[GUIDE] Youme's guide to displacement cliffs
- Thread starter YM
- Start date
- Dec 25, 2007
- 566
- 439
Youme, how do you get your cliffs so smooth? Whenever I'm trying to paint geometry, I tend to end up with lots of individual vertices sticking out, which either makes it really rough, or I have to go tweak them individually with a tiny brush size.
I actually use a small brush most of the time, It seems scary and long winded to begin with but its actually easier, faster and produces better results.
I said to start with a large brush size and then get smaller, thats what I do, I pick a brush size that lets me move 5-10 points at once then after the disp is roughly right I almost instantly downsize to 1 point brush size.
As a rule of thumb I never ever touch the smooth tool. It just doesn't work and if you try to smooth on a non perpendicular axis it really F***s your displacement.
The Subdivide button:
Sometimes I feel the urge to use this button, its quite intersting but I rarely keep its results. I select all the faces I want to subdivide and hit CTRL+S (Save) then hit the subdivide button. What it does is it smoothes all your corners out to what it thinks is right, sometimes it gets it spot on, some times it looks horrible. If its horrible I just hit CTRL+Z and shudder before using the normal brush tool. When I made the arch in the earlier screenshot the dubdivide tool was very usefull, I selected all the faces and subdivided them, it did almost all of the work for me. I then only had to go make it a more natural looking shape and tweak the edges.
NB: This button is not for beginners!
I said to start with a large brush size and then get smaller, thats what I do, I pick a brush size that lets me move 5-10 points at once then after the disp is roughly right I almost instantly downsize to 1 point brush size.
As a rule of thumb I never ever touch the smooth tool. It just doesn't work and if you try to smooth on a non perpendicular axis it really F***s your displacement.
The Subdivide button:
Sometimes I feel the urge to use this button, its quite intersting but I rarely keep its results. I select all the faces I want to subdivide and hit CTRL+S (Save) then hit the subdivide button. What it does is it smoothes all your corners out to what it thinks is right, sometimes it gets it spot on, some times it looks horrible. If its horrible I just hit CTRL+Z and shudder before using the normal brush tool. When I made the arch in the earlier screenshot the dubdivide tool was very usefull, I selected all the faces and subdivided them, it did almost all of the work for me. I then only had to go make it a more natural looking shape and tweak the edges.
NB: This button is not for beginners!
phatal
L6: Sharp Member
- Jan 8, 2008
- 259
- 21
Great tutorial Youme. Could you add this last bit to the first part? I know others have made pdf's and such but could you redo the original tutorial? Use attachments or something to add in the pictures or maybe get with spaceweasle and see how he does his with the pictures added in that way.
+rep
+rep
Youme, the tutorials pictures are red x's. Could you fix it please?
What exactly does the subdivide button do? The valve wiki isn't really clear. Could you explain it in more simple terms? Maybe an example?
The subdivide tool is a wholey different thing, probably should have it's own tutorial, but not from me.
Basically it smoothes out joins where displacements meet. If a displacement edge is not touching any other displacement then the subdivide tool leaves that edge where it started.
if you make a cube brush and make all the faces displacements, then select all of them then hit subdivide you will get an almost sphere. if you select all the faces but one you will get a nicely rounded top (opposite side to the non selected face) and the nicely rounded top will progress into a square cross section where it joins the non selected side.
So if you have a displacement that goes round a corner that you want to smooth nicely, you need to make two new copies of it, one above and one below (sew them together) Then select all 6 (thats 3 one one side then 3 at an angle to those ones) then hit subdivide, then delete the top and bottom ones.
What adding the top and bottom ones does is it stops the top of the corner and the bottom of the corner staying where they are when it is subdivided.
I think this is a more comlicated explanation but then the subdivide tool is quite complicated and definatly NOT FOR N00BS.
If you intend to use the subdivide tool learn how it works my experimenting in a new map so that you can't mess anything up.
Basically it smoothes out joins where displacements meet. If a displacement edge is not touching any other displacement then the subdivide tool leaves that edge where it started.
if you make a cube brush and make all the faces displacements, then select all of them then hit subdivide you will get an almost sphere. if you select all the faces but one you will get a nicely rounded top (opposite side to the non selected face) and the nicely rounded top will progress into a square cross section where it joins the non selected side.
So if you have a displacement that goes round a corner that you want to smooth nicely, you need to make two new copies of it, one above and one below (sew them together) Then select all 6 (thats 3 one one side then 3 at an angle to those ones) then hit subdivide, then delete the top and bottom ones.
What adding the top and bottom ones does is it stops the top of the corner and the bottom of the corner staying where they are when it is subdivided.
I think this is a more comlicated explanation but then the subdivide tool is quite complicated and definatly NOT FOR N00BS.
If you intend to use the subdivide tool learn how it works my experimenting in a new map so that you can't mess anything up.
So let's see if I got it right. If I would create a tunnel with width=height. So a square passageway. And I would make the inner part displacements (floor, 2 walls and ceiling) and subdivide those parts I would get a round tunnel? (might have to chop of the start and end of the tunnel, if I interpret your corner story the right way).
edit:
tested it:
Seems I was right
. Used only 1 tunnelpart. But if I would have used 3 (of which 2 temporany ones) I would have gotten a real tunnel.
edit:
tested it:
Seems I was right
. Used only 1 tunnelpart. But if I would have used 3 (of which 2 temporany ones) I would have gotten a real tunnel.
Last edited:
Yes you've got it right. It's better to make copies of the tunnel than chop the ends off and stretch it but to doesn't make a huge amount of difference.
Thats one of the most simple uses of the subdivide tool, there are many more that are far more exciting.
-NB- The tunnel will be Almost circular in cross section. it doesn't quite make it completely circular, for this reason I find it better to use an archway tool based tunnel.
Thats one of the most simple uses of the subdivide tool, there are many more that are far more exciting.
-NB- The tunnel will be Almost circular in cross section. it doesn't quite make it completely circular, for this reason I find it better to use an archway tool based tunnel.
I can see the potential of this. Going to toy around a bit
I think I have fallen in love with subdivide . Very useful tool for making a basis from which to add detail
@ Youme, something like this? I subdived it. It's not perfect, but a good place to start I guess.
. Very useful tool for making a basis from which to add detail@ Youme, something like this? I subdived it. It's not perfect, but a good place to start I guess.
Aarchane
L1: Registered
- Mar 19, 2008
- 5
- 0
Thanks, I thought I would also make a suggestion for the tutorial. Another step that included the instruction of connecting the two blocks with the Vertex Tool would be nice. I have never played with it, but can easily see the potential. I am not sure how to angle the two edges to fit as you did. That step would be a nice addition to a wonderful tutorial.
Unless you have really complicated brush shapes (IE: not all edges are paralell to the grid) you can just use the clipping tool to the same effect.
Vertex tool
Clipping tool
Vertex tool
Clipping tool