So what exactly does it do?

[Dmitriy]

What does this custom config feature allows us to do?

[Wazanator]

It allows you to setup a custom configuration of hammer that will let you mount most source 2007/2009/2013 game content without having to copy paste files as well as fgds.

For example if you wanted to map for garrysmod and have CSS, DoD, HL2 and Garrys mod content show up in hammer you would select those 4 from the content side and then on the fgd side you would choose base, halflife2, and garrysmod. Then you just setup where you want the default save location of your vmfs, where compiled bsps should go and the game executable folder and the executable itself.

Then just click save and choose customConfig from the drop down list and run hammer.

[Dmitriy]

I assume I can do the same by editing gameinfo.txt file for the game I'm making map for, isn't it?
I already always edit gameinfo.txt to add my projects' paths.

But anyway, how can you ship your map then when you have a lot of custom content used in it? E.g. if I make a map for Nuclear Dawn and use HL2's assets, then I give this map to someone else, he will have purple textures and ERROR models.

[Wazanator]

Correct on both, you will still need to pack the texture, model, etc into the map for the time being.

The custom config option is mainly meant to help those out who do not know how to properly use gameinfo.txt or set up hammer for mods or games that don't have a default hammer setup (such as gmod).

Custom config probably wouldn't even help you in this case since I have it working off of sdk 2013 (Nuclear Dawn is on a modified ASW branch iirc which means models won't even load up in 2013 hammer).

[Dmitriy]

Nuclear Dawn is built on Left 4 Dead 2's engine branch afaik.

So this custom config is mostly meant for Garry's Mod mapping, am I right?

[Wazanator]

Originally posted by DIMEDROLL:

Nuclear Dawn is built on Left 4 Dead 2's engine branch afaik.

So this custom config is mostly meant for Garry's Mod mapping, am I right?

Not necessarily, I have a side project I work on from time to time that uses both CSS and my own content so I use custom Config for that along with my own fgd.

But yes it's mainly meant for Garry's Mod and Source mods in general.