Philosophy behind supports

strangemodule

L5: Dapper Member
Sep 10, 2009
223
59
Hey guys, I've been browsing this section a bit, and I haven't been able to find any info on it, so forgive me if I overlooked it.

I want to add wood supports on the insides of my buildings for detail, however, I'm not sure how to make them look properly. For example, take a look at this picture (ignoring the custom model thingy in it). See the wood supports on the wall in the back? Why are they there? Why are they placed like that? I've tried looking over the insides of buildings, but I still don't get the why on their placement.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

Psy

The Imp Queen
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Apr 9, 2008
1,706
1,491
They serve no other purpose other then to look nice.
 

strangemodule

L5: Dapper Member
Sep 10, 2009
223
59
They serve no other purpose other then to look nice.

Well, that's what I'm trying to do. :p What I mean for "why" is, why are they placed at the angles and position on that particular wall? I've seen walls in 2fort and most other Valve/custom maps with no supports, but then find walls with supports, and I don't want to place supports in my map just to place supports because I'd end up making them look out of place.
 

Terr

Cranky Coder
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Jul 31, 2009
1,590
410
They are there because someone looked at the wall and said: "Players will see this wall a lot. It looks bland. Let's make it look nicer."

But seriously, here's my theory: What the player sees in the spawn and as they leave it are "first impressions" for the map, and are very powerful. So you don't want boring walls.
 

Psy

The Imp Queen
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Apr 9, 2008
1,706
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Well, the diagonal beams is placed there to break up the monotony of having several vertical beams in a row.
 

PL-7764

L6: Sharp Member
Aug 4, 2009
376
84
It's all for realism/effect. Think about it: How much less interesting would that room be without those beams there to break up the monotonous walls? Would the realism/immersion be affected by their removal? Perhaps try opening the 2fort .vmf in Hammer and try deleting them to get an idea of what it would look like to not have them there.
 

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
aa
Mar 4, 2008
5,441
3,814
They support the cross beam that supports the overhanging concrete structure in the top right? Or alternatively/additionally keep the corrigated iron up on the wall (that is present in the texture used for the walls).

If you had a lack of imagination.
 

Eternal

L69: Deviant Member
Jul 8, 2009
69
10
I'd HIGHLY recommend looking at supports and buildings that are still in construction (google pictures) it really helps with how to make these, and where to put them.
 

XFunc_CaRteR

L5: Dapper Member
May 14, 2009
248
17
If you really want to know how to make interesting supports, try studying carpentry or architecture. Then don't make supports that are 100% realistic, but do make ones that roughly make sense in the real world. Players won't tune into it consciously, but it will pay off to them subconsciously.

Just saying "They're there to not look boring" is a circular statement. It doesn't answer why these supports look stupid but those look right. The original poster is trying to get underneath things.

Another thing to do is look at actual buildings. I took a driving tour through an industrial section of my city to see the different architectural features that get plastered on buildings. It really helped.
 

Garner

L4: Comfortable Member
Aug 16, 2009
154
38
Mappers do this extra detailing because, like said, it makes the walls look less bland and look alot better. It goes down for real life things aswell, you always seen on those house redesigning shows or those property selling programs on TV where they will put, say a mirror, on a wall in the living room to reflect light, or a random peice of contrasting artwork so the room looks better.

This is the same for mapping...if you had every wall in your map just plain with no decals, no detailing, and was all squares and rectangles, it would look boring and your map probably wouldnt get noticed.

However, saying that, when designing and building a map, you should always leave the fine detailing till last, because its best to get the design / layout 100% before adding in the extras.
 

Terr

Cranky Coder
aa
Jul 31, 2009
1,590
410
Just saying "They're there to not look boring" is a circular statement. It doesn't answer why these supports look stupid but those look right. The original poster is trying to get underneath things.

The OP said "philosophy". Not "engineering".
 

Terr

Cranky Coder
aa
Jul 31, 2009
1,590
410
Just saying "They're there to not look boring" is a circular statement. It doesn't answer why these supports look stupid but those look right. The original poster is trying to get underneath things.

The OP said "philosophy". Not "engineering". And I didn't see any links to "bad" supports.