Do you think that you can build an Aperture Science test chamber that would impress the meticulous GLaDOS?  Here's your chance to prove it.  Valve has released a beta version of the official Portal 2 editor that allows PC and Mac players to create their own maps (both single-player and co-op modes), character skins, 3D models, sound effects, and music.  Let the creativity run wild!

Today we're opening up the beta of the Portal 2 Authoring Tools to everyone! It's available as a free download for all owners of the PC version of Portal 2 and can be found under the "Tools" tab in Steam.

Here's what's included:
- Updated version of Hammer, the Source level editor
- Updated Faceposer
- Example maps and instances to help build new maps
- Updated suite of command-line compiling utilities

I do 3D design work at my non-gaming day job, so I'm tempted to give these tools a try and see what I can create.  It seems very time-intensive though, and all things considered, I'd rather be playing Portal 2 than building it.  If I do come up with anything, I'll be sure to share it, but in the meantime I think I'll just hold out for the upcoming downloadable expansion due out in the summer sometime.  If I were to create my own test chamber, I'd want to do a better job than just writing the word TEST on a wall and crafting a simple puzzle that requires just pressing a button in order to cause a cube to fall on a pressure plate.