Getting Started
Installation and Setup
Pragma does not need to be installed. All you have to do is download it here and extract the archive somewhere (e.g. your Desktop).
Likewise, to uninstall Pragma all you have to do is remove the directory. Pragma does not create files outside of the Pragma directory.
Please note that most of the articles in this wiki refer to the latest version (i.e. the GitHub Release), other versions may behave differently and may not offer the same feature set.
If you have the old (non-DLC) Steam version of Pragma/PFM, please note that it is several years out of date and is no longer being updated.
Updating Pragma
Pragma does not come with an auto-updater, so you will have to re-download it when there's a new Update. In most cases you will be able to extract the new version over the old version (overwriting the existing files), but you may have to remove the cache directory in this case. If you run into unexpected problems, try a clean installation of Pragma instead.
Launch
To launch Pragma, simply double-click Pragma.exe. To start the filmmaker, select New Game, choose a map from the map list, set Game Mode to Filmmaker and press Start Game. If the map name is colored red, it means it will have to be imported first, which is fully automatic but may take some time depending on the size and complexity of the map.
Once loading is complete, you should see an interface similar to that of the Source Filmmaker.
Navigating this Wiki
On the top of every article you can find the navigation bar:
If you click on "Books", you get a list of all of the available books. The book "Pragma Filmmaker" contains all chapters related to PFM. In the "Pragma Engine" book you'll find chapters related to the Engine, such as what console commands are available. The "Lua API" book contains chapters related to the scripting language Lua and how to use it with PFM/Pragma.
For learning how to use PFM, you'll probably want to stick to the "Pragma Filmmaker" book. If you click it, you'll find a list of all of the available chapters:
You're currently in the "Getting Started" chapter. Once you're done with this chapter it is recommended that you check out the chapter for the "User Interface", to familiarize yourself with the GUI. After that you may want to check out some of the workflows in the "Workflow" chapter. Here's a quick rundown of the most important chapters:
User Interface
Here you can find a list of articles describing the individual windows in PFM and how to use them.
Rendering
This chapter contains various articles describing how to use specific rendering effects (motion blur, fog, etc.).
Animating
Workflows
Custom Assets
Advanced
Troubleshooting
The "Animating" chapter is mostly still a work-in-progress, but will contain articles on various animating techniques.
In the "Workflow" chapter, you can find articles describing certain common workflows, such as how to import a SFM session, or how to set up your scene for an animation render or virtual reality.
How to Use
Please check out the chapters over here for tutorials on how to use PFM. A good place to start is the chapter for the User Interface.