Best way to use cylinders?

[Earl]

Hi, I am making a map that will have a bunch of large cylinders as main geometry (grain silos to be exact), and I was wondering if any of you had some insight as to the best way to construct them.

These are large cyliders (>400 units in diameter), with 32 faces and they will be placed in a semicircle with players able to move between the gaps. I know from this guide: http://www.student.ru.nl/rvanhoorn/optimization.php?chapter=func_detail that making them world brushes would bring vis to its knees, so I am thinking the best way to go is to make them func_detail. However--is it a good idea to make such large objects func_detail? Also, what is the difference between func_detail and func_brush?

Thanks!

 

[Shmitz]

Do these structures significantly block a player's view to another area of a map, such that the other area of the map may not get rendered?

If no, then make them all detail, regardless of how large they are.

If yes, then plug the round "hole" with the square peg. Make a square nodraw brush so that it's corners are touching the cylinders sides. Then chop your cylinder up so that you're left with four rounded slices, one for each face of your square. Only the inner nodraw square would be world geometry. The rounded portions would all be detail.


Also, the difference between func_detail and func_brush, aside from being able to manipulate the func_brush in more ways, is that a func_brush does not block light, while func_detail is treated by rad as if it were world geometry.

 

[jakeparlay]

another option, if you don't want to clip/split the cylinders, you can always function detail them and then bury rectangular nodraw brushes inside them. this will allow you to block visibilty without murdering the silos into pieces. granted, theres a graceful way to slice em up (shmitz's way), but this third method (illustrated below) is effective and not as 'messy' as it first appears

purple are regular buildings, tan are the silos, and yellow is your nodraw work.

and shmitz, not to be a know it all, but func_brushes can easily block light... it all depends on if enable shadows is checked.

 

[Earl]

Ok, cool, my first impression was correct. I was going to do the square-peg-in-a-round-hole thing to block visibility.

func_detail still clips player movement, right?
Edit: Yes it does.


Thanks!

 

[Shmitz]

and shmitz, not to be a know it all, but func_brushes can easily block light... it all depends on if enable shadows is checked.

Well, I was looking at it more from detail brushes always block light. Which is why in Portal the windows on the observation rooms are func_brushes, as they're nodrawed on the back and would block the light from the room if they were detail.

Are shadows from func_brushes dynamic, or are they lightmapped? Either way it seems like they'd be more expensive.

 

[jakeparlay]

func_brush shadows would be lightmapped iirc... brush entities like phys_boxes go dynamic. but you're right, more expensive than your average func_detail