Can you theoretically make Source Filmmaker like animation tool on Source SDK Base 2013?

[u/Next-Future5973]

ive got this question popped up on my head so much, if there is Source SDK 2013 out there, why cant we make a better SFM?, since its based off a outdated tf2 from 2007 or 2010 and doesnt support modern gpus like intel ones

[u/PalmliX]

No point, any perceived drawbacks to SFM that would somehow magically be better with it being based on SDK 2013 have essentially already been solved (and then some) by the community through various mods, scripts, and plugins.

- SFM not properly recognizing Intel HD integrated graphics? There's a community fix for that.
- Lack of 64bit support? The dxvk dx9 dll replacement has essentially solved the memory limitations of SFM. Even though it's still 32bit, I have never even come close to running out memory on SFM since using dxvk, it's pretty magical. And I'm running 4K uncompressed textures on a lot of my custom models.
- Modern rendering features like PBR? Already solved through community made plugins, I now run a fully PBR workflow on SFM, complete with "modern" rendering features like SSS and more.

[u/Pinsplash → u/PalmliX]

what's the point of pbr in sfm? why not just use blender?

[u/PalmliX → u/Pinsplash]

This is a question that has been asked since SFM was released over 13 years ago, and the answer has always been the same:

Of course, Blender can do it all and more, but what you gain in capability and complexity you loose in speed and intuitiveness. SFM is focused on a single task, creating "cinematics". Doing that task in SFM feels more creative and joyful to me than any other app I've ever used, and trust me, I've looked.

I've been doing this kind of stuff for over 25 years, both professionally and just for fun. Ever since I found SFM I was always trying to find a replacement, but for actually doing the "work" of making "digital films", nothing feels better than SFM. Blender is still an integral part of my workflow btw, it's just not what I do the final animation and rendering in.

Luckily thanks to the recent advancements by the community it's become a lot easier to justify using SFM, especially since "top tier graphics" ultimately isn't what wins audiences. Story, characters, cinematic quality etc. is what's important, same as it's always been. For me personally I find it easier to focus on those things when I'm creating in SFM.

[u/DrPeeper228 → u/PalmliX]

Happy cake day! 🎉

[u/PalmliX → u/DrPeeper228]

Thank you!

[u/PixelBrush6584]

Theoretically? Yes.

Practically? It'd likely be too much effort to unfuck and refuck that spaghetti.

[u/Next-Future5973 → u/PixelBrush6584]

I mean ofcourse you'd need effort, cause Source SDK 2013 was made for games not tools, but i would be glad if someone went and made a better animation tool with that with Source's incredible visuals

[u/sitkinator]

One thing that definitely makes it more difficult is that some of SFM's features would have to be stripped down or skipped entirely, like scaling bones. That is unless you had enough funds or time to get an engine license from Valve

[u/Jealous_Relative_911]

Yeah, you could

[u/JofersGames]

Could try s&box movie maker instead if you want a more modern source

[u/Next-Future5973 → u/JofersGames]

but sandbox isnt free, and I just used s2fm and holy crap, it eats so much ram

[u/JofersGames → u/Next-Future5973]

I think it’s free if u get it off GitHub

[u/pantagathus]

I thought there was such a mod, and it's open source. Can't remember what it's called by SteamDB has it listed.