- Nov 27, 2009
- 159
- 137
[Guide] Why your displacements won't sew + some
1.Displacements must share an edge
While this is common knowledge for most mappers it may be a little confusing for someone new to hammer. When we talk about displacements sharing an edge it is the Origin to keep in mind.
(A.) How to find a displacement Origin, and basic sewing.
Finding an origin is quite easy, all you have to do is select the displacement in question.
In the top half of the picture we can see how this displacement will look in game, and on the bottom half we see the tessellated displacement over a normal brush. This normal brush is where the displacement started from (a.k.a: the origin) This is what we want to look at when we get ready to sew this displacement to an other.
In the top half we ca see that the displaced faces are not close together, however because the origins are touching they will sew together.
2.Displacements do not have to be the same size
This one is fairly straight forward, for displacements to sew they must be the same size or exponentially bigger or smaller on the side you are sewing. For instance these will sew together.
(Provided the sides were touching)
While this will not
3. Manipulating origins
This is how you can make more advanced displacements easier. The only real way to do this is with vertex manipulation, don't forget that vertexes and displacements go hand in hand. This is the way I would have done a smooth cliff with just the basics of displacing.
As you can see I used three brushes for this, and the middle had to be pushed very far away from the origin. With vertex editing this same kind of displacement is possible with fewer brushes and less work.
(The origin is highlighted in yellow) much less work was required and the displacement face is much closer to the origin. This is a technique used in Gordge as illastrated here (and probably many other maps as well)
4. Power, and Size Matters
Higher power displacements mean more cost to the machine, if you can do it on a lower power, then do it. As void says “Don't use 4-power displacements, ever.” This is because high vertice density can cause crashes, however vertex density is relative to the size of your brush, if you have a massive brush to displace, and power 3 is not cutting it then a power 4 displacement may be in order. This also means that displacing a very small brush with cause that same vertice density crash.
< This will crash tf2
A general rule of thumb i have come up with from looking at lumberyards displacements is that you want no fewer then 64-32 units between vertices.
If you come across a spot where you need more vertices for your displacement instead of using power 4 simply split the brush in half. This will save more of the computers power for other things you want. Just remember with this rule, if it can be done with a lower power then change it down. (Just in case you are not aware, changing the power around does not mean that you have to destroy, and re do it.)
5. Final thoughts
While these things are common knowledge for most people they are very important things to know when doing displacements. Now I would like to touch on a few other things about displacements.
Displacements do not have to be the same power to sew, while they will look better if they are it is not necessary.
Other links regarding displacements that I found helpful:
http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=11308&highlight=displacements
http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=798&highlight=displacements
And Remember Kids Mashing Them Together is Never The Answer
1.Displacements must share an edge
While this is common knowledge for most mappers it may be a little confusing for someone new to hammer. When we talk about displacements sharing an edge it is the Origin to keep in mind.
(A.) How to find a displacement Origin, and basic sewing.
Finding an origin is quite easy, all you have to do is select the displacement in question.
In the top half of the picture we can see how this displacement will look in game, and on the bottom half we see the tessellated displacement over a normal brush. This normal brush is where the displacement started from (a.k.a: the origin) This is what we want to look at when we get ready to sew this displacement to an other.
In the top half we ca see that the displaced faces are not close together, however because the origins are touching they will sew together.
2.Displacements do not have to be the same size
This one is fairly straight forward, for displacements to sew they must be the same size or exponentially bigger or smaller on the side you are sewing. For instance these will sew together.
(Provided the sides were touching)
While this will not
3. Manipulating origins
This is how you can make more advanced displacements easier. The only real way to do this is with vertex manipulation, don't forget that vertexes and displacements go hand in hand. This is the way I would have done a smooth cliff with just the basics of displacing.
As you can see I used three brushes for this, and the middle had to be pushed very far away from the origin. With vertex editing this same kind of displacement is possible with fewer brushes and less work.
(The origin is highlighted in yellow) much less work was required and the displacement face is much closer to the origin. This is a technique used in Gordge as illastrated here (and probably many other maps as well)
4. Power, and Size Matters
Higher power displacements mean more cost to the machine, if you can do it on a lower power, then do it. As void says “Don't use 4-power displacements, ever.” This is because high vertice density can cause crashes, however vertex density is relative to the size of your brush, if you have a massive brush to displace, and power 3 is not cutting it then a power 4 displacement may be in order. This also means that displacing a very small brush with cause that same vertice density crash.
A general rule of thumb i have come up with from looking at lumberyards displacements is that you want no fewer then 64-32 units between vertices.
If you come across a spot where you need more vertices for your displacement instead of using power 4 simply split the brush in half. This will save more of the computers power for other things you want. Just remember with this rule, if it can be done with a lower power then change it down. (Just in case you are not aware, changing the power around does not mean that you have to destroy, and re do it.)
5. Final thoughts
While these things are common knowledge for most people they are very important things to know when doing displacements. Now I would like to touch on a few other things about displacements.
Displacements do not have to be the same power to sew, while they will look better if they are it is not necessary.
Other links regarding displacements that I found helpful:
http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=11308&highlight=displacements
http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=798&highlight=displacements
And Remember Kids Mashing Them Together is Never The Answer
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