VTF Explorer

VTF explorer is a utility designed for viewing GCF files, which are the base of the Half-Life Source engine.

You can extract the files inside the GCF file or just preview them in the program. The main advantage of the program, though, is its ability to manage VTF and VMT material files within. In fact, the developing community describes it as having the same managing capabilities as Valve's Hammer (map editor).

The main window is an explorer-like file browser: you can open GCF files and see their tree structure and folders. You can extract them or view them with just the click of the mouse. The interesting thing is when you get a VTF or VMT file or a folder of files. Then you can see a preview of each texture and material on the right side of the program, along with information of the texture. You can then extract each material individually and you have plenty of options to do it. From the format to the mip levels, it is really helpful to be able to select each one individually. The best thing is that you can also import into the GCF, which is a feature few programs have. It is really an excellent tool for map makers and mod developers.