded gameplay, objects, cameras, lights, particles, animations, effects, and sounds—and the motion information for how each element changes over time.

With Source Filmmaker, you can essentially film "on location" in your favorite TF2 map—whether it's one that Valve released or one that you modded yourself. You can use the SFM's large library of maps, models, animations, objects, sounds, and effects, or you can import your own. Because you're working with a virtual world, and your recording stores all the 3D motion data about every element, you can modify any aspect of the recording at any time, which makes it easy to make the kinds of last-minute changes that would be extremely expensive in a live-action studio.

The Source Filmmaker Workshop is bigger than ever with over 6000 items to download! So now, even if you aren't a professional when it comes to 3D modeling or just 3D in general, you can make animated shorts of many other games with the graph or motion editor.

Source Filmmaker is the movie-making tool built and used by Valve to make movies inside the Source game engine. It's how we've been making all of our animated short movies. By using the hardware rendering of a modern PC gaming machine, SFM allows storytellers to work in a "what you see is what you get" environment so that they can iterate in the context of what it will feel like for the final audience.

There is a caveat, though: despite the deceptively simple UI, this is a very powerful and complex tool without a lot of safeguards. Think of it like a tractor: it doesn't have railings or a lot of padding like you might find in a normal app or game. We recommend that you watch the video tutorials first and then read the documentation to familiarize yourself with the tool as much as possible before you dive in.

Official animated shorts created with SFM

Valve

Title	Date	Game	Ref.
Day Of Defeat: Prelude To Victory	December 9, 2005	Day of Defeat: Source	SFM Team/Valve Corporation, Day Of Defeat: Prelude To Victory, , published 23 May 2013, retrieved 28 May 2013.
Meet The Heavy ("Meet The Team" series)	May 14, 2007	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet the Heavy, YouTube, retrieved 5 January 2013.
Meet The Soldier ("Meet The Team" series)	August 22, 2007	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet the Soldier, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Meet the Engineer ("Meet The Team" series)	September 11, 2007	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet the Engineer, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Meet the Demoman ("Meet The Team" series)	October 9, 2007	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet the Demoman, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Meet The Scout ("Meet The Team" series)	April 19, 2008	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet the Scout, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Meet the Sandvich ("Meet The Team" series)	August 19, 2008	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet The Sandvich, YouTube, published 19 January 2009, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Meet the Sniper ("Meet The Team" series)	June 7, 2008	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet the Sniper, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Left 4 Dead Intro Clip	November 2, 2008	Left 4 Dead	Valve Corporation, Left4Dead Intro Clip, YouTube, published 2 November 2008, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Meet the Spy ("Meet The Team" series)	May 18, 2009	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet the Spy, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Left 4 Dead 2 Teaser Trailer	June 1, 2009	Left 4 Dead 2	Valve Corporation, L4D2 Teaser, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Batter Up trailer	October 28, 2009	Left 4 Dead 2	Valve Corporation, Left 4 Dead 2 Batter Up, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Zombie Survival Guide trailer	November 17, 2009	Left 4 Dead 2	Leaked Left 4 Dead 2 Trailer - Zombie Survival Guide
Half-Life 2 on OS X - Free Yourself	May 26, 2010	Half-Life 2	Valve Corporation, Half-Life 2 on OS X - Free Yourself, YouTube, retrieved December 20, 2012.
Portal 2 - Full Co-op Trailer	September 10, 2010	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Portal 2 - Full Co-op Trailer, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Portal 2 Co-op Intro trailer	February 18, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Portal 2 Co-op Intro, YouTube, published 18 February 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Portal 2 TV Spot	March 18, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Portal 2 TV Spot, YouTube, published 18 March 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Aperture Investment Opportunity #1: "Panels"	March 24, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Aperture Investment Opportunity #1: "Panels", YouTube, published 24 March 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Aperture Investment Opportunity #2: "Bot Trust"	March 28, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Aperture Investment Opportunity #2: "Bot Trust", YouTube, published 28 March 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Aperture Investment Opportunity #3: "Turrets"	April 5, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Aperture Investment Opportunity #3: "Turrets", YouTube, published 5 April 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Aperture Investment Opportunity #4: "Boots"	April 12, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Aperture Investment Opportunity #4: "Boots", YouTube, published 12 April 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Portal 2 ending cutscenes (Turret Opera, Wheatley epilogue, and Co-op ending)	April 19, 2011	Portal 2
Portal 2: Perfect 10	April 29, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Portal 2: Perfect 10, YouTube, published 29 April 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Meet the Medic ("Meet The Team" series)	June 23, 2011	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet the Medic, YouTube, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Dota 2 Gamescom Trailer	August 15, 2011	Dota 2	Valve Corporation, Dota 2 Gamescom Trailer, YouTube, published 15 August 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Portal 2 Peer Review DLC "Art Therapy" ending video	October 4, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Portal 2 Peer Review DLC - Art Therapy Room Ending Scene, YouTube, published 2 March 2012, retrieved 19 June 2014.
Wheatley's Nomination Speech for the VGA Best Character Award	December 20, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Wheatley's Nomination Speech for the VGA Best Character Award, YouTube, published 20 December 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Wheatley's Acceptance Speech for the VGA Best Character Award	December 20, 2011	Portal 2	Valve Corporation, Wheatley's Acceptance Speech for the VGA Best Character Award, YouTube, published 20 December 2011, retrieved 6 January 2013.
Meet The Pyro ("Meet The Team" series)	June 27, 2012	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Meet the Pyro, YouTube, published June 27, 2012, retrieved November 24, 2012.
Mann vs. Machine Trailer	August 13, 2012	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, Mann vs. Machine, YouTube, published August 13, 2012, retrieved November 24, 2012.
Dota 2: Diretide	October 30, 2012	Dota 2	Valve Corporation, Dota 2: Diretide, YouTube, published October 30, 2012, retrieved October 30, 2012.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Trailer	August 17, 2012	Counter-Strike: Global Offensive	Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Trailer, , published August 17, 2012, retrieved November 18, 2012.
Second Annual Saxxy Award announcement	November 28, 2012	Team Fortress 2	Valve Corporation, The Second Annual Saxxy Awards are HERE! (Almost), YouTube, published November 28, 2012, retrieved January 31, 2013.
The Greeviling	December 19, 2012	Dota 2	Dota 2 - The Greeviling, , published December 19, 2012, retrieved December 19, 2012.
Mann vs. Machine: The Sound of Medicine	November 21, 2013	Team Fortress 2	Mann vs. Machine - The Sound of Medicine, , published November 21, 2013, retrieved December 28, 2013.
Expiration Date	June 17, 2014	Team Fortress 2	Expiration Date
Jungle Inferno	October 16, 2017	Team Fortress 2	Jungle Inferno
CS:GO - Operation Broken Fang	December 3, 2020	Counter-Strike: Global Offensive	CS:GO - Operation Broken Fang

Valve-sponsored

Title	Date	Game	Ref.
Robotic Boogaloo	May 17, 2013	Team Fortress 2	Robotic Boogaloo
End Of The Line	December 8, 2014	Team Fortress 2	End Of The Line
Invasion	October 6, 2015	Team Fortress 2	Invasion

The Robotic Boogaloo update to Team Fortress 2 was the first ever 100% community-created update for the game. [1] The video was written by The Heartsman and animated by MrPopulus89.[2] The video was then featured by Valve on TeamFortress.com for the update's main page.

While End Of the Line was made by Violet McVinnie and her team, [3] Valve took interest in the project after a short trailer uploaded on August 28, 2013 [4] and allowed McVinnie to make a community update [5] centered around the video. The video itself was directed by McVinnie and features animation by Luke "Walker" Murray.[6]

The Invasion Update for Team Fortress 2 was released on October 6, 2015, as the third 100% community-created update for the game.[7] It features a Source Filmmaker video animated by Brent "CobaltGemini" Kennedy and Harry Callaghan (who also did post-production work and sound design), produced by Jayson "The Ronin" De Castro, and features original voice work by Cameron Nichols and Sandra Espinoza.[8]

See also

• Video Tutorials
• Source Filmmaker documentation
• Sourcefilmmaker.com