[Tip] Quickly modify many props' properties

[Nineaxis]

So say you've made a payload map, and after you compile, you suddenly realize you forgot to disable Vphysics on all your tracks as your console is flooded with enough spam to rival Hormel Foods.

Good thing there's an easy way to select a hundred props and change their solidity!

First step: open the Entity Report. This can be accessed by going to Map -> Entity Report.

Second step: change the filter to Point Entities (because prop_static is a point entity) and make sure "By key/value" is checked. Now, type "track_" into the second box, and watch as the entity report is filtered and only prop_statics show up.

Third step: Select all the prop_statics in the entity report, click the Properties button on the right, then change the Collisions property to Not Solid. Like magic, not more console spam!

This technique can also be used on shrubs and other props you'll have a lot of and you'll want to make sure are not solid.

 

[Shmitz]

Don't forget the fact that now you can use the -onlyents option in vbsp to push those changes into the map without doing a full recompile.

 

[The Political Gamer]

+400th thank!

 

[Ninjilla]

Awesome tip! No more ctrl+click spam D:

 

[re1wind]

edit: yeah i didn't read closely enough. heh. At least you can apply the same principle to fade distances for your props, and filter out the props you want to have further fade distances than others.

Also, if you have several props using the same model and only want to edit those props, you can select those through the window by ticking the "By key/value" box and entering "model" in the first one and the name of the model you're interested in.

That way you can tweak props that use the same models, and if one model behaves in a certain way, the player would expect them all to behave the same.

Another hint is that you can easily apply fade distances to all your props and then just tweak them in small groups. Gets the fade working on all props in a few seconds.

Hence, you can apply a smaller fade distance to most static props, and then filter out everything that isn't a rock model (pun, sorry) and increase the fade distance of them all in one go. It doesn't remove manual tweaking but it reduces the work load.