Linux Quake HOWTO: Mapping Tools

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## 7. Mapping Tools

Creating mods is done with map editors and compilers, but also involves .... texture creation, making pak files, modeling, skinning, editing sound and graphics files, and writing your own progs.dat with Quake C. Linux support is available, but is not comprehensive.

Quake C is Quake's own game language (it was the first game such), and it allows mods to work seamlessly on all operating systems.

## 7.1 World Editors

GtkRadiant

  The main map editor for Quake. It is based on id Software's own editor, and requires OpenGL.

Quest

  A multi-game world editor. It has a stiff learning curve, but is very efficient after you master it.

  - keyboard shortcuts for effortless cut-and-paste operations on multiple brushes and entities
  - easy vertex manipulation using keyboard shortcuts and the mouse
  - edit the properties of multiple entities at once
  - texture and align multiple faces
  - texture locking function (crates)
  - can rotate, stretch and mirror textures
  - support for groups
  - variable grid size down to 1 px

## 7.2 Tools

Bjptools

  Linux port of the most used map compilers.

  - includes treeqbsp, vis and light
  - supports rotating entities
  - doesn't support coloured lights
  - modifications by Bengt Jardrup, Greg Lewis, and others
Tyrutils

  Tyrann's popular map compilers, including qbsp, vis and tyrlite. Supports rotating entities and coloured lights.

Hmap2

  LordHavoc's compiler. It can compile leaky or incomplete maps (use only for testing!) and does a ton of other stuff, including coloured lighting.

QEU

  Command line tools to handle pak and wad files (source code only).

FTEQCC

  Comprehensive, advanced QuakeC compiler with gui and command line versions. If this one can't compile it, nothing will!

FrikQCC

  QuakeC compiler

## 7.3 Tools needing Wine

Wine is a project that allows many Windows programs to work with Linux.

Wally

  Multipurpose texture editing tool. Can batch convert BMP files to Quake textures, etc. Also provides several paint functions, and macros such as rivets and decals.

The Quake Army Knife

  QuArK is a multipurpose Quake editing tool. It loads, edits and exports multiple file formats, and has matured into a multi-game, multi-format tool. Some functions are broken though, and it may not work with all versions of Wine.

Q1Rad

  Light tool that does radiosity-based lighting, like Quake II.

## 7.4 Other Utilities

- Gimp. Graphics editor.
- Sweep, Audacity, Libsamplerate, Normalize, Sox. Sound editing tools.

## 7.5 Links

- Quake mappers' message board Func_Msgboard
- Inside3D.com has lots of good stuff.
- Bengt Jardrup's homepage is a must read, with documents about engine errors, map limits, and the like.
- Quake Terminus tools section.
- QuakeForge includes some Quake C tools with their tarball.
- The Quake Wiki has some relevant links for the windows platforms.

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