Whether or not you are a fan of Valve, Steam, or Half-Life: Alyx, know that the former has updated the latter to include Steam Workshop support. In other words, you can now download the beta edition of Valve’s community development tools.
In case you are unaware, this is the first beta release regarding Half-Life: Alyx Workshop tools support, and the devs intend to add and improve said tools in the coming weeks.
As of now, here’s what is included in the first Beta release of the game’s Workshop tools suite via steamcommunity.com:
- Hammer: The latest version of the Source 2 level editor.
- Material Editor: The tool for creating and tuning materials in Source 2.
- ModelDoc: A tool for viewing, editing, and compiling models with animation, collision, and other gameplay attributes.
- AnimGraph: Our animation tool used to create complicated animation setups with blends and transitions.
- Particle Editor: For making new particle effects.
- Subrect Editor: For creating smart texture sheets known as “hotspots.”
- Source Filmmaker: The Source 2 cinematic renderer and animation tool.
In addition to the above, the update includes several sample maps to help folks out. In other words, the team included these maps to help demonstrate and explain how they created enemy encounters in the game.
The sample maps also touch on new features in the game’s level art pipeline, which includes tile meshes, static and dynamic cables, and texture “hot-spotting.”
Folks will also have the ability to edit the game’s maps as an “editable” source for reference, which includes a collection of interactive objects and prefabs. With all of that said, the option to download said tools sit below:
If you are looking for info to gain more knowledge on said tools, here’s a list of written guides from the team at Valve:
Introduction: Introduction to using the Half-Life: Alyx Workshop Tools.
Creating Addons: Creating addons for Half-Life: Alyx addon.
Lighting: Description of the lighting components in Half-Life: Alyx levels.
Map Extensions: How to create Map Extensions to add to an existing level.
Animgraph: Using the Animgraph node-based animation system.
If, for some reason, you are interested in Half-Life: Alyx, the game is out now for PC via Steam.
