Installing Programs#

Installing Blender Source Tools#

Blender Add-on, Imports multiple file types, including .SMD which holds Animation Data. Used alongside Plumber for importing of Maps.

Download Blender Source Tools, it’s a .ZIP file. Don’t open or extract it. Make sure your Blender version is up to date, as the download link says it’s supported for versions 2.92 and higher. However, older versions of the Add-on going back as far as Blender 2.66 can be found here.
In Blender, go into Edit > Preferences.
In the Add-ons menu, click on the ⤓ Install… button.
Select the .ZIP file you downloaded from the Blender Source Tools website.
Click on the check box to enable it.

Blender Source Tools is now installed. You’ll notice its Import option shows up under File > Import > Source Engine (.smd, .vta, .dmx, .qc).

Installing Plumber#

Blender Add-on, Imports multiple file types, including .VMF. Used alongside Blender Source Tools for importing of maps.

Go to the Plumber download page, click on the big bold text in front that says Plumber. Scroll down, download the .ZIP that’s appropriate for your system. It’s available for MacOS, Linux, and Windows. Do not extract or open the .ZIP when downloaded.
Make sure your Blender Version is up to date. The site says it supports 2.82 and higher but for compatibility with Blender Source Tools, make sure you have 2.92 or higher.
In Blender, go into Edit > Preferences.
In the Add-ons menu, click on the ⤓ Install… button.
Select the .ZIP file you downloaded from the Plumber releases page.
Click on the check box to enable it.
It should automatically find any Steam products it’s compatible with, such as Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, Portal, Half Life 2, etc. It depends on what you have installed. Make sure you have a properly working copy of Team Fortress 2 and it’s in a valid Steam location otherwise it won’t detect it.

Plumber is now installed. You’ll notice its Import option show up under File > Import > Plumber.

Installing SourceIO#

Blender Add-on, Imports every file type except the ones used for Animation.

Go to the SourceIO download page, click on the big bold text that says SourceIO. Scroll down, download the file called SourceIO.zip. Do not extract or open the .ZIP when downloaded.
In Blender, go into Edit > Preferences.
In the Add-ons menu, click on the ⤓ Install… button.
Select the .ZIP file you downloaded from the SourceIO releases page.
Click on the check box to enable it.

SourceIO is now installed. You’ll notice its settings show up under File > Import > Source Engine Assets.

Installing GCFScape, Crowbar, BSPSource#

These programs are either unpacked into folders or have an installer. Just go to their download links by clicking their names in the section they’re referred to. They’re programs that run outside Blender, and not as Add-ons.