Need help to hide brushes you can see through the skybox

Jox

L1: Registered
Feb 12, 2009
8
0
SOLVED: Need help to hide brushes you can see through the skybox

I'm all out of ideas on how to hide that part of the map when you're in the air and can see through the 3d skybox.

What I've tried:
  • Placing a hint in the passage
  • Extending the actual brush in the world
Searched for a lot of options on how to do that, occluders would work, but they affect only props, would like to know if areaportals are effective in this situation.

I wouldn't want to mess with brushes(like air pockets with tiny connections to the map just to make a surface visible), since they are expensive and it would destroy my maps simplicity.

I can just sense that there is a very simple way of doing this, but can't find out how.

Screens:
 
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Zeewier

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 20, 2008
619
262
The brownish brush is inside the 3dskybox?

I think the best solution is remove the nodraw and change it to the browinsh brush, and connect it with the brush in the skybox

EDIT: noclip -> nodraw xD
 
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Jox

L1: Registered
Feb 12, 2009
8
0
In hammer, the brown brush is for reference when I was making the 3d skybox, I kept it if something went wrong. And by "noclip" you mean "nodraw"? And the nodraw is in a different altitude than the skybox, and the outside of brushes is not rendered when compiling the map, only the inside is rendered.

Another shot:
 

Zeewier

L9: Fashionable Member
Sep 20, 2008
619
262
:/ i always type noclip instead of nodraw xD
but nodraw lets you look trough that I think...
 

Sgt Frag

L14: Epic Member
May 20, 2008
1,443
710
The only way to block that is like you said, put a hollow space there that isn't sealed off from the map so the faces will still be drawn. It's not gonna make a huge difference to have a few spots like that anyway. It won't kill your performance.

But why? Is it somewhere players can jump above? Or are you trying to block view of spectators, in which case I'd say it's a waste of time/effort.

Or just move the skybox back further and have an actual dirt brush right there. Again it most likely won't kill performance.
I had to do that with my current arena map. It's on a dam so there's a lake behind it, putting half the lake in the skybox had some ugly effect so it's all in the world now. I just used cheap water as a trade-off.
 

Jox

L1: Registered
Feb 12, 2009
8
0
Yes, It's something a player can see when jumping up high (it's not that high actually).

Well, I guess that I'll have to make those "air pockets". But I hate that, because when something goes wrong, complexity makes it really hard to track down. But I guess I can let that happen, because the map is in its final steps to completion.

Anyway, thanks!
 

UKCS-Alias

Mann vs Machine... or... Mapper vs Meta?
aa
Sep 8, 2008
1,264
816
Well, i know that its coused by visleafs. I have drawn the couse why this happens and 2 solutions.

at1.jpg

The way of 2 is by moving the skybox away while you can simply give the roof of that area a texture. its the easiest way and many times is effective. The player clip ensures the gameplay doesnt change as players still get blocked by the clipping where previously this was the skybox

In 3 i showed how hints can solve it. however, this can require either multiple hints to ensure any height does show it. You can also have a higher wall. Its however the hard way and in some cases wont help.

I suggest #2 as that roof can also have some nice detailing making the map look more interesting. (also, dont mind the width of the black brush on #3, as the top and right side arent shown this can be harder to perform which is another reason to go for #2)

Note, blue lines are hints, dotted red is player clip and black are normal walls or the skybox
 

Jox

L1: Registered
Feb 12, 2009
8
0
I wanted to go for hints, but now I see that it's too complicated, I guess I'll just stick with player clip.

Thanks a lot for the help!
 

Sgt Frag

L14: Epic Member
May 20, 2008
1,443
710
All hints do is divide up vis-leafs so you can limit player views. You may or may not be able to use them to cut out that stairwell from rendering. But most likely it'll just flash in/out at different heights.

The main problem here is that ANY world geometry that can be seen will always render in front of skybox terrain. Even if the skybox terrain 'should' be in front.

I think the best option is to leave the dirt above it world geometry and just player clip so the players can't jump onto that ledge. Then move the skybox back beyond that. It's not that big of a space, most likely it would be displacement dirt and I doubt it'll have any effect on FPS or performance.

Most Valve maps actually have a space of world geometry between play area and skybox anyway.