Why you need to use instances and have two monitors.

YM

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Dec 5, 2007
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instances.jpg


Enlarge to see the text :p

Edit in any of the main 3D or 2D views then mouse over the smaller 3D view and it'll update.

The large 3D window and the 2D views are an on-grid instance vmf and the small window is the main map vmf where the func_instance is at a horrible angle.

Just make sure everything in the instance is a func_detail if you're rotating it or you'll regret it!
 

YM

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What do you mean? How do you make a func_instance?

It's a point entity, that references an external vmf file. I put all my instances in mapsrc/instances/ to be tidy.

Buy me 2 monitors, or a second 19in Dynex TV and sure, I'll do it.
To be honest, that they still sell computers with just one monitor is a crime.
 
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YM

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They added it to source a while back and have made heavy use of it since then. It's super-duper useful for stuff like portal2 where stuff gets reused a ton as well as maps that need lots of rotated stuff, since you make it on-grid in the instance then func_detail it and rotate the func_instance and it's rotated in the map, but you can still edit it on-grid :D
 

Freyja

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Jul 31, 2009
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I'd marry instances if I could. I've used heaps of them in Escarpment, like the bridge, and they just make everything so much easier.
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
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Nov 14, 2009
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Dang it, this feature would have been super-useful during artpass. I suspect the off-grid barn was what was causing Hammer to keep saying "You have invalid solids; click yes to fix them and by fix them I mean delete all of your props and entities for no reason and then auto-resave over top of your old map except I'm not going to TELL you I'm doing that, BWAAAHAHAHAHA."
 

honeymustard

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Oct 26, 2009
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Dang it, this feature would have been super-useful during artpass. I suspect the off-grid barn was what was causing Hammer to keep saying "You have invalid solids; click yes to fix them and by fix them I mean delete all of your props and entities for no reason and then auto-resave over top of your old map except I'm not going to TELL you I'm doing that, BWAAAHAHAHAHA."

They were around then, I used them in mine.
 

grazr

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That's a lot of geometry to func_detail at once for the sake of off setting it by a negligable amount of degrees that adds very little to the maps aesthetic and/or gameplay. But i can see it being useful for more hollow structures like the final CP building in gravelpit where optimising it is pretty much impossible anyway.
 

YM

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Yes that is more than I'd normally func_detail, but since it's the spawn, it's not actually blocking view for very long.

(also take a look at viaduct! whooooooaa not a single bit of world geo there)
 

Crash

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Mar 1, 2010
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YM

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What on earth did you do? o_O

@steve there were instances in the artpass contest, manor relies heavily on them for all the pumpkins, lights the church, several small shacks, a brushwork gate and that's not even mentioning the main instance. That tower next to blue spawn that's leaning over slightly in both X and Y? Yep, it's an instance. Go look at it closely next time.

Now I look back at it, it should have been leaning over another degree or so so you can actually tell. Oh well.
 

A Boojum Snark

Toraipoddodezain Mazahabado
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Nov 2, 2007
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Crash, you were probably using the "wrong" one. There are, confusingly, two different things called instances. The one most people use is func_instance, where you simply place that entity and then specify another VMF to "nest" into the map. The other one is the instancing menu with manifests and all the stuff that I never bothered to figure out...