Mapping Question Megathread v3

[supatails]

[QUOTE=mcilona;35408283]hey thanks. I'll be sure to add crosswalks and back up the yellow lined road textures, sounds like it would look better. I'm still curious to know if anybody may know a better method to making all the textures in the intersection look a little more seamless though.[/QUOTE]

I dunno, that kinda looks like a perfect setup right there for making the textures blend together. I dunno if anyone else has some cooler ideas, but that looks ideal to me.

[lorde banana]

Out of curiosity, is there an estimated time or something of that sort for how long compiling takes on normal? My map is 3.21 MB when compiled on fast (if that changes on normal), and usually takes about 1 minute. I left it running for 6-7 hours on normal and it wrote about 800 KB, so I was wondering if that is a normal compile time for a map. Thanks.

[dije]

[QUOTE=Banana Lord.;35409799]Out of curiosity, is there an estimated time or something of that sort for how long compiling takes on normal? My map is 3.21 MB when compiled on fast (if that changes on normal), and usually takes about 1 minute. I left it running for 6-7 hours on normal and it wrote about 800 KB, so I was wondering if that is a normal compile time for a map. Thanks.[/QUOTE]It's badly optimized.

[lorde banana]

[QUOTE=dije;35411325]It's badly optimized.[/QUOTE]

are there any tutorials or something which I can follow to optimize it?

[zach1193]

[QUOTE=Banana Lord.;35411828]are there any tutorials or something which I can follow to optimize it?[/QUOTE]

Yea, just google it, but one really good tip is make sure every side of a brush that the player can't see is textured with nodraw. and use hints in doorways and make detail brushes

[lorde banana]

[QUOTE=zach1193;35412617]Yea, just google it, but one really good tip is make sure every side of a brush that the player can't see is textured with nodraw. and use hints in doorways and make detail brushes[/QUOTE]

yeah everything they can't see is set to nodraw, I made a point to start with everything as nodraw and only texture what they need to see. besides that it's a flatgrass with 4 displacements of an ocean

[mcilona]

[QUOTE=Banana Lord.;35412864]yeah everything they can't see is set to nodraw, I made a point to start with everything as nodraw and only texture what they need to see. besides that it's a flatgrass with 4 displacements of an ocean[/QUOTE]

Maybe try visclusters if you haven't already to cut down time on vvis.

[Legend286]

[QUOTE=mcilona;35418793]Maybe try visclusters if you haven't already to cut down time on vvis.[/QUOTE]

That isn't a good way to optimise your map.

[zach1193]

[QUOTE=Banana Lord.;35412864]yeah everything they can't see is set to nodraw, I made a point to start with everything as nodraw and only texture what they need to see. besides that it's a flatgrass with 4 displacements of an ocean[/QUOTE]

Does the skybox go under the map, as in, did you make the skybox a box around the map? It shouldn't btw

[lorde banana]

[QUOTE=zach1193;35419640]Does the skybox go under the map, as in, did you make the skybox a box around the map? It shouldn't btw[/QUOTE]

just the sides and top

[Dark7533]

Long time ago there used to be a option (I think under VisGroup or Manifest) where you could change the color of the block in the 2D views and the 3D flat view. This isn't the texture of the block buts just what it looks like if you change the view to 3D flat. Does any one know where valve moved this feature to?

BTW "long time ago" as in 2007-2008.

[Fulcrum]

[QUOTE=Banana Lord.;35412864]yeah everything they can't see is set to nodraw, I made a point to start with everything as nodraw and only texture what they need to see. besides that it's a flatgrass with 4 displacements of an ocean[/QUOTE]

Add area portals underwater. At least 1 above the floor so any props which land won't be seen from the surface. Then consider adding a few more, respective of the fog distance of the water also the use of the map.

Occluders in islands and rocky outcrops might help optimise the above water. You can also add some area portals in the corners so when you are in the corners of the map the other corners will not be rendered.

Use of LOD models and lod water entity will help you optimise further.

PS vis cluster the areas inside each of the different portaled zones. Reduces visleafs and will help optimise slightly. This is of course assuming you have nothing else to block visiblity.

PPS you need a block underneath the map to seal it.

PPPS (lol) IS you have an areaportal crossing the water plane. clip it on that plane otherwise crazy shit happens.

[mcilona]

[QUOTE=Legend286;35419034]That isn't a good way to optimise your map.[/QUOTE]

i know it doesnt optimise a map i just figured he wanted a way to shorten the compile time.

[wauterboi]

[QUOTE=ZestyLemons;35386608]I already looked at filters, but filters don't do what I need them to do. I want to have only damage from the player affect a button. Using a filter like [url=https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Filter_damage_type]Filter_damage_type[/url] only filters different damage kinds like bullets or fire or w/e, not the source of the damage.

[editline]Edit:[/editline]

Actually could one use a filter_activator_class for it? I'm not sure if '!player' is always a valid class.[/QUOTE]
It's valid and I've done it before - just not in Hammer. The classname would be player.

The way I used it was to check if a person was a player and not and NPC to parent a smokestack to their heart back when I scripted in HL2DM. :P

[editline]3rd April 2012[/editline]

[QUOTE=Banana Lord.;35411828]are there any tutorials or something which I can follow to optimize it?[/QUOTE]
hail to the king, baby

[url]http://rvanhoorn.ruhosting.nl/optimization.php[/url]

[Azzator]

How can I make moving cars? Much like the ones in dm_bridge?

[comet1337]

[QUOTE=Azzator;35423502]How can I make moving cars? Much like the ones in dm_bridge?[/QUOTE]

parent a prop dynamic into a func_tracktrain
make a trigger_hurt infront of the car and parent it to the func_tracktrain
make a path for the func_tracktrain using path tracks
remember to make the tracktrain small, invisible and put it inside the car so that you cant touch it

then fiddle around with the settings until your satisfied

[lorde banana]

[QUOTE=wauterboi;35421962]hail to the king, baby

[url]http://rvanhoorn.ruhosting.nl/optimization.php[/url][/QUOTE]

thanks cutie

[aderdzinski]

I am getting a leak error and I'm trying to fix it but it just goes strait through the ground.

[url]http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af213/MiniMe430/Decorated%20images/hammer2012-04-0421-54-37-70.jpg[/url]

Red line is the pointfile.

Any ideas?

[Legend286]

[QUOTE=aderdzinski;35434899]I am getting a leak error and I'm trying to fix it but it just goes strait through the ground.

[url]http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af213/MiniMe430/Decorated%20images/hammer2012-04-0421-54-37-70.jpg[/url]

Red line is the pointfile.

Any ideas?[/QUOTE]

Is the ground a displacement? If so, seal the map using nodraw because displacements don't seal the map.

They also can't leak, which means you could have part of a displacement out in the void.

[Miigga]

[QUOTE=aderdzinski;35434899]I am getting a leak error and I'm trying to fix it but it just goes strait through the ground.

[url]http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af213/MiniMe430/Decorated%20images/hammer2012-04-0421-54-37-70.jpg[/url]

Red line is the pointfile.

Any ideas?[/QUOTE]

Disable a bunch of visgroups so that the only thing that's visible is world brushes. (make sure to disable displacements as well)

This should make it easier to see leaks.

If you can't find any holes this way, then the leak is probably caused by a prop being outside the map area.

[Spawnster]

For some reason, I compile my map, But the env_projectedtexture is putting off shadows like i want it too... Any ideas? Also my env_sprites aren't showing up? If i need to post a pic of the room, i will.

[Fulcrum]

[QUOTE=Spawnster;35440283]For some reason, I compile my map, But the env_projectedtexture is putting off shadows like i want it too... Any ideas? Also my env_sprites aren't showing up? If i need to post a pic of the room, i will.[/QUOTE]

Leak or the env_sprite is placed too far inside the prop. The projected texture is same or your graphics card might not let it render (and issue encountered in this thread recently)

[Spawnster]

[QUOTE=mdeceiver79;35440333]Leak or the env_sprite is placed too far inside the prop. The projected texture is same or your graphics card might not let it render (and issue encountered in this thread recently)[/QUOTE]

Well, i removed the Env_Sprites, They were INSIDE the lightbulb, So i guess i shouldn't do that again, But if you think about it, It's a sprite it should be able to go through a prop... But I'm not messing with it anymore, I'm terribad at lighting..

[Miigga]

[QUOTE=Spawnster;35440362]Well, i removed the Env_Sprites, They were INSIDE the lightbulb, So i guess i shouldn't do that again, But if you think about it, It's a sprite it should be able to go through a prop... But I'm not messing with it anymore, I'm terribad at lighting..[/QUOTE]

Increase the value of the keyvalue "size of glow proxy geometry" or whatever it's called

"Size of Glow Proxy Geometry <float>
Size of the glow to be rendered for visibility testing. Must be larger than the distance from the sprite center to empty space. So if this glow is inside geometry (like a light bulb), set this value to be bigger than the bulb's radius. Any time a sphere of this radius pokes through nearby geometry the glow will be rendered. "

says valve developer community wiki

[Spawnster]

[QUOTE=Miigga;35440450]Increase the value of the keyvalue "size of glow proxy geometry" or whatever it's called

"Size of Glow Proxy Geometry <float>
Size of the glow to be rendered for visibility testing. Must be larger than the distance from the sprite center to empty space. So if this glow is inside geometry (like a light bulb), set this value to be bigger than the bulb's radius. Any time a sphere of this radius pokes through nearby geometry the glow will be rendered. "

says valve developer community wiki[/QUOTE]

I love you right now.

[comet1337]

any idea why bullet impact effects make green, pink, white and blue puffs on custom textures?

[IronPhoenix]

[QUOTE=comet1337;35446592]any idea why bullet impact effects make green, pink, white and blue puffs on custom textures?[/QUOTE]

The custom texture probably doesnt have the material type set, so the particle system doesn't know what to assign the bullets.

[Lemmingz95]

can anyone explain what would be the best way to make a pillar like this :
[img]http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/1729/columb.jpg[/img]
displacements or brushes, clip or vertex', or a model; bear in mind I would like it as smooth as possible, with rounded edges.
*sorry for the awful model - sketchup*

[TCB]

Brushes with clipped cylinders for the top, and a diagonally clipped brush for the base.

[comet1337]

whats causing all of this?
-okay i fixed the lighting crap-
and then theres this thing:
[t]http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/7972418/img/Anonymous/comet-canyon0002.jpg[/t]
[t]http://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/7972424/img/Anonymous/comet-canyon0003.jpg[/t]
[t]http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/7972427/img/Anonymous/comet-canyon0004.jpg[/t]

this is what all the vmts look like

"LightmappedGeneric"
{
	"$basetexture" -snipped texture name-"
	"$surfaceprop" "Concrete"
}