Quick question; func_detail and nodraw

Armadillo of Doom

Group Founder, Lover of Pie
aa
Oct 25, 2007
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In short, one of my func_detail brushes is covering up a section of wall on it's border. That section (the part facing the func_detail) is nodraw. After unchecking the Func Detail vis group, I noticed that I have a lot of spots like this. So my question; is this ok? Since func_details are invisible for rendering purposes, would it go right through and render whatever texture it is covering? In this case, the nodraw, which you can see through w/ a hall of mirrors effect, and that's bad. Any help is much appreciated :)
 

Beetle

L9: Fashionable Member
Aug 17, 2008
627
178
I'm confused by what you're asking - I'm probably the only one.
I am pretty sure that any worldbrush (nodraw on it or not) still blocks vis whereas func_details with any texture don't. And the hall of mirror effects are from nodraws being on worldbrushes.
 

Beetle

L9: Fashionable Member
Aug 17, 2008
627
178
ahh. so its a func_detail NOT textured with nodraw in front of a world brush textured in nodraw? If thats the case its still worth texturing the world brush in nodraw because I believe it saves just as much as if you're texturing 2 world brushes' sides of 2 brushes that aren't ever going to be seen, as you would when you're optimizing normally.

edit: I just thought of a problem though. If the worldbrush is always rendered, and you have a passage thats so long that the func_detail render distance is shorter than that then you'll see the world brush, but that's the only problem I see.
 
Last edited:
Dec 25, 2007
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Quick summary: func_detail in front of nodraw is just fine.

Nodraw does exactly what it says on the tin: doesn't draw. The "hall of mirrors" effect you see with a nodraw is due to that area not being drawn over, and just keeping the pixel colours that were there in the previous frame. "Rendering" nodraw is zero-cost, because it does nothing.

Also, having a nodraw face behind a func detail can be better visually: if they line up at the edges you'll get nice shadows where they meet; func_details in front of a single large face on a world brush can often produce odd-looking shadows: try both and compare the difference to see what I mean.

Oh, and beetle: func_details have infinite render distance; func_lod is the one that fades out.