Source Filmmaker is a tool for animating, editing and rendering 3D animated videos using assets from games which use the Source platform, including sounds, models and backdrops. Source Filmmaker also allows the creation of still images, art and posters. SFM gives the user a "Work Camera" that enables them to preview their work without altering the scene cameras. It also uses three main user interfaces for making films with:
The Clip Editor is used for recording, editing and arranging shots, which can contain recorded gameplay and user-placed assets. The Clip Editor also allows the user to place and arrange sound files and video filters.
The Motion Editor is used for motion adjustments over time, such as blending two animations together. Motion presets can also be applied onto selected motion paths.
SFM allows users to record and edit motion from gameplay or scratch, as well as record a character many times over in the same scene, creating the illusion of multiple entities. SFM can support a wide range of cinematographic effects and techniques such as motion blur, Tyndall effects, Dynamic Lighting, and depth of field. SFM also applies motion blur per-object. It also allows manual animation of bones and facial features, allowing the user to create movements that don't occur in-game.
Production and updates
Pre-release
SFM was developed internally at Valve from as early as 2005, forked from the Source engine's in-game demo playback tool and used to make trailers with experimental effects that could not be achieved in real-time. The tool's full potential was finally realized with the release of The Orange Box, particularly with the Meet the Team featurettes for Team Fortress 2. This version of SFM, which ran using Source's in-game tools framework, was inadvertently leaked during the public beta of TF2in September 2007. By 2010, the entire interface was re-implemented using Qt 4, and given its own engine branch for further development. Before the SFM's official release to the public, Team Fortress 2 carried a simplified version of the tool called the Replay Editor; it is limited to capturing the actual events occurring over the course of a player's life with no ability to modify actions, repeat segments, nor apply special effects beyond those already used in-game. However, arbitrary camera angles are possible, like tracking the actions of other players in action at the time. Replay incorporates the ability to upload completed videos to YouTube.
Beta versions
On June 27, 2012, the same day as the final Meet the Team video, "Meet the Pyro", was released, Source Filmmaker became available on a limited-basis through the Steam network. It has been in open beta for Windows as of 2012. On April 1, 2013, Valve announced that the Steam Workshop now includes a section for Source Filmmaker assets. People in the community can make their own sounds, models, and more. The majority of these items consist of video game models.
