Is there a way to specify the surface type to a Clip/PlayerClip brush?

  • If you're asking a question make sure to set the thread type to be a question!

MOCOLONI

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 16, 2014
373
89
I've smoothed player movement on a detailed wooden staircase by 'clipping' it all, which now produces default footstep sounds. I would like to keep the wooden sounds but I seem to be unable to.

I've tried editing the 'toolsclip' VMT file and set its "surfaceprop" parameter to "wood" (from "default_silent", which means that there is/was support for surface type?), but it doesn't seem to take any effect.

I've thought of using an unrendered wooden func_brush entity, an idea I then scrapped right away because it may affect the map's performance and filesize, as well as blocking projectiles and bullets. Is there anything I can do? Though it's not a "serious" problem, I would really like to retain proper footstep sounds.
 

freedom

L3: Member
Jan 14, 2017
141
68
I use invisible func_brushes. Works for me. I use them for fences because I don't want collision issues but still a metal sound.
 

MOCOLONI

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 16, 2014
373
89
I use invisible func_brushes. Works for me. I use them for fences because I don't want collision issues but still a metal sound.
To me it's not really an option because I don't want it to block projectiles nor bullets, but simply act as an obstacle to players while producing wooden sounds when walked on.
 

freedom

L3: Member
Jan 14, 2017
141
68
As far as I know, it'd be impossible to do that. You might just want to player-clip it and forget.
 

Heili

L3: Member
Jul 21, 2016
114
59
CS:GO uses varying surface clip brushes and I also tried achieving the same for TF2 with a simple vmt edit of the player clip and block bullet2 textures. They worked until it came to properly release a level, to which the surface defaulted back to concrete (the clip sounded proper if I remember until I packed the textures with VIDE). I did a couple and just got tired of getting them to work, like here:
"LightmappedGeneric"
{
"$basetexture" "tools/toolsplayerclip_wood"
"$translucent" "1"
"$surfaceprop" "wood"
"%compilenodraw" 1
"%compilepassbullets" 1
"%playerclip" 1
"%keywords" "tf"
}
or blockbullets2

"LightmappedGeneric"
{
"$basetexture" "Tools/toolsblockbullets2_dirt"
"$translucent" 1
"$nodecal" 1
"$surfaceprop" "dirt"
"%compileNodraw" 1
"%compileDetail" 1
"%keywords" "tf,Tools"
}
Although I've seen the above method comradecommie mentioned in pl_ququmannz where func brushes with a metal beam texture is used over a construction light to fake a metal surface as clipping.
 

Tumby

aa
May 12, 2013
1,084
1,192
Within TF2, (player)clips can not have any surfaceprop. Doing so will result in the correct sound playing only at random.
Blockbullets can have a surfaceprop, but it will only affect the sounds from walking on it. Shooting it will still act like concrete.
Using an invisible func_brush as a replacement for blockbullets is somewhat common, considering how rarely such a thing is even neccesary in the first place.
In general, don't worry about it. Seriously nobody is gonna care. Half of the C tower on gravelpit sounds like concrete when you walk on it and nobody ever talks about that.
 

MOCOLONI

L6: Sharp Member
Dec 16, 2014
373
89
CS:GO uses varying surface clip brushes and I also tried achieving the same for TF2 with a simple vmt edit of the player clip and block bullet2 textures. They worked until it came to properly release a level, to which the surface defaulted back to concrete (the clip sounded proper if I remember until I packed the textures with VIDE). I did a couple and just got tired of getting them to work, like here:
"LightmappedGeneric"
{
"$basetexture" "tools/toolsplayerclip_wood"
"$translucent" "1"
"$surfaceprop" "wood"
"%compilenodraw" 1
"%compilepassbullets" 1
"%playerclip" 1
"%keywords" "tf"
}
or blockbullets2

"LightmappedGeneric"
{
"$basetexture" "Tools/toolsblockbullets2_dirt"
"$translucent" 1
"$nodecal" 1
"$surfaceprop" "dirt"
"%compileNodraw" 1
"%compileDetail" 1
"%keywords" "tf,Tools"
}
Although I've seen the above method comradecommie mentioned in pl_ququmannz where func brushes with a metal beam texture is used over a construction light to fake a metal surface as clipping.
Pretty interesting information. I wonder if the failure on embedded content is related to (or happened during) the "sv_pure" bug, and/or previous bugs (#1, #2).

Within TF2, (player)clips can not have any surfaceprop. Doing so will result in the correct sound playing only at random.
Mine never did, fyi.