Documentation Index
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Crowbar’s Compile tab is a front-end wrapper around Valve’s studiomdl.exe compiler. Rather than launching a batch script, Crowbar sets the correct working directory, passes the -game flag pointing at the selected game profile’s folder, forwards any extra options you specify, captures all compiler output in real time, and then moves the resulting .mdl (and companion .vtx, .vvd, .phy, .ani) files to the output path you choose. Both GoldSource and Source engine games are supported.
The input mode dropdown (maps to InputOptions) controls how Crowbar locates QC files to compile:
| Mode | Description |
|---|
| File | Compile a single .qc file specified in the input path field. |
| Folder | Compile every .qc file found directly in the selected folder. |
| Folder and subfolders | Recursively compile every .qc file in the folder tree. |
Game Setup Selector
The Game setup dropdown selects which configured game profile to use. Crowbar reads the profile’s CompilerPathFileName to locate studiomdl.exe and its GamePathFileName to supply the -game argument. Both values must be valid before a compile can start.
The correct studiomdl.exe is game-specific — using Half-Life 2’s compiler to compile a Team Fortress 2 model (or vice versa) will produce incorrect results or fail outright. Configure each game profile in the Set Up Games tab. See Game Setup for details. Output Path Options
The output path dropdown maps to the CompileOutputPathOptions enum:
| Option | Description |
|---|
| Game’s “models” folder (default) | Place compiled files in the models/ subdirectory of the selected game’s folder. |
| Work folder | Move compiled files to the work folder path you specify. |
| Subfolder (of QC input) | Create a subfolder relative to the .qc file’s location using the subfolder name you provide. |
Compiler Options
Crowbar-managed Options
These checkboxes are managed by Crowbar itself and appear in the InitCrowbarOptions() section of the UI:
| Option | Settings Key | Description |
|---|
| GoldSource log file | CompileGoldSourceLogFileIsChecked | Save the full compiler stdout/stderr output to a log file next to the .qc (GoldSource engine only). |
| Source engine log file | CompileSourceLogFileIsChecked | Same as above for Source engine profiles. |
Compiler Pass-through Options
These are passed directly to studiomdl.exe and appear in InitCompilerOptions(). No P4 and Verbose are enabled by default.
| Option | Settings Key | Default | Description |
|---|
| Define bones | CompileOptionDefineBonesIsChecked | Off | Capture $definebone lines printed by the compiler and process them after compilation. Source engine only. |
| Create define bones QCI | CompileOptionDefineBonesCreateFileIsChecked | Off | Write the captured $definebone lines into a .qci file. |
| Define bones QCI filename | CompileOptionDefineBonesQciFileName | DefineBones | The filename (without path) to use for the generated .qci file. |
| Overwrite define bones QCI | CompileOptionDefineBonesOverwriteQciFileIsChecked | Off | Allow overwriting an existing .qci file of the same name rather than aborting. |
| Modify QC file | CompileOptionDefineBonesModifyQcFileIsChecked | Off | Automatically insert an $include line for the generated .qci into the .qc source file. |
| No P4 | CompileOptionNoP4IsChecked | On | Pass -nop4 to suppress Perforce source-control integration in the compiler. |
| Verbose | CompileOptionVerboseIsChecked | On | Pass -verbose to studiomdl for detailed per-bone and per-mesh logging. |
| Direct compiler options | CompileOptionsDirectText | (empty) | Free-text field for any additional studiomdl flags not covered by the checkboxes above (e.g. -quiet, -nox360). |
Always check No P4 (-nop4) if you do not have Perforce installed. Without it, some versions of studiomdl.exe will stall waiting for a Perforce connection and appear to hang indefinitely.
CompilerInputInfo class carries the following data to the background compile worker:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
compilerPathFileName | String | Full path to studiomdl.exe from the selected game profile. |
compilerOptions | String | The assembled options string passed to studiomdl.exe. |
gamePathFileName | String | Full path to gameinfo.txt (Source) or liblist.gam (GoldSource). |
qcPathFileName | String | Path to the .qc file (or folder, in batch mode). |
customModelFolder | String | Subfolder name used when the output option is Subfolder of QC input. |
theCompileMode | InputOptions | Whether Crowbar is compiling a single file, a folder, or a folder tree. |
modelAbsolutePathFileName | String | Absolute path to the compiled model output file. |
result | String | Status or error message returned after the compile process completes. |
How Crowbar Invokes StudioMDL
For Source engine profiles, Crowbar assembles a command line in this form before launching the process:
studiomdl.exe -game "<game_path>" <compiler_options> "<model.qc>"
.qc file before launching the process, which is required for relative $include paths in QC scripts to resolve correctly. After the compiler exits, any produced .mdl, .vtx, .vvd, .phy, and .ani files are moved from the compiler’s output location to the path selected in the Output path dropdown.