How to make Source movies (without slowdown & without fraps!)

[ZoFreX]

Preface: I know that there is already a pinned thread about this, but it recommends fraps... there really is no need, this method results in high quality, high framerate video, with no spending of money (or piracy) required!

Firstly, make sure you have console enabled (it's in the keyboard options, if you have a non-english keyboard you may need to remap the key).

Record a demo of whatever you want to make into a movie by typing:
record <demo_name>
into the console, where <demo_name> is whatever you want to call the video. When you've recorded all the footage you want, type in:
stop
To stop the recording. You now have a demo recorded on your computer, which you can playback at any time to enjoy... But we want a movie, not a demo!

Change your settings for video recording:
Set your resolution to 640x480 (unless you really want higher res videos than that). Put all settings to max, ramp up antialiasing, make it look pretty. Make sure sound is set to stereo, because that's all the output supports.

Now enter these 3 commands in quick succession into the console (I guess you could set up an alias if you really need to begin recording from the first frame of the demo):
host_framerate 30
playdemo <demo_name>
startmovie <demo_name>
The first command sets the fixed framerate of the video (30 is good, but you can set more for slow motion scenes etc.)

This part will take ages - first it will load up the demo, and then diskwrite it to tga files for frames, and a wav for sound. Bear in mind this will take up an extremely large amount of disk space, several gigs for a few minutes footage.

So now you have a lot of image files, and a wav file - one step closer to a video. Load up Rad Video Tools, and create a list file containing all the image files, and the wav. Save this list file, then select it in Rad and either choose "convert a file" to make an avi, or "bink it!" to make a bink file (like valve's :thumbs: ).

Further guides:
Cutting the demo:
Starting the movie recording and then the demo recording like I said will record from the start of the demo till the end - if you only want to record a segment, then start the demo rolling, and use this command to start recording:
startmovie <demo_name>
and this command to stop:
endmovie
You can make your life easier by binding these commands to keys beforehand, too.

Bink to EXE:
Once you have your *.bik file, you can make it into an *.exe file by selecting the bink file in RAD and clicking Advanced Play->Make EXE

Encoding Avi:
I reccomend using the Xvid codec for your avi files, if you install this then it will be available in the list of codecs when you start file conversion.

Compressed Audio:
I'm not sure if RAD compresses audio when you make an avi file, or what compression it uses if you do. For this reason I normally use RAD to convert the images to video (leaving the audio out of the list file), thus creating a silent avi. I then use Foobar (with LAME) to convert the wav file to an mp3. If you want an avi file as output then make sure the mp3 is CBR (128kbps should be fine for these purposes). I then use AVIMux-GUI to combine the video and audio into one file (note: not reencoding, just merging them together, technical term: muxing). Just drag the video and audio into the top pane, highlight the video and click "generate data source from files" enter a title and click "start". You can fiddle with more advanced stuff in the settings.

Links to tools:
Rad Video Tools
Xvid Binaries
Foobar 2000
LAME binaries
AviMux-GUI

Any feedback would be appreciated, I can add more depth to this if you want / need it!

Edit: Added cutting demo guide, thanks Dekstar

 

[Murray]

Very good thread.
Req. to make this sticky.
Better than that damn FRAPS.

 

[Unfocused]

There was no need to write all this. There was already a thread how to make movies without using FRAPS, or there was a link in one of the threads, to a page xplaining this.

 

[Fragalishus]

not only that, but alot of people would run out of disk space doing it that way. and ive seen that before so you probably just copied and pasted it without giving credit.

you dont startmovie before you load the demo. you only capture the scenes you want, not the whole thing. wow.

 

[ZoFreX]

For the record, I actually typed that all out myself. And no thread is made about this, it's only mentioned in other threads. I just got tired of seeing that guide to using Fraps stickied - who is going to scroll through all 5 pages to see the other method? Hell, there are people on the last page still using the Fraps method. It's nice for people to know that there is an easy, free, and relatively simple method to create professional recordings. In addition, no one else has even looked at audio compression, which is a good way to knock another 20% of the file size.

Also, with regards to recording the whole demo or not, it's my preference to cut the recording afterwards... each to their own.

 

[Fragalishus]

who? people who want to make cs movies is who. that's why it's stickied. if you can't be bothered to read through a sticky, you don't deserve any help.

and recommending bink is a good way to make sure less people watch your movie. there are alot of people who absolutely will not launch an .exe from people they don't know, and im one of them. should make it an .avi or .wmv to ease people's mind if nothing else.

i know you're only trying to help, but if people really want help they go to csflicks.net, or ownage.com where there are lots of tutorials on movie making.

 

[Exclamatio]

excellent write up man

this should be stickied tbh

its the same method i use on tfc movies

takes time but well worth it for the quality

 

[Dekstar]

Nicely written ZoFreX. I'll be sure to do this when I free up enough HD space to make my movie.
Have you looked into how you could stop the movie halfway through, if you were making a frag movie and didn't want the whole thing? stopmovie?
I would like to see this stickied, just so people don't revert to using illegal methods that look shite.

 

[Fragalishus]

which part of "there's already a sticky for cs:s movies" is not getting through? lol

and the same info is in that thread, only more detailed, imho. on page 3 and 4 there are 2 different posts saying the exact same thing.

in other words, there's already a sticky for cs:s movies.

 

[Dekstar]

which part of "there's already a sticky for cs:s movies" is not getting through? lol

and the same info is in that thread, only more detailed, imho. on page 3 and 4 there are 2 different posts saying the exact same thing.

in other words, there's already a sticky for cs:s movies.

Except that most people would just read through that there's FRAPS to be used, and not go on to the later pages.
You've made your point, now GFTO.
Kthxbai.

 

[Exclamatio]

which part of "there's already a sticky for cs:s movies" is not getting through? lol

and the same info is in that thread, only more detailed, imho. on page 3 and 4 there are 2 different posts saying the exact same thing.

in other words, there's already a sticky for cs:s movies.

people are lazy they cba looking through 3 or 4 pages to find something


if its a sticky it should be in the 1st post

idiot

 

[slinter]

Grrrrrwroaaaaaaaaaaaar

 

[slinter]

/me summons a frog to fight Dekstar

 

[Fragalishus]

people are lazy they cba looking through 3 or 4 pages to find something


if its a sticky it should be in the 1st post

idiot

so they wanna make a movie, but they're too lazy to read through a sticky?

and that makes me the idiot?

gg.

im gonna go argue with a brick wall now. at least the brick wall has a chance of winning, unlike some of you.

 

[Qonfused]

so they wanna make a movie, but they're too lazy to read through a sticky?

and that makes me the idiot?

gg.

im gonna go argue with a brick wall now. at least the brick wall has a chance of winning, unlike some of you.

Winning? Winning an arguement? Over the internet?

...

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

You, sir, have just won the Idiot of the Day award.

On a serious note, this guy wrote all this down for the convenience of everyone else and you sit there and try to bash him? ... No comment to that fact.