The 3D and 2D Views

Before you can begin creating and placing solids and entities, you need to familiarize yourself with the editor's interface. By default, your working area is divided into 4 sections. The first (top, left) window is the 3D View, and the rest are the 2D views.

The 3D View
The 3D window is a dynamic 3D space where you can view your level from any angle. This is critical for checking textures and texture alignment, spotting leaks and just getting a sense of what your finished level will look like.

Using Cameras
To take advantage of the 3D view, you need to be able to place cameras. Cameras determine your vantage point(s). Hammer provides you with precise control over the camera movements in your map.

A camera in Hammer (as displayed in the 2D views) consists of two parts: the eye, and the viewing angle, which is represented by a line extending out from the eye. The length of the line that represents the viewing angle is not important, though it can help you aim the camera exactly at an object.

While it is possible to move a single camera all over the map each time you need to look at something new in the 3D window, it is more convenient to have easy access to multiple cameras placed throughout the map. Hammer allows you to easily cycle through multiple cameras by pressing PageUp and PageDown.

Camera Placement
Placing cameras in Hammer is extremely simple. First, switch to Camera mode by pressing Shift+C, then hold Shift and with the left mouse button, click-drag a line in one of the 2D views. This will create a thin red line with a large dot at one end. The dot is the camera's position, and this is where the 3D camera view will originate. The red line is the camera's viewing angle. You can adjust either end of the line to change the view. Follow the above steps to create as many cameras in your level as you need.

Note: There are a number of options available to you when using multiple cameras. You must have the Camera tool selected to take advantage of these:

PageUp: cycle up to the next camera position
PageDn: cycle down to the last camera position
Delete: delete the current camera position
Shift: hold shift and click-drag with the left mouse button to create a new camera.

Tip: While in camera mode, you can adjust the camera position by moving the eye or viewing angle in any of the 2d windows.

Mouselook/NoClip Style Movement
Version 2.1 of Hammer introduced a new style of 3D View movement called mouselook movement. It is designed to be the same as when you are in the game and walking around with +mlook (mouselook) and the NoClip cheat both turned on. It can be enabled or disabled by pressing (lowercase) z.

Moving your mouse around will change the player's direction of focus, while W and S control forward and backward movement, and A and D control sided to side (left and right strafing) movement.

The old style keyboard shortcuts (listed below) still work. You can disable this new movement style by going into the 3D View options and disabling use mouselook navigation.

Keyboard Shortcuts
There are a number of keyboard shortcuts that you can use to quickly maneuver through the 3D view without switching to the Camera tool.

While holding the spacebar:

• holding the left mouse button allows you to rotate your angle of view in any direction, while the viewing point remains stationary.
  

• holding the right mouse button will allow you to move left, right, up, and down while keeping the viewing angle constant.
  
• holding the left and right buttons and moving the mouse causes the view to strafe forward, backward, right, and left. (note that this makes the following behavior redundant).

While holding the spacebar and Shift:

• the left mouse button acts the same as above.
  

• the right mouse button allows you to move forward and backward, as well as from side to side.