Crowbar vs SLADE3

Crowbar is a free Windows tool for modding GoldSource and Source Engine games. It can decompile, compile, and view models, as well as unpack, inspect, and search Valve VPK, Garry's Mod GMA, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines VPK, Tactical Intervention FPX, and Fairy Tale Busters APK packages. It can also pack folders into Valve VPK and Garry's Mod GMA files. Decompilation can recreate QC, mesh, animation, and procedural-bone files, while batch workflows can process a selected folder and its subfolders. Crowbar supports downloading Workshop items and publishing them for several games. The maker says Windows XP or later and .NET Framework 4 are required. Compiling models needs the game's authoring tools or SDK and its studiomdl.exe; viewing models needs authoring tools or an SDK and hlmv.exe. The latest release shown is version 0.74, dated February 2023. Help materials include guides, tutorials, reference resources, Discord, and Steam discussions.

SLADE3 is a free editor for Doom-engine games and source ports, available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It handles archives and the resources inside them: users can create, open, save, import, export, order, convert, and revert entries, with several archives open in tabs for copying and pasting between them. Supported archive formats include Doom WAD and ZIP/PK3, Quake PAK and WAD2, Build GRP and ART, Shadowcaster DAT and LIB, and Amulets & Armor RES. Its map editor covers Doom, Hexen, and UDMF maps, with 3D editing and automatic sector generation. The text editor offers syntax highlighting, calltips, autocomplete, auto-indent, and find-and-replace. Graphics can be viewed, converted, palette-remapped, and exported to PNG; Doom composite textures can also be edited. SLADE3 plays several audio formats, including MUS, MIDI, XMI, HMI, and HMP. Stable release 3.2.12 is listed alongside beta 3.3.0 Beta 2, which may have bugs, crashes, or unfinished features.