Source SDK: Mastering the Source/What is Hammer?

What is Hammer? A very important question, and one that will be covered thoroughly throughout this page.

The Hammer World Editor

Hammer, or the Hammer World Editor is a free level editing and creation program supplied by the Source SDK. Hammer comes with a number of unique features other than standard level design programs, making it one of the most popular choices on the market. Hammer has been used to develop many games, both by major video game companies and independent developers, and always shows favorable results. The Hammer Editor is easy to learn with a few tutorials, but with the help of this book, you'll be able to master it and all it has to offer.

How do I use it?

The Hammer Editor is known for it's easy to learn interface and variety of creation tools. You will literally find an endless array of tools and programs specifically designed to create the level of your choosing, if you can build it in your mind, you can build it in Hammer. Of course you have to learn it first, that's where this book comes in. With your devotion and cooperation with this book you be able to learn every flip, switch, and button in Hammer, and how to master every one.

Improving your Skills

The goal of this book is to make sure you can understand and operate the Hammer Editor, if all goes correctly, you will notice your skills improve drastically as you move from chapter to chapter in Section 1. These pictures below will give you a clear indication of your soon to be progress through Hammer, and show you what you can expect to accomplish with the help of this book.

All right, now that we've covered just what the Hammer Editor is, it's time to learn how to use it.