sfm tutorial: getting started

after self-animating for at least 5 years i have finally decided to make a sfm tutorial series so that you guys can animate like me.
Consider subscribing its free and easy: www.youtube.co...
twitter: / scottmac041
Sfm launch options I use:
-nop4, -num_edicts 8192 -r_hunkalloclightmaps 0 -insecure
detailed description of each launch option
developer.valv...
music used:
team fortress 2 -dapper cadaver
lakey inspired-better days
lakey inspired-chill day
DJ Quads- Blushes

[@cheezit2989]

the day has come where I am using a scott tutorial for SFM

[@amineskafandri95]

same :)

[@Unclejohnfromaustralia]

Dude i like your tutorials. I could listen to your accent for hours, and heck, I already have! Thanks for dumbing it down for guys like me, I have a hard time working with numbers, and maths scares the shit out of me

[@MrFreddyFazbear1934]

i've been trying to find a tutorial that doesnt use such high intelligent words and i finally found one this one

[@branket76]

0:00 - intro 4:59 - installation 2:38 - setup map 3:27 - ui

[@WeAreWastingUrTime]

godsend

[@ZOMBiFOX13]

If you guys are having issues with the screen flickering, in sfm click on windows then go to engine window, click it and then click on auto hide engine window. This should stop the flickering

[@xestrix420]

thanks so much it was annoying lol

[@AleksMysz]

Great tutorial pal. Definetly waiting for more

[@elianimations4569]

I get a weird liminal space fear from watching the animaniacs guy

[@Scottmac04vid]

"I fear no man. but that thing...it scares me"

[@TheUltimateChad420]

Great tutorial but I have a question. Could you make a video of how to setup the windows like the camera and timeline and how to make then stay because whenever I minimize the tab for a second and go back in they are all gone.

[@Scottmac04vid]

Could you elaborate more on your problem

[@TheUltimateChad420]

@@Scottmac04vid So basically when you load sfm up you see all the windows like the camera to view the map the timeline and everything well when I load it up nothing is there just none of those windows open so I was hoping that you could show how to setup those.

[@Scottmac04vid]

@@TheUltimateChad420 my first guess is that you may have accidentally removed the windows by clicking the "x" at the top right of the different windows. to fix this go to the window tab on the top right and click on it and select "primary view port" and drag it to the center box and do the same with any of the other windows

[@TheUltimateChad420]

@@Scottmac04vid Thanks for the help

[@JPipp55]

I also had this problem thx

[@lucaZER0]

0 requests for this tutorial and we got it after all these years :D

[@MoWGhost]

bro i want to immediately be able to make a 20 min and I don't want it to take longer than an hour

[@eliconley7331]

Animation is not for you lol.

[@jasonjean5333]

He's just like me

[@MoonlitTheft]

Thank you so much for an easy to follow tutorial! I seem to have run into a small problem that I wonder if you happen to know the answer to! I followed all the steps ( repeatedly, haha ) and then got to the bookmark section. Now, I get the dots that show that the bookmark has been placed, go further down the timeline, make another bookmark, change the camera point -- only for the first bookmark to ALSO have shifted to this. Kind of like it only LOOKS like a bookmark has been placed, but none are ACTUALLY there. I hope this was a clear explanation? I really hope either you, or another viewer, happens to know how to actually make the bookmark properly function as a bookmark, and not only look like one!

[@Scottmac04vid]

have you made sure you are properly selecting the camera's transform

[@MoonlitTheft]

Thank you for the response! I can move the camera just fine. The bookmark just doesn't want to 'bookmark' where the camera was at at the time. Example: the camera is aimed at the left of the box, I make a bookmark of this. I make another bookmark a bit further in the timeline and then move the camera right. But then I go back and it's also right on the first bookmark, like I never put a bookmark there to begin with.

[@kagecraft1301]

@@MoonlitTheft I have the same problem

[@vSickx]

@@kagecraft1301 me as well ahha

[@ThinkPlum-ok]

(Update: Fixed) I have an issue with SFM. Basically, whenever I try to move the camera in any way, a black static effect will appear and cover the entire screen, disappearing and reappearing constantly. Its very annoying, and prevents me from using SFM correctly. Any solutions?

[@Scottmac04vid]

I vaguely remember having this issue once before although I can't remember how to fix it. Try verifying your source filmmaker files

[@ThinkPlum-ok]

@@Scottmac04vid Thanks, I'll try that

[@im_kinda_mid4887]

I have the same issue

[@HomebrewForever]

go to windows and select engine window and turn off auto hide engine windows. if something shows up then you should no longer have this problem

[@MeYou-dg2lw]

hey how did you fix the issue cuz i verivied my files and it still didnt work

[@kalkulatorlul]

thank you very much, now i know how to make a microwave edit of a tf2 demoman👍

[@zeffdakilla]

i'm having a problem adding a bookmark at 6:38, i did exactly as you said, pressed the button and tried pressing m but it does absolutely nothing! :-(

[@Scottmac04vid]

do you have the track selected

[@zeffdakilla]

@@Scottmac04vid i ended up figuring it out!! I didn't have the camera selected :p

[@mayonnaise710]

I dont understand why but i have a problem as in sfm at 6:42 my camera wont move and it is in graph so any solutions

[@mayonnaise710]

Never mind i figured it out

[@NakedHillbilly]

Can you please tell what you did?

[@DurangoHamron]

yeah im having the same issue can you help

[@astrophotography7026]

Holy shit you explain so good! maybe knowing sfm wont be so hard as blender?

[@dnajlwosqkdasjczdbkahdwcs]

Haha...

[@UrboiG14]

Why is my video tweaking out 😭 when I watch what I made it keeps flashing on and off

[@jeminec_alt]

i need help whenever i turn on sfm i just see a blank canvas and why try to change the map nothing happens

[@justCasualNerd]

At least i now know how to load map I would search for it for hours

[@luisprieto850]

Thank you

[@ZipZeroYT]

6:43 whenever i do this, it just moves the first camera as well as the second one, so it doesn't actually make the movement, it just changes the view

[@Ameerahmad-kz9ig]

i accidently closed everything and im left with a black screen in sfm and I don't know what to do, can you guys please help me and figure out how to open the things back?

[@rayhemyt]

Yeah dude I accidentally did the same thing how do I fix it

[@HeavyGaming-2007]

Thank you I'm trying to make sfm's on a new channel I'm trying to make popular

[@S.TPlayer]

Thanks for the tutarial

[@_alternianIdiot]

when i try to load stage.bsp, it shows me a black screen and tells me i have"" at the top by the name of the session. i'm also stuck in work camera mode. anyone know what's up?

[@therealaquariuss]

did you get the 1500k subs

[@ETFVr]

Every time I play the video in sim it keeps flickering

[@PaulStairwell]

How do i reset camera rotation. I have ocd and the slightest tilt puzzles me

[@Terraw77]

it keeps flickering a black static

[@detroit_edits]

for some reason it never lets me move my models :/

[@Scottmac04vid]

are in the motion editor or the graph editor when moving

[@Kizumah]

why cant i use delete or move my camera

[@HomerSimpsonGamin]

bro for some reason when i use the smile bar i drag it up and it resets back to its normal spot please help

[@Skee-All]

I'm waiting for my sfm to finish downloading while typing this I am in pure terror

[@Scottmac04vid]

how so?

[@DarthIsaac311]

he never came back

[@boogiexman8654]

this was actually very helpful

[@Piglinplays]

Bro when I spawn a map it’s a black screen I can’t animate

[@Scottmac04vid]

It is most likely the camera is out of bounds with the map. The darkness may be the void of the map

[@teachingcousin1]

is that okay if i have gmod instead of tf2

[@AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH]

From what I heard, gmod videos are more like stop motion.

[@Herr.Blekki]

Yes look up: gmod animation tutorials

[@finshaqo1692]

YOU HAVE UNO

[@Xeno7001]

What do you mean good? Good. Sfm. Tf2 are diffrent program. Sfm is made for making tf2 movies but it doesnt need to. It has a lot of stuff from other valve games like Good as well as free dlc packs of half life 1 and 2 blackmesa left4dead etc. And workshop. And you can also"animste" in gmod the game which is not sfm But its like trying to make a house using a rock...

[@KhakiHere]

I can't make soldier's rocket launcher explosion effect on walls

[@ItzRandom78]

i have a problem i accidentally deleted my session and now i dont know how to add one on my screen i cant see it and idk know how to fix it

[@Scottmac04vid]

go to the top right and click "file" then new. there you will be able to create another session

[@tf2_fan58]

I have an issue when I want to load the map there is no bsp files only white screen in the place where i should find maps

[@Scottmac04vid]

As in the menu itself isn't loading or the maps are. If it's the latter make sure check subfolder option is enabled otherwise I'd suggest reinstalling sfm

[@physics5617]

why when i try to use the camera the camera starts to flicker

[@Scottmac04vid]

i have never experienced this problem although it seems to be a graphics issue or perhaps the map you are using is broken. please elaborate on your problem

[@JVidz4]

same

[@sweetlombaxgirl]

I need some help because my SFM keeps closing the window for no reason :(

[@FAJ699]

i know this vid is old but please help me i cant get my cam to lock like 5:44 it just uses the same cam for all clips

[@dave2171]

6:03 why this isnt happening. it does split up but they still connected and camera movement didnt work

[@Scottmac04vid]

are you sure you selected the whole track then split the track then selected one of the split tracks then move the camera

[@nop5049]

@@Scottmac04vidI’m not him but I have the same issue and yes I did select and move the camera

[@thebaconarmy3690]

the one where you make the sfm sience doeunt work for me i tryed multiple times and it didint work and i did the stepd perfectly cuz i did it so many times do you know how to fix it?

[@Scottmac04vid]

could you rephrase the sentence

[@thebaconarmy3690]

@@Scottmac04vidok so when you left click the bar and move it and then move the camera right and press the key b and then you made a scene but I didint work for me and I tried a lot of times is that better and understandable?

[@Scottmac04vid]

@@thebaconarmy3690 have you properly selected the scene

[@Fexeliety]

can someone help me i accidentally pressed something on the timeline and now when i load up the timeline its all janky and out of place like its its own tab

[@Scottmac04vid]

try dragging the tab back into its place at the middle of the bottom row

[@Fexeliety]

@@Scottmac04vid i tried that but it doesnt work, its really hard to animate now.

[@gojirafan19545]

can I ask you a question?

[@Usualrocketjumpingmaniac]

he didnt replyed ):

[@spingussplongus]

how do i make it so that before one of the characters move they dont build up to it

[@Scottmac04vid]

you need to use the stepped key function in the graph editor

[@spingussplongus]

@ im so surprised that you actually responded to my comment tho this video is quite old, but thank you i was struggling with it

[@ronaldtherabbit3065]

I tried moving the camera but it didn't work

[@radio69belgie]

do you have a tutorial for model animation for beginers

[@Viteesse]

Why it flickers when im trying to move the camera?

[@AnyGameAtAll]

Go to windows then engine windows and uncheck hide engine window

[@Kazimations_]

when i move my camera, why does it flicker to black all the time? its a bit annoying and always freaks me out

[@Bestkupiec052]

I'm have that to but I'm Type on KZbin How to Fix flickering screen in Source filmmaker And I'm Found Solution, do that to :D

[@N0RMAL_DUDE-JG]

This video showed me that I'm not good at anything

[@texti-animates-sometimes]

how did you open up sfm with no white line going through the camera

[@Scottmac04vid]

I have never heard of this issue. could you elaborate

[@texti-animates-sometimes]

@@Scottmac04vid I fixed the issue now, but before, when I opened sfm, it had a diagonal white line going through my camera screen, this was fixed by using a scene camera to look through and turning the bloomscale all the way down, then switching back to the main work camera.

[@MetalSonic-s7h]

What’s the name of the song at the outro? I checked the description but none of them played the outro song

[@Viltree]

How come i dont have timeline at the bottom of my screen, please help?

[@Scottmac04vid]

You most likely removed it by accident Click the window tab and select the timeline before dragging it into a desired position

[@Okie_Ukie]

so how do i move the model i spawned in

[@arloracc]

I still do not understand. Why are several cosmetics missing?

[@Scottmac04vid]

which cosmetics are we talking, sfm by default wont have any models from any updates past 2014. you can find model packs for various cosmetics in the sfm workshop

[@DARKAURA999.]

my 2% attention span was not able to follow this vid lol, glad it helped others tho

[@RenwarAram]

I'm new to SFM and I have trouble making guns shoot? Can you please tell me how to make guns shoot?

[@Scottmac04vid]

To make guns shoot you will need to add a muzzle flash particle and position it where the gun barrel is. Additionally you can add a light in time with the flash to make it more realistic

[@RenwarAram]

@@Scottmac04vid Thank but how can I make the Particle Reapet until a certain point?

[@Scottmac04vid]

@@RenwarAram unfortunately not...at least in sfm by default. i believe a muzzle flash for the sentry gun was made repeatable thanks to lazypurple but if you want multiple muzzle flashes you will have to add them as separate particles

[@RenwarAram]

@@Scottmac04vid Ok thanks this really helped me out!

[@Scottmac04vid]

@@RenwarAram with some particles like smoke can last forever. if a particle is repeatable then set its life time and time duration to be 99

[@Goober2564]

The part about the bookmarks isn't clear i'm not able to actually animate the camera as it just does nothing. help?

[@VeenterTerritory]

Sorry for being late to like, but do you have a solution to the camera blinking? Like when I move the camera it flickers like the lights in a horror movie.

[@endernight3147]

What PC are you using

[@Asherbird25]

i may or may not have accidently pressed the X on every one of the windows and have no idea what i need. I know how to bring them back but I dont know what i need open

[@Asherbird25]

nevermind i managed to fix it

[@OneHundredFiftyTwo]

instructions unclear, i opened a fucking 2008 version of tf2 LMAO

[@OneHundredFiftyTwo]

it crashed immediately when i tried to load up 2fort and there are no active servers

[@Scottmac04vid]

from the sounds of thing you have entered the game engine mode of source filmmaker. source is interesting in that it is capable of running the 2008 version of team fortress 2 for capturing in game data

[@OneHundredFiftyTwo]

@@Scottmac04vidi didn’t read this reply but i did find out what it was for myself and found that i just hit f11 lol

[@Monkex470]

I can’t even get the part we’re I get the map up

[@Cr1spyTech]

Right click and choose one

[@medicmanproductions]

where is the motion editor

[@Xeno7001]

Its the middle one

[@pumpkinon]

YOU GOT 2.613.4 HOURS ON SFM ????

[@Scottmac04vid]

3,640 as of now

[@pumpkinon]

@@Scottmac04vid jesus

[@GAMERANGER8]

For some reason when i try to move the camera and play it just stays in place

[@Scottmac04vid]

Did you move it while in the motion editor or the graph editor

[@Gritttttt]

i have a problem were the window at the start doesnt show up when i load into source film maker any idea why?

[@Generic60]

When I click load pop the bps pops up but it’s just blank and nothing in it

[@Scottmac04vid]

what like there are no maps in the map selection list

[@Generic60]

@@Scottmac04vid yeah but it got fixed when i opend sfm again it happens sometimes when i open it

[@reubenbellaney1271]

why is the camera flickering black?

[@mongus3471]

Since im on labtop, I cannot right click so I cant bring up a map. Is there a way to load one with touchpad only?

[@Scottmac04vid]

touchpads typically have functions which allow for right clicks. If not then im unsure how to solve this

[@lazurath1206]

I press m but the book mark isn't working for some reason

[@Scottmac04vid]

by isn't working you mean not appearing on the timeline

[@lazurath1206]

@@Scottmac04vid yeah it doesn't show any marking when I was doing the timeline part of ur tutorial

[@Scottmac04vid]

@@lazurath1206 have you tried clicking on the shot in question (the blue bit on the timeline) and then press m...if not try pressing the book mark icon that's to the right of the graph editor button

[@bemotivated324]

my camera doesnt move what do i do?

[@Scottmac04vid]

are you sure you are in the motion editor or graph editor

[@Theboykisser.]

i accidentaly closed a window of the sfm thing ,how do i open it back

[@Scottmac04vid]

go to the window tab on the top right and click on it and select "primary view port" and drag it to the centre box and do the same with any of the other windows

[@Theboykisser.]

@@Scottmac04vid thank you so much

[@valeriecunningham4173]

When I spawn a model into the game I cant find it, I am on Stage_Big Could you tell me how Iget to it?

[@Scottmac04vid]

one way that i can think of is to select the model and go into the motion editor to see where the move tools are being located. models will always spawn either at the centre of the map if no camera has been created or where ever a camera has been made

[@cyborgXcsun]

Okay so on the top where there is all of the controls on top of the actual animation box, i deleted the tabs and how do I get them back? I messed with the buttons on the top left like “tree” and now my entire screen is blank.. i’ll uninstall and find out

[@Scottmac04vid]

go to the window tab on the top right and click on it and select "primary view port" and drag it to the center box and do the same with any of the other windows

[@breakmeoffapiece8404]

@@Scottmac04vid thank you so much, i had this problem too!

[@DarkCrimson34]

can you help me even if i follow this its difficult

[@Scottmac04vid]

what is it that you are struggling with

[@DarkCrimson34]

i can't animate the parts go flying every where@@Scottmac04vid

[@ImpowmateR]

How many hours it takes to make i dont know Team Fortress 2 fighting scene that is about 2 minutes long?

[@Scottmac04vid]

@@ImpowmateR depends. Animation quality can be the difference for time. Highly detailed animation for something that is 2 mins may take weeks to make if done properly. Ultimately it is you who decides when the animation is "finished"

[@sfmbread563]

A problem i seem to be having is when i try to save it, it will say "Document was not saved because there was an error writing the file" do you know how to fix that by any chance?

[@Scottmac04vid]

make sure your file title doesn't contain any punctuation or symbols. only letters and numbers

[@sfmbread563]

@@Scottmac04vid alright, thanks

[@Ovixius]

2k hours on sfm no way!!11

[@UNNKN0WNBALE]

It shows nothing, only files and stuff at the top Any solutions?

[@-m-i-n-u-s-]

thnaks

[@Scarlet-studios]

my cam go keeps flickering

[@Scottmac04vid]

Could you elaborate on this "flickering"

[@poochyboi]

Do you think I can use daz3d models in SFM?

[@Scottmac04vid]

as long as it can be exported as a file type than blender could recognize then you could port it over to sfm so yes any model can go into sfm you just need to convert it to a MDL file

[@Tf2guy-b3l]

Uhhh i my did not work

[@rihardag]

My charatchters move AS slow AS frick

[@Scottmac04vid]

As in animation or what. Could you elaborate on your problem

[@JSedits589]

I click create at the start, and the whole screen is blank with no windows or anything. What the fuck.

[@mahad_daa]

please post another tutorial video pls pls pls

[@Scottmac04vid]

the follow-up can be found on my channel named "sfm tutorial: making a poster"

[@videosareavailable]

What do i do if I accidentally close primary viewpoint Edit im good now

[@Scottmac04vid]

to fix this go to the window tab on the top right and click on it and select "primary view port" and drag it to the center box and do the same with any of the other windows

[@Dankoscreator]

I accidentally deleted everything

[@Scottmac04vid]

as in windows?

[@Stratobloxxer]

I created a project and named it SFM guide but nothing happened, it just simply went blank. Any solutions?

[@DAVETHEBREADWIZARD]

Did you select a map?

[@Stratobloxxer]

@@DAVETHEBREADWIZARD Nah I’m just now realizing the mistake I made back then😭 Though, when I did choose a map, it was so slow it wouldn’t load

[@DAVETHEBREADWIZARD]

@@Stratobloxxer oh

[@samanthanewby5728]

thank do to that i made a simple wave animation

[@gibohnee]

5:48 i clicked everything blue nothing happened

[@carolahernandezb7641]

Why make sonme characters perfect and skibidi toilet no

[@loginman2000]

Dude kinda already sounds like Conker, why not try animating with him

[@dnajlwosqkdasjczdbkahdwcs]

I only have one map, afd_warehouse (which doesn't load half the time, and the other half just results in a black screen). Do I need to install TF2 or something, because if that's the case then that FUCKING sucks. Edit: Never mind, I clicked on 'BSP files' in the menu, and it's all good now. I'm not exactly an intellectual giant.

[@UnfunnyVance]

I tried pressing W, A, S, D but the screen wouldn't move in any direction. I can look around only. What do I do?

[@Scottmac04vid]

Are you holding down left click while pressing w a s d

[@UnfunnyVance]

@@Scottmac04vid I actually did now.

[@Fellowveshfan]

oh oohohohohohohoooohohohoho

[@Rubyks2010]

this told me nothing

[@Klayzz289]

Wdym

[@StickGuyYT]

Thanks for letting me know!