bsp to vmf

[crackhead]

i had an idea about changing a css map. i was just wondering how i can convert the extracted bsp into a vmf to open it up in hammer? is this possible?

 

[GonzoBabbleshit]

It is, but it's illegal if you're using someone else's material in a map of 'your own'.

 

[Limpet]

Plus its a lot of work to make it optimised and all that.

 

[crackhead]

what you meen to make it optimised? also its not illegal. valve lets you use their material for your own purposes. it would be illegal to try and sell it true but who would buy a map? lol. anyway my question was more like how can i do this. i have searched everywhere and cant find any software that decompiles a bsp.

 

[63]

Pcguk bought a map

 

[Limpet]

look for vmex.

As far I know there are no programs out there to decompile a bsp efficiently. once you decompile a map and look at it in hammer you'll see what I mean if you know anything about optimization.

 

[Raeven0]

"Copyright Infringement"

 

[Shinobi]

it's essentially reverse engineering, so the result of a decompile is never the way it was initially created


In the case of the HL engine (and I'm assuming source), the decompiler looks at all the split faces in the map and creates a full brush for them (because faces that aren't part of the map geometry are culled in the bsp phase). So what you end up with is a messy messy subdivided, recreated map. Essentially you're better off re-creating the map from scratch as opposed to decompiling and editing it.

 

[crackhead]

oh ok maybe i will just forget the whole idea. the idea was to have the map dust but edit the textures so that rather than sand it was snow and change the building textures so they dont look middle eastern and edit some of the buildings.

 

[GonzoBabbleshit]

oh ok maybe i will just forget the whole idea. the idea was to have the map dust but edit the textures so that rather than sand it was snow and change the building textures so they dont look middle eastern and edit some of the buildings.

That would definitely be copyright infringement.

If Valve wanted you to use their maps directly they'd supply the vmf's for their maps. There's a reason why they don't.

 

[crackhead]

but valve let you use any of their content granted you dont try to profit from it.

 

[Raeven0]

Steam subscriber agreement, section two, paragraphs C and E:

C. Your Subscription(s) may contain access to the Valve software development kit (the "SDK") for the computer game engine used in Half-Life 2 and other compatible Valve products (the "Source Engine"). You may use, reproduce and modify the SDK solely to develop a modified game (a "Mod") for Half-Life 2 or other Valve products compatible with and using the Source Engine. You may reproduce, distribute and license the Mod in object code form, solely to licensed end users of Half-Life 2 or other compatible Valve products, without charge.

E. Except as otherwise permitted under Section 2(C) with regard to the SDK, you may not, in whole or in part, copy, photocopy, reproduce, translate, reverse engineer, derive source code, modify, disassemble, decompile, create derivative works based on, or remove any proprietary notices or labels from the Steam Software or any software accessed via Steam without the prior consent, in writing, of Valve.

Shinobi: Rof, author of VMEX, has this to say:

Decompiling Source engine maps is reasonably easy. Unlike HL1 maps, they contain almost all of the information originally present before compiling (apart from a few editor-specific things like brush grouping, visgroups, etc.), so you don't get all the problems with split faces, malformed brushes, etc., that were commonly seen when decompiling HL1 engine maps. Decompiled .vmfs are 95%-99% perfectly recovered, depending on the map.

 

[Limpet]

So you can mess with anything that is given to you uncompiled and in its raw form but you cannot if you must work to get it into a raw form you're breaking your agreement, yes?

 

[Raeven0]

Essentially.

 

[Rennmniscant]

Has anyone actually tried emailing some of the folks at Valve and asking for an original .vmf file? I think they'd just wanna make damned sure that you keep the credit as theirs.

 

[Mapster]

I wouldn't risk asking steam for the vmf's, but i would like to edit a couple of the css maps and add a few things to make it more fun

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Even if you did find working decompile tools, you couldn't distribute the maps you made afterwards.