Problem item shadow ?

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CafeineMan

L2: Junior Member
Jul 31, 2010
95
17
Hello,

Why the color is so dark ? Is there a trick to avoid that?

P8lmZzh.jpg
 

Tumby

aa
May 12, 2013
1,084
1,190
With most props, it would be enough to enable staticproplighting, as described in this article:
http://www.nodraw.net/2010/12/lighting-compile-options/

However, these pipe props do not support per-vertex lighting. You have two options:

Option A:
Place an info_lighting and give it some name. For example "info_light_01".
Move the info_lighting to be somewhere inbetween all of these pipes.
Next, go into the properties of the pipe and type the name of the info_lighting in the "Lighting Origin" field.
Use the same info_lighting for all four pipes Or use the same info_lighting for all props that are touching/connected.
Problems with this method: The lighting will not appear very realistic. However, it should be good enough.

Option B:
Download this set of pipe props https://tf2maps.net/downloads/industrial-pipes-with-vertex-lighting.8551/
Replace all your pipes with the ones you just downloaded.
Enable the advanced lighting compile options as describe in the article above.
Problems this this method: The pipes will not be shiny. Judging from your screenshot, this won't be a problem anyways.
 

CafeineMan

L2: Junior Member
Jul 31, 2010
95
17
So many thanks! It's works perfectly (option B) !
But I have two other problems with lightning and shadows, could you evently help me again please ?

With a rounded wall (berk) :

kXAPzNI.jpg


And a bloc_light, I don't know why, it creates a transparent space :

3maWofF.jpg
 

Tumby

aa
May 12, 2013
1,084
1,190
You can fix the shadows around the curved thing by not making it a func_detail. Something that only curves inwards like this can made out of world brushes without a problem.
Alternativly, you could also slice up the brushes that are behind it and make sure theres nodraw where func_detail and wall touch.
The reason why this happens is that the wall has a lightmap behind the curved part, which is just messing with the smoothing and everything.

I have no idea what the problem in the second image is.
 

CafeineMan

L2: Junior Member
Jul 31, 2010
95
17
Hi!

It doesn't work. I probably do not understand very well (there's just nodraw on the floor).
My block is divided like that :
BIyEV4g.jpg


I try with a func_brush but it's not perfect :

normal block :
niPfMXS.jpg


func_brush
U7NWgZT.jpg


Can I realy leave the blocks as they are ? It's a big map and I'm not very capable for optimization too.

Thanks again for the time spent answering me, it's very nice.
 
Last edited:

Tumby

aa
May 12, 2013
1,084
1,190
Don't use func_brush! Don't use any type of brush entity! It looks perfect as a world brush.
If you keep it a world brush, the only major problem seems to be a vertical line in the middle. To fix this, the texture needs to wrap around the arch perfectly. That way the compiler knows that it's all supposed to be one smooth thing. Use "Alt + Right Click" to do that. Here are two videos explaning this:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzz14Fu_lGc

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eURuZu5jlIo


A minor problem is that the shadows are very blocky and blurry. Simply select the faces and set the Lightmap Scale to something smaller than 16. Try something like 8 first.
Just keep in mind that more accurate shadows will increase the filesize of the map. Common practice is to make shadows more accurate in complicated areas like that, where it actually makes a difference, and then make the shadows less accurate in areas where nothing much is happening, like a big wall or roof that is evenly lit everywhere.
 

CafeineMan

L2: Junior Member
Jul 31, 2010
95
17
Problem solved :oops: :
AFoBtCV.jpg

I have too much rounded wall or floor and bot don't like rounded wall or floor.
But I'll watch immediatly the video (it will serve for next time). Thanks !

I have an other problem with the compilation (entdata [variable] 353747/393216 (90.0%) VERY FULL! and physics [variable] 6847342/4194304 (163.3%) VERY FULL! ) but I will post soon my map and I hope some of you will help me to improve all of that.

Have a nice day Tumby!
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
aa
Nov 14, 2009
4,694
2,579
The real reason for that problem was that the two flat walls next to it run all the way into the corner where they meet each other. So VRAD was generating lightmaps that continue behind the curved pieces, instead of a single one that wraps all the way around. So the trick is to cut those brushes off where they meet the curve, and then use the alt-right-click method Tumby mentioned.
 

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Tumby

aa
May 12, 2013
1,084
1,190
The real reason for that problem was that the two flat walls next to it run all the way into the corner where they meet each other. So VRAD was generating lightmaps that continue behind the curved pieces, instead of a single one that wraps all the way around. So the trick is to cut those brushes off where they meet the curve, and then use the alt-right-click method Tumby mentioned.
Keeping everything world brushes avoids this problem already. Faces between world brushes are culled during compile, and so there can't be any lightmaps there.
 

henke37

aa
Sep 23, 2011
2,075
515
As for the block light issue, that's a simple misunderstanding. That material doesn't affect rendering. It has no collision geometry and doesn't affect visibility, all it does is acting as a wall while vrad computes lightning data. It is entirely ignored afterwards.
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
aa
Nov 14, 2009
4,694
2,579
Keeping everything world brushes avoids this problem already. Faces between world brushes are culled during compile, and so there can't be any lightmaps there.
I decided to test this out, and it turns out you're right. VBSP cuts any world brushes where they overlap.