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Game profiles — called GameSetup entries internally — tell Crowbar where each individual game’s tools and configuration files are installed. Every major workflow in Crowbar depends on at least one configured profile: the Compile tab uses studiomdl.exe to build models, the View tab launches hlmv.exe to preview them, and the Pack tab calls vpk.exe to bundle content. Until at least one game profile is set up, these tabs cannot function correctly.

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What a Game Profile Contains

Each GameSetup entry stores the following fields:
FieldDescription
GameNameA human-readable display name for the profile (e.g. Left 4 Dead 2). Used in all drop-down selectors across Crowbar’s tabs.
GameEngineThe engine family the game uses. Either GoldSource or Source. Controls which file types and tool filters are shown in browse dialogs.
GamePathFileNameFull path to the game’s configuration file. For Source engine games this is gameinfo.txt; for GoldSource it is liblist.gam. Crowbar derives the game directory from the folder containing this file.
GameAppPathFileNamePath to the game’s own .exe (e.g. left4dead2.exe). Used when launching the game directly from Crowbar.
GameAppOptionsOptional command-line arguments appended when Crowbar launches the game executable. Leave blank if not needed.
CompilerPathFileNamePath to the model compiler. Required by the Compile tab.
ViewerPathFileNamePath to the Half-Life Model Viewer. Required by the View tab.
MappingToolPathFileNamePath to the Hammer map editor. Optional; used when opening the mapping tool from within Crowbar.
PackerPathFileNamePath to the VPK or GMA packer/unpacker tool. Required by the Pack and Unpack tabs. Only shown for Source engine profiles.
Game profiles are sorted alphabetically by game name in the drop-down lists. Each tab (Compile, View, Pack) maintains its own active profile selection independently — you can have Crowbar compile against one game while viewing models in another without changing either tab’s settings.

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Default Example Paths

When you create a new profile, Crowbar pre-fills all fields with Left 4 Dead 2 defaults as a starting reference. Replace these with the actual paths for your target game.
FileDefault example path
gameinfo.txtC:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\left4dead2\gameinfo.txt
left4dead2.exeC:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\left4dead2.exe
studiomdl.exeC:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\studiomdl.exe
hlmv.exeC:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\hlmv.exe
hammer.exeC:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\hammer.exe
vpk.exeC:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\vpk.exe

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Setting Up a Game Profile

1

Open the Set Up Games tab

Launch Crowbar. Click the Set Up Games tab — this is the first tab shown by default when Crowbar starts for the first time.
2

Add a new game entry

Click the Add button. A new entry named <New Game> is created and selected in the game profile drop-down at the top of the tab.
3

Set the Game Name

In the Game Name field, type a descriptive name for the profile, for example Left 4 Dead 2 or Half-Life. This name appears in every drop-down selector across all of Crowbar’s tabs.
4

Choose the engine type

In the Engine drop-down, select the engine the game uses:
  • GoldSource — Half-Life, Counter-Strike 1.6, Team Fortress Classic, and other GoldSource titles. The game path field will prompt for liblist.gam.
  • Source — Half-Life 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Garry’s Mod, and most modern Valve titles. The game path field prompts for gameinfo.txt, and the Packer field is shown.
5

Browse to the game configuration file

Click Browse… next to the game path field. Navigate to the folder where your game is installed and select the appropriate file:
  • Source engine: gameinfo.txt (inside the game’s mod folder, e.g. …\left4dead2\gameinfo.txt)
  • GoldSource: liblist.gam (inside the game’s mod folder)
Example (Source):
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\left4dead2\gameinfo.txt
Crowbar reads the containing folder from this path to resolve the game’s root directory.
6

Set the compiler, viewer, and packer paths

Click Browse… next to each tool field and locate the corresponding executable inside the game’s bin\ folder:
  • studiomdl.exe — model compiler, used by the Compile tab
  • hlmv.exe — model viewer, used by the View tab
  • hammer.exe — map editor (optional)
  • vpk.exe or gmad.exe — packer/unpacker, used by the Pack and Unpack tabs (Source engine only)
Example paths for Left 4 Dead 2:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\studiomdl.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\hlmv.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\hammer.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\vpk.exe
7

Save your settings

Crowbar saves all settings automatically when you switch tabs or close the application. There is no separate Save button — changes take effect immediately. To verify the profile was saved, close and reopen Crowbar and confirm your profile appears in the game drop-down.

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Cloning and Deleting Profiles

Clone a Profile

Click Clone to duplicate the currently selected game profile. The copy is named Clone of <original name> and can be renamed and adjusted independently. Useful when setting up multiple games that share the same bin\ folder, such as different Source SDK branches.

Delete a Profile

Select the profile you want to remove in the drop-down and click Delete. Crowbar will not allow deleting the last remaining profile — the Delete button is disabled when only one profile exists.
If your Steam games are spread across multiple drives, configure Crowbar’s Steam Library paths first. Crowbar can use library macros (e.g. <library1>) as portable prefixes in all path fields, so profiles remain valid even if you move a Steam library to a different drive letter. See Steam Library Detection for setup instructions.

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