How To Install and Setup Hammer 3.5 For Steam

For this Tutorial you will need the following Files.

• Valve Hammer Editor 3.5 (This is used to create maps) - Download
• Zoner's Half-Life Tool 3.4 (Tools used to compile maps) - Download
• CS Expert FDG Files (custom CS entities) - Download

Step 1. Installing Hammer
Once you have the 3 files Downloaded start by Installing Valve Hammer Editor
Install hammer_34.exe
Update the exe to 3.5
By replacing the hammer.exe in the "...Program Files\Valve Hammer Editor" Folder With the Updated hammer.exe 3.5 included in the Download.

Step 2. Installing The Compile Tools, ZHLT
Once Hammer is installed the Compile tools, are in the download "Zoners Half-Life Tool" file.

To install the compile tools ZHLT 3.4 you want to navigate to the hammer directory 
"...\Program Files\Valve Hammer Editor"
 and simply Copy these 4 files that are in the Zoner's Half-Life Tool.7z file you downloaded earlier.

 . hlbsp.exe
 . hlcsg.exe
 . hlrad.exe
 . hlvis.exe

Paste them Files in to 
"...\Program Files\Valve Hammer Editor\tools\CS"
 You will need to make a new folder and name it "CS"

Place the zhlt.wad in the
"Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life\cstrike" folder
(The zhlt.wad adds sky, noclip, null, AAATrigger Textures.)

Step 3. Installing The FDG

Next we are going to add the CS Expert FDG.

To Install these we age going to paste the included file

"cs_expert-tom793c_wc35.fdg" 

in to the 

"...Program Files\Valve Hammer Editor\fgd\counter-strike" Folder

Then paste the Folder named "sprites" included in the CS Expert FDG File to the

"...Program Files\Valve Hammer Editor" Folder, Replacing the Original sprites Folder.

Step 4. Configuring Hammer
Now we can move on to configuring Hammer

 
When we open hammer for the first time we are greeted with the configure window. which we can later access by clicking Tools>Options

First Tab. Here we want to look at is the "Game Configurations" Tab.

First Click "Edit" and Add a new game, Name it "CS1.6" Then Click on"Add" on the "game Data Files:" This is how we add our FDG

Navigate to "...Program Files\Valve Hammer Editor\fgd\counter-strike" Directory

And choose the FDG that we installed Earlier
"cs_expert-tom793c_wc35.fdg"

Leave "Texture Format and "map Type How they are

"Default Point Entry Class" Change it to"Info_Player_Start" 

This is the Default CT Spawn entity used when we place entity's. (The terroist entity's name is "Info_Player_Deathmatch")

"Default SolidEntity class" Change it to "Func_Wall" 

This is the Defualt Brush property's used when creating a new brush, Brush's are used to create the Walls/Floor and Obstacles in the map. 

"Game Excutible Directory" this is pointing to the Half-life Game's directory in The "...Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life"

Configure the rest how you see them in the picture above.

Still looking at the above picture the RMF Directory is the directory where uncompiled maps are saved, these are the files you open to work on maps in hammer. (its good to keep Track of these files.) save RMF's to "...Program Files\Valve Hammer Editor\maps"

Second Tab. This is "Build Programs" This is where we configure the Compile Tool.

Choose Your Configuration, "CS 1.6" Then Browse for the hl.exe its located in the "...\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life\hl.exe" Directory

Now add the Location of the compile tools, we should have them in the

"...\Program Files\Valve Hammer Editor\tools\CS" directory

  . hlcsg.exe

  . hlbsp.exe

  . hlvis.exe

  . hlrad.exe

The Last part here to configure is where the compiled maps will go. we want them to go to our games "maps" directory.
"Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life\cstrike\maps" Folder, where all cs maps are stored for the game.

UPDATE 2021: Counter-Strike now uses the cstrike_downloads folder for custom content. "place compiled maps in this directory before running the game" "Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life\cstrike_downloads\maps" not the old directory "cstrike\maps"

To get prop models to show up in hammer using the "cycler_sprite" entity, copy the models folder from "cstrike_downloads\models" to "cstrike\models" sharing the maps models/sprites ect between old and new directories. I don't think the fgd's point to the new directory so copy your models folder over. you also need to have your models in the "cstrike_downloads\models" folder to work on your compiled map.

Third Tab. The "Textures" Tab

All we need to add here are some textures. these files will be .wads, the main counter-strike ones are stored in the
"Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life\cstrike"directory

Add 

cs_dust.wad for de_dust2 textures, add zhlt.wad for special textures

You can add more textures but for now just add them .wads

Click OK 
we are finished.

There is only one more thing to config, but only when we get up to Compiling our new map and talking more about Textures. only if we know Hammers Layout.