Sorry, I can't do that for you. I don't look at other people's files... otherwise I'd be having a ton of people sending me stuff.

I think this is the best free one: http://camstudio.org/

Although if you really want good video recording software, I would recommend camtasia.

Figuring out tri-count: Select only your model and it will tell you the tricount at the top right.

As for sculpting... I don't sculpt myself, however I know it's possible to sculpt in blender. There are probably a few tutorials out there for how to sculpt, but the basic process is the following:

Start by creating a low poly version of your model (the one that will be in-game) > unwrap the model and save the low poly model+uv unwrap file > Next, create a high definition version by sculpting (e.g. this version should be hundreds of thousands of polys) > Use the high definition version to bake detailed AO bakes, normal maps, point light maps, and other detail masks > Bring your high definition textures into photoshop and begin coloring them (because most of the detail was done in the sculpt, the texturing should be very quick!) > Import your final texture onto the low poly version of your model > By generating a good normal map from your high poly model, you'll be able to "fake" detail via shadowing in the game engine.

This is how most good looking dota models are made (low poly > high poly > baking > texturing > low poly). You never actually use the sculpt to compile since you'll be generating thousands of polygons.

I think this video should be good to watch (I didn't make it):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTOBCp2k1R8

Also, this video should be good too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApzVWuPa4A4

As I've said... excellent work! Best of luck to you. I really like how it looks in-game.

I've never had that issue before! :(

I'm not sure what is happening. Maybe you could try using the source SDK to test your model? It obviously won't be in-game, but at least if it works in the SDK you know something is wrong with the itemtest map... If you need help setting up the SDK to view your model, use this guide on fixing the SDK: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=157717488

Hm... I'm not sure what could be going wrong. Is it giving you any errors? Try verifying the integrity of the game cache.[dl.dropboxusercontent.com]

Try starting from a fresh scene. You might be getting weird results because you imported the medic after importing other classes (blender will merge bones by default). Fresh scene > import the medic model > import your hat > assign the bip_head bone to your hat > export > compile.

By user Dr. Shenanigans:

Originally posted by Dr. Shenanigans:

I was recommended to ask support here for a little problem I have in regards to decompiling.

in mdldecomplier, I try to decompile my model and it loads the model, but it's unable to load the vertex data, and just quits.

studiocompiler on the other hand, just freezes when it gets to mdldecompiler_expressions.vta

OK Shenanigans, there are a few things that could be going wrong with the decompilation. First of all, you are aware that the folder structure of most valve games were changed with the implementation of the steampipe system, right? This means that you will need to fix your SDK in order to properly tell the decompiler where to look. That is explained in this guide: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=157717488

Next, make sure that your decompiler is placed in the correct folder (should be located in the same folder as the studiomdl.exe file is which is generally your \username\sourcesdk\bin\ep1\bin\ folder). If you are using the fixed version of the decompiler, you will not need to hex your model. However, if you are using the regular MDLDecompiler program, you will need to open the extracted .mdl file with notepad++ and change "IDST0" to "IDST," in order to decompile.

If all else fails, you can always find the already decompiled tf2 models in your \username\sourcesdk_content\tf\modelsrc\player\ folder.

It's definitely an issue with your rig. Are you sure you are applying the hat model to the medic's bip_head bone? Decompile the medic model and use HIS bones-- not the bones of another class.

Once you compile your model, you'll be able to see it in the preview. If you want to test it in-game, use the itemtest map: http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Itemtest