Maps and included props#

This Method uses three tools, all linked in that section.
Unlike Team Fortress 2 and GMod, SFM maps are a bit complicated and pull resources from multiple different folders. SourceIO has not been successful for the importing of maps, but has been fine for everything else. For this reason, the Map Import section only has one method.
This method requires a fully working copy of Source Filmmaker and a recent version of Blender. If you are unable to get this method to work, it is recommended to use the latest version of Blender.

Also make sure to follow the note under Source Filmmaker for how to set up Plumber so it actually reads SFM files.

Method#

Summary of Method#

Download BSPSource, Plumber, and Blender Source Tools. Install Plumber and Blender Source Tools as Add-ons into Blender (This step is only necessary on first time use).
Set up an entry in Plumber for it to read all of SFM’s folders present under [sfm_directory] / game (This step is only necessary on first time use).
Locate the map you wish to bring into Blender by going to [sfm_directory] / game / workshop / maps.
Convert the .BSP file into a .VMF file using BSPSource.
Import the .VMF file from File > Import > Plumber > Valve Map Format (.vmf) in Blender.
Disable all lights except light_environment, and set Color Profile from Filmic to Standard.

Full Guide of Method#

Note

Always get the most recent version of a program or Add-on linked here.

Blender Source Tools, BSPSource, and Plumber will be used for this method. The steps to install these can be seen at the Installing Programs section.

Plumber was originally called io_import_vmf, and it’s by the same developers. It’s currently in Beta but significantly superior to io_import_vmf and that’s why we’ve linked the page to download that instead.

Convert a .BSP to .VMF#

Important

You need to install Java to run BSPSource.

Download BSPSource and extract all files to a folder.
Open bspsrc.jar from this folder.
There’s many options in the program. For now, just click the button for Add. From there, go to [SFM_directory] / game / workshop / maps and choose the specific .BSP map file you want to convert.
Go to the Other tab in BSPSource, and enable the checkbox labelled Extract Embedded Files.
Once done, just click the Decompile button in the bottom right. There’s no need to edit the other settings, though you’re free to play around if you know what you’re doing.
A file browser will show up for where to put the .VMF file. You can choose any location, but it’s best if it’s a place you can easily come back to.
Click on Decompile.

Your .VMF file has now been decompiled and is in your output folder. You’ll notice another folder in that location with the same name as the .VMF file. We’ll use this later. If such a folder doesn’t exist, then don’t worry about it.

Important

During the time that BSPSource is Decompiling the map, it will show logs of what it’s doing. There is an Errors & Warnings box visible. If the process worked, then this box should be mostly empty. If [Warning] is shown in this, then it should be fine. If an [Error] is shown in this, however, then it may have failed. You’ll have to come back to this step if the map doesn’t work later.

Bringing The Map In#

You can now import a .VMF file from the File > Import > Plumber > Valve Map Format (.vmf) button (Make sure Plumber and Blender Source Tools are installed). Browse to the location you stored your .VMF file which you Decompiled using BSPSource earlier.

Make sure that in the Import settings, the game is set to Source Filmmaker (If this option is not available to you, then you have to go to the Source Filmmaker homepage to set up Plumber).
Set the Scale to 0.1, and the Light Brightness set to 10. This is so the map is compatible with the Hisanimations Characters port and TF2 Collections Port.
In the folder space underneath the Game, type the name of the folder with the same name as the .VMF. So if for example, your map file is called fnaf1_sfm_d.vmf then there should also be a folder called fnaf1_sfm_d. Write fnaf1_sfm_d in that space. If you don’t have such a folder, you can skip this step.
Then click the .VMF file, and click Import. That’s it, you should have everything.

The installation steps are not necessary to do again. It’s really just as simple as, Once you set up Plumber so it reads the SFM folders, all you have to do is turn the .BSP map file into .VMF with BSPSource, and bring .VMF into Blender with Plumber.
Go to Finishing Touches for advice on clean up and additional useful things to know about within Blender regarding these maps.
If you wish to familiarize yourself with the whole process, or see an overview, a Summary of Method is written which you can refer to.
If any problems occur you can ask for help on the TF2 Blender Discord server.

The lighting is going to appear strange because in Eevee (Blender’s default render engine) has a maximum of 128 lights. Filter the Outliner (the place where all objects and things in the scene are shown) by lights with the following settings:

Toggles that will only show light objects.

Finishing Touches#

Use Material Preview mode to confirm that all materials are actually fully functional before you do anything else. All textures should be visible and no part of the map should be white.
Use Eevee if you want a true TF2 look. Cycles will get you very different results.
There’s unfortunately a limit of Eevee which there’s no way around. It can only have 128 active lights at once, while a lot of maps in TF2 end up having significantly more than that. Unfortunately the only way around this is to use Cycles, which doesn’t have a light limit, but another alternative is to maintain the majority of the look by turning off every light except the one which starts with the name light_environment. This is the ‘Sun’ light and is responsible for nearly all outdoor lighting and shadows present on the map.
If you want more accurate TF2 colors, go to Color Management, and set the Color Profile from Filmic to Standard.
To apply the Skybox, check the Applying Skybox section.

Applying Skybox#

To apply a Skybox, first find it in the corner, then select all the objects that are near it. Make sure none of the objects are linked to the rest of the map. If they are, then you have to go into Edit mode to separate it.
After that, Shift Click the Empty. This is important because otherwise it won’t line up.
Finally, click Object, then Transform VMF 3D sky.
A GIF has been attached to show the process visually.