Displacements All Black!

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English Mobster

L6: Sharp Member
Jul 10, 2011
355
299
The Steam chat isn't helping much with this problem.
Essentially, I've created my first displacement. I have no leaks, and I've placed a light_environment and some light_spots.
However, when I load up the map, the props are lit properly, yet everything else is black!
asteroid0000.jpg

I've already checked, and my nodraw isn't touching my displacement, so it can't be that blocking the light. I've also replaced the textures with dev textures to see if that fixed the problem, and it has not.

Here's a look at the map in Hammer:
halp.png

(Yes, I realize I accidentally used a HL texture for the floor; the problem has since been fixed.)

As this was mostly a test for my displacement, I don't have any regular brushes yet. Could this be a reason why, perhaps?

Compile log:
Code:
** Executing...
** Command: "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk\bin\orangebox\bin\vbsp.exe"
** Parameters: -game "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\team fortress 2\tf" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\Constellation\asteroid.vmf"

Valve Software - vbsp.exe (Jul  7 2010)
2 threads
materialPath: c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\team fortress 2\tf\materials
Loading C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\Constellation\asteroid.vmf
fixing up env_cubemap materials on brush sides...
ProcessBlock_Thread: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
ProcessBlock_Thread: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
Processing areas...done (0)
Building Faces...done (0)
FixTjuncs...
PruneNodes...
WriteBSP...
done (0)
writing C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\Constellation\asteroid.prt...Building visibility clusters...
done (0)
*** Error: Skybox vtf files for skybox/sky_tf2_04 weren't compiled with the same size texture and/or same flags!
Can't load skybox file skybox/sky_tf2_04 to build the default cubemap!
*** Error: Skybox vtf files for skybox/sky_tf2_04 weren't compiled with the same size texture and/or same flags!
Can't load skybox file skybox/sky_tf2_04 to build the default cubemap!
Finding displacement neighbors...
Finding lightmap sample positions...
Displacement Alpha : 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10
Building Physics collision data...
done (0) (9284 bytes)
Placing detail props : 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10
Compacting texture/material tables...
Reduced 85 texinfos to 39
Reduced 5 texdatas to 5 (93 bytes to 93)
Writing C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\Constellation\asteroid.bsp
0 seconds elapsed

** Executing...
** Command: "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk\bin\orangebox\bin\vvis.exe"
** Parameters: -game "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\team fortress 2\tf" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\Constellation\asteroid"

Valve Software - vvis.exe (Jul  7 2010)
2 threads
reading c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\constellation\asteroid.bsp
reading c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\constellation\asteroid.prt
  23 portalclusters
  46 numportals
BasePortalVis:       0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
PortalFlow:          0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
Optimized: 0 visible clusters (0.00%)
Total clusters visible: 441
Average clusters visible: 19
Building PAS...
Average clusters audible: 23
visdatasize:326  compressed from 368
writing c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\constellation\asteroid.bsp
0 seconds elapsed

** Executing...
** Command: "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk\bin\orangebox\bin\vrad.exe"
** Parameters:  -game "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\team fortress 2\tf" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\Constellation\asteroid"

Valve Software - vrad.exe SSE (Jul  7 2010)

      Valve Radiosity Simulator     
2 threads
[Reading texlights from 'lights.rad']
[34 texlights parsed from 'lights.rad']

Loading c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\constellation\asteroid.bsp
Setting up ray-trace acceleration structure... Done (0.35 seconds)
104 faces
15359 square feet [2211701.50 square inches]
63 Displacements
27898 Square Feet [4017312.75 Square Inches]
104 patches before subdivision
1564 patches after subdivision
15 direct lights
BuildFacelights:     0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (1)
BuildVisLeafs:       0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
transfers 34134, max 111
transfer lists:   0.3 megs
GatherLight:         0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
    Bounce #1 added RGB(10, 7, 4)
GatherLight:         0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
    Bounce #2 added RGB(1, 0, 0)
Build Patch/Sample Hash Table(s).....Done<0.0022 sec>
FinalLightFace:      0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (1)
FinalLightFace Done
0 of 0 (0% of) surface lights went in leaf ambient cubes.
ThreadComputeLeafAmbient: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (2)
Writing leaf ambient...done
Ready to Finish

Object names       Objects/Maxobjs  Memory / Maxmem  Fullness 
------------       ---------------  ---------------  -------- 
models                   4/1024          192/49152    ( 0.4%) 
brushes                 24/8192          288/98304    ( 0.3%) 
brushsides             152/65536        1216/524288   ( 0.2%) 
planes                 164/65536        3280/1310720  ( 0.3%) 
vertexes               234/65536        2808/786432   ( 0.4%) 
nodes                   83/65536        2656/2097152  ( 0.1%) 
texinfos                39/12288        2808/884736   ( 0.3%) 
texdata                  5/2048          160/65536    ( 0.2%) 
dispinfos               63/0           11088/0        ( 0.0%) 
disp_verts            1575/0           31500/0        ( 0.0%) 
disp_tris             2016/0            4032/0        ( 0.0%) 
disp_lmsamples       84992/0           84992/0        ( 0.0%) 
faces                  104/65536        5824/3670016  ( 0.2%) 
hdr faces                0/65536           0/3670016  ( 0.0%) 
origfaces               99/65536        5544/3670016  ( 0.2%) 
leaves                  88/65536        2816/2097152  ( 0.1%) 
leaffaces               43/65536          86/131072   ( 0.1%) 
leafbrushes             41/65536          82/131072   ( 0.1%) 
areas                    2/256            16/2048     ( 0.8%) 
surfedges              807/512000       3228/2048000  ( 0.2%) 
edges                  519/256000       2076/1024000  ( 0.2%) 
LDR worldlights         15/8192         1320/720896   ( 0.2%) 
HDR worldlights          0/8192            0/720896   ( 0.0%) 
leafwaterdata            0/32768           0/393216   ( 0.0%) 
waterstrips              4/32768          40/327680   ( 0.0%) 
waterverts               0/65536           0/786432   ( 0.0%) 
waterindices            93/65536         186/131072   ( 0.1%) 
cubemapsamples           0/1024            0/16384    ( 0.0%) 
overlays                 0/512             0/180224   ( 0.0%) 
LDR lightdata         [variable]      356476/0        ( 0.0%) 
HDR lightdata         [variable]           0/0        ( 0.0%) 
visdata               [variable]         326/16777216 ( 0.0%) 
entdata               [variable]       12281/393216   ( 3.1%) 
LDR ambient table       88/65536         352/262144   ( 0.1%) 
HDR ambient table       88/65536         352/262144   ( 0.1%) 
LDR leaf ambient       153/65536        4284/1835008  ( 0.2%) 
HDR leaf ambient        88/65536        2464/1835008  ( 0.1%) 
occluders                0/0               0/0        ( 0.0%) 
occluder polygons        0/0               0/0        ( 0.0%) 
occluder vert ind        0/0               0/0        ( 0.0%) 
detail props          [variable]           1/12       ( 8.3%) 
static props          [variable]           1/1004     ( 0.1%) 
pakfile               [variable]          54/0        ( 0.0%) 
physics               [variable]        9284/4194304  ( 0.2%) 
physics terrain       [variable]       12231/1048576  ( 1.2%) 

Level flags = 0

Total triangle count: 207
Writing c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\constellation\asteroid.bsp
4 seconds elapsed

** Executing...
** Command: Copy File
** Parameters: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\a_pie\sourcesdk_content\tf\mapsrc\Constellation\asteroid.bsp" "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\team fortress 2\tf\maps\asteroid.bsp"


** Executing...
** Command: c:\program files (x86)\steam\steam.exe
** Parameters: -applaunch 440 -game "c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\a_pie\team fortress 2\tf"  +map "asteroid"
 

Ginger

L4: Comfortable Member
Jun 29, 2010
151
56
Hey English, I dont know if you tried, but i stuck your compile in the interlopers error checker, it showed that your skybox isnt working, it says:
Description:
You have entered a skybox texture which doesn't seem to be valid. Make sure you don't specify the last three letter (_UP, _DN, etc) of any skybox texture you use. You may also need to fix your vmt files if they are broken. It may also be caused by compiling a non-HDR skybox texture.

Solution:
Fix $hdrbasetexture errors first
WIKI: Skybox


The affected object may not work/appear properly

Have a look for yourself: http://www.interlopers.net/errors/

Hope it helped :D
 

English Mobster

L6: Sharp Member
Jul 10, 2011
355
299
I'm using the default TF2 skybox, the one that appears every time you create a new map (sky_tf2_04). That error occurs with every TF2 skybox due to them not having built-in cubemaps (hence why one must run buildcubemaps to make the checkerboards go away in TF2).
I changed the sky to sky_nightfall_01 with no luck.
 
Last edited:

Ginger

L4: Comfortable Member
Jun 29, 2010
151
56
I'm using the default TF2 skybox, the one that appears every time you create a new map (sky_tf2_04). That error occurs with every TF2 skybox except for Gravel Pit, because Gravel Pit is the only one that supports HDR.
I changed the sky to sky_nightfall_01 with no luck.

No idea then, sorry :p
 

Psy

The Imp Queen
aa
Apr 9, 2008
1,706
1,491
Perhaps the lightmap scale is stupidly high?
 

English Mobster

L6: Sharp Member
Jul 10, 2011
355
299
Lightmap scale is 16. I haven't really screwed around with any settings; this was a test map for my displacement and thus I tried to keep the variables to a minimum.

E: Ripped out all my lights and placed new ones. The displacement lit up. I have no clue why the old ones didn't work; I didn't change any setting between the two, and the old ones lit up the props. D:
 
Last edited:

Prop

L3: Member
Jun 17, 2010
109
24
Looks like you ave a leak or something. Is your skybox closed? I had this once and the something was sticking out of the skybox. Also, if you have an env_light and have a prop over top of you it creates a shadow that makes everything black underneath it

Yours might be some new bread of error but take what I said in consideration, good luck!
 

English Mobster

L6: Sharp Member
Jul 10, 2011
355
299
Nope, no leaks.
I honestly have no clue what it was, but I managed to fix it by ripping out all my old lights and putting in new ones. That seemed to bring the light back.
It was an odd error, as the light obviously was being emitted, otherwise the props wouldn't light up.