What this book covers

Chapter 1, Getting Started with the Source SDK, serves to get you situated with the tools and introduces you to Steam, the SDK, and Mod creation.

Chapter 2, Grasping Hammer, is where you will spend most of your development time. This chapter will introduce you to your new tools, and teach you how to navigate in 2D and 3D spaces.

Chapter 3, Shaping Your World, teaches you how to create and modify brushes while introducing you to some key terminology. The brush is the basic building block of any source level.

Chapter 4, Textures, Terrain, and Props, teaches you how to detail your world by adding textures to brushes, creating flowing terrain, and placing prop models.

Chapter 5, Importing Custom Content, teaches you how to create your own textures and import custom content. Lots of mods and maps have their own custom content.

Chapter 6, Lighting and Compiling, teaches you how to bring light to your creations. It also covers compiling concepts and error checking.

Chapter 7, Triggers and the Input/Output System, teaches you how to master this system. The Input/Output system is the heart and soul of Source's scripts.

Chapter 8, Trains and Camera Systems, brings life to stationary objects. It also teaches you how to use different types of cameras.

Chapter 9, NPC Movement Basics, teaches you what it takes to get Non-Playable Characters (NPCs) moving in this chapter. NPCs play a huge role in storytelling and immersion.

Chapter 10, Advanced NPC Scripting, teaches you how to create squads and control NPCs on a more macroscopic scale.

Chapter 11, Source Particle Editor, teaches you the ins and outs of Source's powerful particle editor. Particles play a key role making believable special effects.