[HN Gopher] TrenchBroom: A cross platform level editor for Quake...
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       TrenchBroom: A cross platform level editor for Quake-engine based
       games
        
       Author : raytopia
       Score  : 106 points
       Date   : 2024-02-28 07:35 UTC (15 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (trenchbroom.github.io)
 (TXT) w3m dump (trenchbroom.github.io)
        
       | brylie wrote:
       | This editor can be used with the Godot engine for environment,
       | level, and asset creation via the Qodot plugin:
       | 
       | https://qodotplugin.github.io/
       | 
       | It would be really cool if Godot had an in-editor 3D modeling
       | tool similar to Trenchbroom, such as UX improvements to the
       | CSGMesh3D workflow :-)
        
       | mrintegrity wrote:
       | It's many years since I dabbled with quake based game level
       | design (rtcw, sof2) and back then I used Worldcraft (now Hammer).
       | From the video, it looks like Trenchbroom is a fair bit more
       | simplistic, what is the benefit of this over Hammer?
        
         | l-p wrote:
         | I've been using Hammer since the Worldcraft 3 days, it took
         | less than an hour of using TrenchBroom to know I'll never go
         | back to Hammer or JACK.
         | 
         | It just works. The overall modelling workflow is much more
         | efficient, it's well designed, linked groups is a killer
         | feature, it doesn't crash for no reason and when it does crash
         | you can submit an issue and get it fixed in a day (or fix it
         | yourself, it's FOSS), CSG (e.g. the carve tool) produces sane
         | geometry in a few milliseconds instead of crashing after a 20s
         | freeze.
         | 
         | It also runs smooth and fast whereas hammer stutters all the
         | time and feels like it renders its viewports and UI at 20 fps.
         | 
         | The apparent simplicity is a feature in itself, not a lack of
         | functionality.
        
           | bombcar wrote:
           | > it doesn't crash for no reason
           | 
           | From my doom level editing days, this was always the biggest
           | issue; the level editors were so very touchy, and would crash
           | _all_ the time.
        
         | hnthrowaway0328 wrote:
         | It's way more powerful than Hammer. I don't have much
         | experience in mapping but you will understamd whence you watch
         | tutorial videos on Youtube.
         | 
         | It makes making complex shapes so easy that the standard of a
         | good map is way higher now.
        
         | hgs3 wrote:
         | TrenchBroom was built from the ground-up for 3D editing. You
         | don't need to use the 2D grid view unless you want to. It looks
         | more "simplistic" because many actions are now performed
         | directly via the mouse in 3D.
        
         | klodolph wrote:
         | Older editors rely more on the axial views. Trenchbroom has
         | much better tools for modeling right in the main 3D window. I
         | think what happened here is that over time, people figured out
         | better ways to handle the UI for modeling right in a 3D view,
         | and it became so good that we ditched the axial views most of
         | the time. Trenchboom got rid of the axial views because users
         | didn't want the axial views any more--and it got more UI
         | improvements for working directly in the camera view.
         | 
         | Simpler doesn't always mean less powerful.
        
       | vkazanov wrote:
       | Trenchbroom is magic. A niche tool that became a golden standard
       | of open source, free and quality tool. I played with Trenchbroom
       | during the recent Quake 1 renaissance. Superpleasant, even for
       | somebody who never ever made a single level or even a 3d model
       | before!
       | 
       | The editor, tools surrounding it, and, most importantly, the
       | community are amazing.
        
       | emmelaich wrote:
       | Pity the QuakeLive support isn't there.
       | 
       | For the moment I'm struggling with Radiant from Icculus.
        
         | hmstx wrote:
         | For tech3 based stuff, maybe try Netradiant (forked from
         | GtkRadiant), or more specifically its fork (!) NetRadiant
         | Custom (https://github.com/Garux/netradiant-custom). That one
         | introduces some, er, Trenchbroomisms to its workflow, mostly to
         | do with editing straight from the 3d viewport and the texturing
         | tools.
         | 
         | As far as I can tell from using it with tech4, it also appears
         | to have developed quirks with some basic functionality that I
         | don't remember from other GtkRadiant derivatives (although in
         | tech3). This might be from the incomplete tech4 support
         | inherited from both its parents, or just from NetRadiant, or
         | just new altogether, I have no idea or urge to find out... but
         | still, friendly warning : maybe keep GtkRadiant around and go
         | back and forth just in case.
        
       | masfoobar wrote:
       | Brings back memories using Worldcraft as a teenager.
       | 
       | I stopped doing much editing once we got to Quake 3 (around 2000)
       | but Worldcraft eventually became Hammer used for Half-Life 2 and,
       | I assume, any games under Source Engine.
       | 
       | Back to Quake engine, QtRadiant (I believe it was called) has
       | been mentioned from time-to-time. Now this one.
       | 
       | Looks good. Not sure if its better than Worldcraft but maybe my
       | nostalgia is getting in the way, here.
       | 
       | I shoud look into it as it might help my game I am creating.
        
         | hmstx wrote:
         | QeRadiant was id's original public release derived from their
         | internal QuakeEd. Q3's version of that became the open-source
         | GtkRadiant (so there was a gui framework in the name somewhere
         | at some point ; ), maintained by former id *nix build saviour
         | TTimo (now contracting with Valve). A number of community forks
         | have come out of GtkRadiant.
        
         | hnthrowaway0328 wrote:
         | The mid 90s - early 2000s era is the golden era of community
         | modding. Nowadays it is almost impossible to make mods for
         | Unity or Unreal engine games. I'm glad there are boomer
         | shooters.
        
       | sorokod wrote:
       | Is it named after Thompson smg?
       | 
       | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson_submachine_gun
        
         | quakeguy wrote:
         | Having met the creator of trenchbroom years ago, yes it is
         | indeed named after this weapon, he confirmed it.
        
       | thebrain wrote:
       | I saw this tool mentioned recently along with the release of
       | https://github.com/ExOK/Celeste64 . It's mentioned as a tool that
       | was used during Celeste64's development so it's clearly not just
       | for Quake engine based games.
        
         | nerpderp82 wrote:
         | Celeste64 uses https://github.com/LogicAndTrick/sledge-formats
         | which include loaders for Quake formatted maps. It could be
         | using the Quake format for a different engine.
        
           | a_e_k wrote:
           | It seemed at first glance like it was pretty specific to
           | Quake engine games, knowing how to load .wad files, etc. I
           | was wondering how it might be adapted for a custom game. The
           | answer is here, in case anyone else is curious:
           | 
           | https://trenchbroom.github.io/manual/latest/#game_configurat.
           | ..
        
       | S3kshun8 wrote:
       | Since everyone and their grandma seems to be posting this today,
       | I made an account here just to showcase my Morrowind plugin for
       | Trenchbroom: https://github.com/magicaldave/Morrobroom
        
       | zactato wrote:
       | Back in the day (~1998) when I was doing Q1 map development I
       | used a tool called QuArk.
       | 
       | For laughs/nostalgia from this post I decided to Google the
       | editor, figuring that it would have been mostly lost to history.
       | 
       | NOPE! I was very wrong. There was a new release today.
       | 
       | The community around these games is really amazing.
        
         | hnthrowaway0328 wrote:
         | Yeah! Modern games are mostly unmoddable. We have to rely on
         | the good old games.
         | 
         | I still play Blood mods everyday. If you like the game I would
         | recommend the Eviction mod.
        
       ___________________________________________________________________
       (page generated 2024-02-28 23:02 UTC)