DarkRadiant Video Tutorials

On this page you will find video tutorials for DarkRadiant, ordered by creator and date. Remember that the older the video's the higher the chance some things have changed in current DarkRadiant/TDM

NeonsStyle

DarkRadiant tutorial

(May 2020)

This is a tutorial teaching you how to get started in mapping Single Player Story Missions for the Dark Mod.

Tutorial video

Springheel

Building Traps

(August 2018)

Up to now the following trap types have been realised:

Video tutorial	Summary	Length of tutorial	Forum thread
Video	Pressure plate traps	16 minutes
Video	Spring loaded blade trap	8 minutes
Video	Repeating flame trap	21 minutes
-	Tripwire with crossbow (by Sota)

You can find the video playlist here.

New Mappers Workshop

(June - Augustus 2017)

Introducing newbie mappers into building levels (maps) for TDM fan missions.

Video tutorial	Subject	Summary	Length of tutorial
Lesson 1	Planning	Setting limits, regions and rooms, objectives, number of rooms, secrets	13 minutes
Lesson 2	Visportals	r_showtris, r_showprimitives, r_showportals, open and closed visportals, using corners and choke points,	12 minutes
Lesson 3	Setting up Dark Radiant, building basics	Start mapping a room, Hollow and Room tools, Dealing with Leaks	32 minutes
Lesson 4	Decorating rooms	Creating an ambient_world light, adjusting sealing geometry, shifting and scaling textures, adjusting module walls, decorating rooms, adding light entities	53 minutes
Lesson 5	Connecting rooms	Creating your own prefabs, adding hallways, using layers, using the clipper tool to cut doorways, creating brush trim, copy/paste shader tool	57 minutes
Lesson 6	Outdoor "rooms"	Using patches to create uneven ground, Adding a skybox	17 minutes
Lesson 7	Doors	Prefab doors, rotate values, model doors, brush doors, adding handles, locking doors, lockpick settings, changing sounds, sliding doors	21 minutes
Lesson 8	Functional props	Movable entities, player tools, loot, chests, readables, levers/switches	26 minutes
Lesson 9	Immersive details	Sounds: Soundtracks, ambient noises, triggered sounds Particle effects: Steam/smoke, splashes	20 minutes
Lesson 10	Advanced brushwork	Vert mode, climbable surfaces, water	18 minutes
Lesson 11	AI	Types of AI, stationary guards, patrolling guards, monster_clip, random destinations, random interesting things, sitting/sleeping, idle_only and alert_idle_only, AI and objects/doors	47 minutes

You can find the whole playlist here or here.

Springheel's Speed Build Challenge

(April 2017)

A step-by-step Let's Build, attempting to use modules and prefabs to build a mission in under 4 hours.

Video tutorial	Length of tutorial
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 1	43 minutes
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 2	28 minutes
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 3	38 minutes
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 4	52 minutes
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 5	42 minutes
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 6	47 minutes
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 7	48 minutes
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 8	48 minutes
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 9	28 minutes
Springheel's Speed Build Challenge - Part 10	24 minutes

You can find the whole playlist here or here.

An overview of all the additions concerning the architecture building modules, and their possibilities, can be read here (click to enlarge if the image is too small).

Springheel's Modules

(February - March 2017)

Tutorials on building with the new modular sets of prefabs and scenery in TDM.

Video tutorial	Summary	Length of tutorial
Springheel's Modules 1	Introduction	11 minutes
Springheel's Modules 2	A simple street	27 minutes
Springheel's Modules 3	Thieves' Highway	28 minutes
Springheel's Modules 4	Street details	34 minutes
Springheel's Modules 5	Improving performance	11 minutes

You can find the whole playlist here or here.

Sotha

"Let's Map TDM !" tutorials

(Februari - March 2017)

Video tutorial	Summary	Length of tutorial
Let's Map TDM! Part 1	Introduction	5 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 2	Modules	28 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 3	Basic Geometry	30 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 4	Basic Backyard	24 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 5	Interior Details	1 hour 4 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 6	Backyard Details	12 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 7	Lights	40 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 8	Monsterclip & AI	1 hour 7 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 9	Objectives & Readables	37 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 10	Sounds	1 hour 10 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 11	Finishing Touches	34 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 12	Briefing & Packaging	11 minutes
Let's Map TDM! Part 13	Betatest Fixes	18 minutes

You can find the whole playlist here.

Nico Autia

Building Missions for TDM

(March - April 2016)

Video tutorial	Subject	Summary	Length of tutorial
Part 1	The First Room	Creating a brush, working with the grid, resizing a brush, make a room, texturing, Ambient light, adding a player start	8 minutes
Part 2	Adding More Rooms	Adding doors by using prefabs, vertex editing mode, cutting brushes along lines (Clipper mode), building corridors, using the 3D view, creating entity light	13 minutes
Part 3	Basic Gameplay Elements	Inventory of the player, locking doors, bind objects to an AI, creating patrol routes, adding loot, mission objectives	13 minutes
Part 4	Sounds, Water and Sky	ambient sounds, creating a pool for swimmable water, hiding objects from view, making swimmable water, filtering out textures, sky	13 minutes
Part 5	Troubleshooting	Leaks, how to find leaks, outlook	4 minutes

You can find the whole playlist here

Obsttorte

Let's Map TDM video series

(April - Juli 2014)

The first three of these videos are in German with English subtitles, but they are in English after that.

Video tutorial	Summary	Length of tutorial
Let's Map TDM 1		55 minutes
Let's Map TDM 2		1 hour 5 minutes
Let's Map TDM 3	Create a numberwheel lock using a short and simple script	1 hour 18 minutes
Let's Map TDM 4	Material files	1 hour 8 minutes
Let's Map TDM 5	Making custom arrows	1 hour 12 minutes
Let's Map TDM 6	Finishing up blunt arrow, talking about particles, some confusion..	1 hour 2 minutes
Let's Map TDM 7	Explain how to proceed, build staircase, think about higher floor of administrative building where player starts	1 hour 23 minutes
Let's Map TDM 8	continuing working on upper level of administrative building, a lot of patchwork	1 hour 22 minutes
Let's Map TDM 9	Performance, visportals etc.	58 minutes
Let's Map TDM 10	Setup a custom light source, writing entity definitions, adjusting existing particles	1 hour 32 minutes
Let's Map TDM 11	Create custom loot items, both static and moveable	54 minutes

You can find the whole playlist here or here.

KomagB

Komag Tutorial

(April - June 2012)

Slightly older video tutorials by Komag. As these are basic tutorials, the fundamentals described in them have not changed. You can use them to learn quickly about visportals and the like...

Video tutorial	Summary	Length of tutorial
Part 1	Install TDM	14 minutes
Part 2	Install Dark Radiant	10 minutes
Part 3	Your First Two Rooms	25 minutes
Part 4	Visportals	15 minutes
Part 5	Ceiling Arches	7 minutes

You can find the whole playlist here.

mh444

Designing brush-work

(March 2012)

Topic: How to build a cylindrical tower with a conical roof. It's going to be hollow on the inside and the inside of the tower is going to seal against the outside of the tower. (quote taken from first video)

Video tutorial	Length of tutorial
Dark Radiant tutorial 1 - part 1	13 minutes
Dark Radiant tutorial 1 - part 2	11 minutes
Dark Radiant tutorial 1 - part 3	8 minutes

b1k3rdude

Several DarkRadiant tutorials

(Unclear date)

Steam Engine
General Techniques