Source Filmaker testing

Source Filmmaker is a perfect example of a piece of software that I really wanted to learn to utilize, but never got around to actually doing it. Back in 2012 when the beta was released I was extremely eager to dive in like many, but then I discovered how steep the learning curve of the software really is. Every couple of months I would boot it up, put a few models in and close it. Now that I have been exploring the Source engine for the past couple of months by learning Hammer through books and tutorial video's, the SFM does not seem to be that daunting anymore. The tutorials shared by many on YouTube actually make sense now. I remember I'd watch a particles tutorial on Source and the SFM and I would just be left speechless at the end because I had no idea what step 1 was again. Now I'm finding my way around it.

Yesterday I finally created my first tangible piece in the SFM with Left 4 Dead assets. The scene was filmed in L4D_garage02_lots (better known as the Crash Course Truck Depot finale map) and took around 7 hours to create and render. Spent around 20 minutes in After Effects to beef up the color grading a bit more. There's always stuff to improve: I find the volumetrics surrounding the fire not 100% convincing yet, but it's good enough for a first piece. Considering this had to be done on a virtual windows machine, I am already glad SFM only crashed 4 time on me during the entire process.

Eventually there will be SFM stuff coming and more stuff in Source, such as custom maps made with Hammer, SFM animation and things made with the built-in Source Demo Smoother. There's a treasure trove of things to do with Source. I knew that for years, but now that I finally understand how everything works I can finally get to work in the future. Underneath is the final animation. There's no audio in there. Cheers!