Visibility issues with water.

ClandestinePz

L1: Registered
Aug 16, 2009
36
9
I'm having difficulty with water visibility in a map I'm making. Basically I have a flanking water route and I want to add a window on the side wall so that defenders can keep and eye on the water flank ( I also think it would look pretty cool). I've conducted numerous experiments, unfortunately all of them have failed thus far.

I've discovered that you can see objects on the other side of exposed water brushes, but you can't see objects inside them, which defeats the whole purpose.

I suspect that what I'm attempting is not possible and that I may have to settle for a far less cool window on the top, but if anyone does know of a way, I would be eternally grateful.

I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors.
 

PL-7764

L6: Sharp Member
Aug 4, 2009
376
84
Are you trying to put in a window that looks in on an underwater area?

Because that won't work in Source.
 

lana

Currently On: ?????
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Sep 28, 2009
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You can have the window looking down on the water.
 

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
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Mar 4, 2008
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you don't use func_water_analogue in TF2.

Essentially this is impossible but i remember someone making it "look" like water from the side by creating a window pain with a material proxy so that the glass projected the "water warping light" etc.

Unfortunately i can't remember the alias of who did it or the map it was in.

EDIT: I thought it was called ocean_base or something but i can't find it, but it was 5CP.
 
Last edited:

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
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Mar 4, 2008
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Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
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Nov 14, 2009
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Essentially this is impossible but i remember someone making it "look" like water from the side by creating a window pain with a material proxy so that the glass projected the "water warping light" etc.

Unfortunately i can't remember the alias of who did it or the map it was in.

EDIT: I thought it was called ocean_base or something but i can't find it, but it was 5CP.

You might be mixing up ctf_ocean_machine with cp_photic? Ocean Machine uses effects/water_warp. The main problem with water_warp is that it also warps the window frame itself, and gets more intense the further away you are from it. That, and it's now on the excluded list in Hammer, so it's inaccessible from the texture editor unless you have a custom setup.

Photic just uses a static, normal-mapped clear texture, which isn't really realistic.