Problem with HDR, bloom and cubemaps

[Jack5]

I'm developing the map Hybrid and am having an issue with how the map looks after building cubemaps. Without building cubemaps, the map has certain untextured floors. When I build cubemaps with HDR turned off only, people with HDR on complain of blinding lights coming from these surfaces. Now I have resorted to building cubemaps both with HDR on and off, however the HDR version has an unnecessary amount of bloom and shine for some reason. Why is this happening, and how can I make it look more like the non-HDR version?

Non-HDR version

HDR version

 

[Dr. Orange]

You have to fine tune your HDR settings. If you don't have an env_tonemap_controller allready, create one and give it a name. Then, compile your map with HDR lighting and load it in game. Then open the developer console and use the "ent_fire <name of tonemap controller>" command to tune the different settings of the tonemap. The inputs you'll want to tune are "SetAutoExposureMax", "SetAutoExposureMin", "SetBloomScale", and "SetTonemapRate".

After you've found values that fit your map, go back to Hammer and create a logic_auto that sends these inputs to the tonemap controller on map spawn.

 

[henke37]

Of course, don't forget that the autoexposure is exactly that, automatic. Test both dark and bright areas.

 

[[Rx.] Christian Troy]

When I build cubemaps with HDR turned off only

I'm not sure if it matters in this case but, did you turn off reflections also with mat_specular 0? With an LDR or HDR map that needs to be set for 0 when building cubemaps in both cases then turned back on after.

 

[Jack5]

I have fixed everything now, hopefully. Check version b3 to see if I've done everything right.

 

[Empyre]

I have fixed everything now, hopefully. Check version b3 to see if I've done everything right.

For the sake of people in the future doing a forum search with the same problem (also for curious people like me), what was going wrong and how did you fix it?

 

[Jack5]

I now compile cubemaps with HDR on and off (with mat_specular set to 0, of course).

 

[Another Bad Pun]

mat_hdr_level 2 (if HDR is disabled by default for you)
map yourmap
mat_specular 0
buildcubemaps
disconnect
map anyothermap (itemtest, usually)
disconnect
mat_hdr_level 0
map yourmap
buildcubemaps
quit

For future reference, this is how you should be building cubemaps assuming you've compiled with both LDR and HDR (which you need to do, otherwise LDR players will be fullbright.) If you compile LDR only, you only need to buildcubemaps once.