The Z-thickness of Floors

Davtwan

L1: Registered
Sep 14, 2010
4
0
I can't seem to find any guide about this as far as my searching abilities go. How thick by z-distance should I make the floors for the ground floor? (as in there's no floor below or above said floor)

So far, I left the z-thickness of my ground floors at 32 units, but I wonder if they can be technically 1 and 2 to save on file space.
 
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REEJ

L420: High Member
Aug 26, 2010
437
176
You can go for 8 or 16, but looking at how valve deals with it, they just put a well visible fat layer of NODRAW under everything as a main floor frame
 

tyler

aa
Sep 11, 2013
5,102
4,621
Outside, I do squares 512x512 (usually), 16 units thick, one on the other. The bottom is nodraw. That's there for displacements. Inside, I usually only use the top layer and skip the nodraw.
 

Davtwan

L1: Registered
Sep 14, 2010
4
0
Thanks, everyone. I think I'll keep my floors at a nice 32 units just in case I have to add any displacements. (The whole level takes place inside a building, but you never know right?)
 
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Draco18s

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 19, 2009
622
136
So far, I left the z-thickness of my ground floors at 32 units, but I wonder if they can be technically 1 and 2 to save on file space.

Somehow I doubt that the thickness of a brush actually changes the file size.
 
Feb 18, 2009
640
629
Somehow I doubt that the thickness of a brush actually changes the file size.

indeed. afaik, most 3d software (hammer included) saves vertex location rather than volume and area (modelling tools like 3ds max behave differently when using stuff like NURBS).

As for what size to use, it really doesn't matter at all, as long as it is appropriate to then situation. If you can see under it, then go for something like 16 units, but don't be afraid to stick to what you think is 'right'! The only 'bad' things in hammer are carving and having vertices/origins off the grid.
 

Mr. Happy

L6: Sharp Member
Jul 16, 2008
320
158
Hammer doesn't actually save vertex data in the vmf (though vbsp does generate a vert array from it). It actually saves brush volumes as the intersections of planes defined by three coordinates. This is why complex geometry will sometimes jump slightly off grid after saving and reloading.