Models getting shrink-wrapped collisions upon compilation

Phil25

L1: Registered
Jun 13, 2015
49
10
Hello there!

Just as the titile says, I'm having a bit of a problem with compiling a model and getting the collisions right. They are getting shrink-wrapped upon all the different ways of compilation I've tried. It's a large surf slide so I can't really go down on the mesh size and face count.

Here's the collision part of the compile log:
Code:
WARNING: Model has 2-dimensional geometry (less than 0.500 inches thick on any axis)!!!
WARNING: Model has 2-dimensional geometry (less than 0.500 inches thick on any axis)!!!
WARNING: Model has 2-dimensional geometry (less than 0.500 inches thick on any axis)!!!
WARNING: Model has 2-dimensional geometry (less than 0.500 inches thick on any axis)!!!
WARNING: Error with convex elements of ramp_main_2_phys.smd, building single convex!!!!
Model has 33 convex sub-parts
Collision model completed.

To fix the issue I have...
  1. been trying compiling through Propper and StudioMDL (SMD files and QT file still created with Propper),
  2. made sure to set "Concave Collisions" in propper_model class brush when compiling with Propper,
  3. made sure that there isn't a brush too thin (all are at least 4 units thick),
  4. made sure $concave is present in the $collisionmodel class in the QT file,
  5. tried increasing the $maxconvexpieces in the QT file,
  6. tried running StudioMDL with the -fullcollide parameter,
  7. opened the _phys.smd file in a model editor to check if it's correct,
  8. added all of the faces in the collision model to the same smoothing group.
(I still may have missed some...)

I have everything set up properly because I can compile non-complex and/or medium sized object just fine.

Thank you for the time and all your help!
 
Last edited:

Vel0city

func_fish
aa
Dec 6, 2014
1,947
1,589
What part about "WARNING: Model has 2-dimensional geometry (less than 0.500 inches thick on any axis)!!!" makes you confused? That model has some geometry that's less than 0.5 inches thick so the compiler sees it as a 2D geometry. It doesn't like that. At all. For simplicity's sake the collision box isn't a 3D box anymore but rather a 2D plane and that is something that brakes collision. Big time.

The model's polygons are too close together in some spots. The compiler doesn't like that so it spits out this warning. I bet fixing that resolves the issue.
 

Psy

The Imp Queen
aa
Apr 9, 2008
1,706
1,491
Is it each convex piece assigned a unique smoothing group?

I remember having this issue before and the error was pretty useless overall.
 

Seba

DR. BIG FUCKER, PHD
aa
Jun 9, 2009
2,364
2,728
What part about "WARNING: Model has 2-dimensional geometry (less than 0.500 inches thick on any axis)!!!" makes you confused? That model has some geometry that's less than 0.5 inches thick so the compiler sees it as a 2D geometry. It doesn't like that. At all. For simplicity's sake the collision box isn't a 3D box anymore but rather a 2D plane and that is something that brakes collision. Big time.

The model's polygons are too close together in some spots. The compiler doesn't like that so it spits out this warning. I bet fixing that resolves the issue.

Don't be rude, that error may not be as obvious to other as it is to you; especially since it's very misleading. That error is also caused by, as has been pointed out above, incorrectly applied smoothing groups in the CM. I generally stick every face of the CM in one and only one smoothgroup and that works well enough for me.
 

Phil25

L1: Registered
Jun 13, 2015
49
10
As I've said in the Things I've Tried section, the model isn't less than 0.5 inches thick anywhere and yes, this warning is indeed confusing for me because of that. Could it be because chunks of the slide go inside the neighbour ones?

And as for the smoothing groups, all of the faces of the collision model are applied to the same one (adding that one to the list).

I think it's best to upload the vmf file and the smd file itself to resolve any misunderstanding:
· VMF File (in Propper; Source SDK 2007 config),
· SMD File (of the collision model).

At the top part of the model you can find a hole which covers the entire inside of the very top chunk. Those 3 thin walls do indeed add 3 warning errors of walls being too thin (although I've really made them over the limit... I am pretty sure...). However, upon deletion there is still one of those errors left.

Thank you, guys, for all your respones! :)
 

Phil25

L1: Registered
Jun 13, 2015
49
10
Green circled dots are faces. I zoomed in and they are super thin. That's probably the whole problem.

Sir, I have no clue how I can thank you enough! :O

No idea where those came from, but when I redid the entire model, everything compiled properly without any problems whatsoever.

Once again, BIG thanks to you, I don't think I would have ever found that out myself! :p
 

Phil25

L1: Registered
Jun 13, 2015
49
10
Can't you then just use brushes without any prop?

This results in occasional bugs in the slide itself which are the cause of stopping a player while sliding from time to time. It is advised by any advanced surf mapper to turn ramps into props because of that. Hammer The Source engine can just handle the player-prop interaction better I suppose.
 
Last edited:

Tumby

aa
May 12, 2013
1,084
1,192
Even if, it's not Hammer doing that. It all happens ingame.
However, what I think is the reason of that player-stopping garbage is how the collision models look.
Your prop collision model has overlapping parts. Therefore, any player surfing will always be touching a face. There is no way hes going to bump into anything.
When compiling brushes, the generated collision model allows people to come into contact with edges. Combine this with floating point precission loss and suddenly on a microscopic level it will look like a giant box hitting a straight wall.
 

Phil25

L1: Registered
Jun 13, 2015
49
10
Woops, my mistake, it's the engine that is causing players to stop while surfing, not the editor.

And about what you've said after that, could you elaborate, please? Especially on your last two sentences.

Do you mean the collision model has to be edited for the chunks not to go inside each other? Would that make a difference?

All I know is, that no matter how perfect the chunks are aligned in Hammer, they will not work fully properly in the game unless they're turned into models.

Thank you for all the useful information.