My compile time can't be normal....

Monte H

L1: Registered
Jan 8, 2008
25
0
Ok, so I'm trying to make a cp attack/defend map, and the mapping is working out just fine, it's not too ungodly big, about 4k wide, 10k long, and about 5k tall, but when I go to compile... it takes almost 24hrs to get HALF DONE...

Is this right? :confused1:

Specs:
AMD athlon 2600 1.9GHz proc
AGP 7800 oc video card
1 gig ram

Due to it taking so long, I have cut my cp map down to just one level, apposed to the 3 different levels dustbowl has.

Thanks for the help :)
 

dirtyminuth

L5: Dapper Member
Nov 5, 2007
221
15
I have a similar system:
A64 3400+
1 GB RAM


And about half the map volume:
7700 x 3700 x 3700 Oddly enough, the width and height are exactly the same. Creepy.

And my compile time is about 12 minutes.

A couple things spring to mind:

* How heavily do you use func_details?
* How is your skybox formed?

I hope you didn't enclose your map in a single giant box, but let us know. Pain first, then learning!
 
Last edited:

YM

LVL100 YM
aa
Dec 5, 2007
7,135
6,056
Post your compile log, run it through here as well.
what stage is taking ages? VVIS? VRAD? God help you if its VBSP....
If its VVIS you probably need to use lots and lots of func_detail because every brush you put in will make VVIS take longer. so for little things like a doorframe or a railing if you have made out of brushes, things that don't block line of sight or are horribly curved, should be made into func_details.
Basically what VVIS does is it cuts the non-brush areas of the map up into leaves and each leave has to be convex, like a brush. If you have fiddly little brushes it makes more leaves. If you have more leaves VVIS takes longer because it has to line up every corner of each leaf to every corner of EVERY other leaf to see if it can 'see' it or not.
If it's VRAD It could be made much worse by a long VVIS time, not too sure really, if you have multiple light entities lighting one area try to make each room lit as effectively as you can with as few lights as posible, but dont compromise on how it looks, VVIS is more important.

You should use the compile options wisely, for example VVIS I generally have turned off untill I want to make a release or I am testing optimisations. If I haven't changed lighting recently and am more interested in the world geometry stuff I leave VRAD turned off, If you want to have a look at how new lights work use the cordon tool to make a box around the area of the map you want to compile and then put VVIS and VRAD on to fast.
I just mentioned the cordon tool (the yellow and black stripe box button) drag the cordon area around a section of the map you ar einterested in to compile just that section, its REALLY handy.
hope you can find this helpful
 

Monte H

L1: Registered
Jan 8, 2008
25
0
I really don't have time to post my log... aka an entire weekend of an unusable computer (i can't compile and do other things at the same time... crappy computer)... but what is taking so long is the part that says "Portalflow", it will go to like ...1 really fast, but then it takes longer and longer and longer to go up a dot (.) ...1...2...3 etc
lol?

I will be willing to let someone take a look at my map's vmf file, just post your steam id and ill contact you... i really need help lol
 

YM

LVL100 YM
aa
Dec 5, 2007
7,135
6,056
Ok, sounds like you have way too many things that will make visleaves. Search for "Youme"
 

phatal

L6: Sharp Member
Jan 8, 2008
259
21
I really don't have time to post my log... aka an entire weekend of an unusable computer (i can't compile and do other things at the same time... crappy computer)... but what is taking so long is the part that says "Portalflow", it will go to like ...1 really fast, but then it takes longer and longer and longer to go up a dot (.) ...1...2...3 etc
lol?

I will be willing to let someone take a look at my map's vmf file, just post your steam id and ill contact you... i really need help lol

I just had this problem and it was related to a bunch of brushes making up a cylinder. I checked this from 2 other people that mentioned it related to a cylinder. If you have any brushes making up a cylinder, remove them and try to compile. I'll bet it goes through fine.
 

Deadeye2007

L2: Junior Member
Jan 6, 2008
52
0
Seems like your areaportals are slowing you down. Any cyclinders/arches etc. should be turned in func_detail, IMO. Even two or three cyclinders can slow your VVIS time by an insane amount.

Search the web for optimization guides and use that to optimize your map a bit better.
 
S

Squirrelly

run your compiles are the lowest and fastest settings until your map is closer to finish.

theres no point of running things at the highest setting when ur just looking to check simple things in your map.

Also be sure your not running anything else that could slow down your computer or the compile, restarting your computer is always a good idea if its been on for a long time.
 

jahrain

L1: Registered
Jan 5, 2008
39
2
A few tips I found out myself for reducing the amount of vis leafs. 1, of course and it will be drilled repeatedly by forum members, take as much brushes as possible and move them to the entity "func_detail". Only leave the basic structure of buildings, hallways, etc. vvis calculates what sections of the map can see what other sections, and breaks it down by your actual brushes.

Also, for any walls or floors that have been sliced up into sections from various brush cuttings, cover them with a nice solid flat surface with no slices. This will also reduce the amount of vis leafs vvis has to calculate.

Also, make you map as small as possible. Put your skybox materials as closed in on your map as possible to reduce the volume of your map. The bigger the volume, the more space vvis has to calculate.

Also, to reduce vrad times, go into lightmap grid mode, and take every large surface that is not generally going to be seen by the player or has solid lighting with barely any shadowing (for example the dark side of a house or building, or the roof tops) and make the lightmap size much larger, for example from 64 - 128 units per lightmap pixel. This reduces the surface area for calculating radiosity. Also, add the no-draw property to as much surfaces as possible that will never be visible to the players. Like on the back sides of buildings in your skybox for example.

All these things will dramatically reduce your compile times from hours to minutes. After carefully func_detailing my map, my vvis time went from 7 hours, to 5 minutes. After reducing the lightmap sizes in various areas, my vrad times went from 1 hour to 10 minutes.
 

Monte H

L1: Registered
Jan 8, 2008
25
0
I will be sure to do that, like half of my cylinders i forgot to change to func_detail, ill get back to you guys later tonight

Thanks!
 

Monte H

L1: Registered
Jan 8, 2008
25
0
Well, lol I think you were right on the cylinders and stuff... so heres what i had wrong:
8 spikes
45 cylinders


All under world geometry, with a combined total of well over 900 extra faces it was calculating... heh

Thanks so much for the help
:):):):)
 

A Boojum Snark

Toraipoddodezain Mazahabado
aa
Nov 2, 2007
4,775
7,669
It's not so much the faces, but splitting of the world into chunks... do Map>Load Portal File and even if you don't understand what's going on there, you should be able to tell from how things are chopped what all those faces would have done.
 

Deadeye2007

L2: Junior Member
Jan 6, 2008
52
0
I'll post up a technique tonight that will allow you to view, in 3D mode, all of the visileafs in your map. It is abundantly helpful to see where your problem spots are.

I had the same issue with cylinders on an earlier version of my current project. I placed about 8 of them and my compile time went from 3 minutes to 45+. func_detail is a godsend.
 

Monte H

L1: Registered
Jan 8, 2008
25
0
I started compiling last night, and before i made these changes, when i would get up and take a look it would be at
Portalflow 1...2...3...4...5...6

This morning it was at
Portalflow 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8.

Happy me :)
 

A Boojum Snark

Toraipoddodezain Mazahabado
aa
Nov 2, 2007
4,775
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I'll post up a technique tonight that will allow you to view, in 3D mode, all of the visileafs in your map. It is abundantly helpful to see where your problem spots are.
Umm, that's exactly what I said to do, does. Hammer can load the portal file, which contains all the leaves, and display them.
 

Monte H

L1: Registered
Jan 8, 2008
25
0
well, something else happened now, look for the new thread: "what the...?"