Blender rather than radiant?

(d|i|g|i|t|a|l) #1

Anyone here know the trick to using Blender to create maps rather than Radiant? As I make this post, I find the perfect emoticons for my experience with radiant, which I have found to be buggy, inconsistent, and counterintuitive to use. It feels like I’m constantly :banghead: when I’m not letting someone do this to me: :bash: . Honestly, I’d much rather just finish my map so I can :drink: if you know what I mean. I know a lot of people have created amazing work with radiant, but for me it just is in the way. Help!

(MadJack) #2

Wrong forum.

(d|i|g|i|t|a|l) #3

HUH? What’s the right forum for this, then? (It’s often useful to suggest to someone how they could do what is right when you are telling them they are wrong)

But honestly, this is a q3map2 forum, and I’m asking a question related to q3map2. What’s wrong with that?

(SCDS_reyalP) #4

Erm, you are asking a question about creating maps, not compiling them. q3map2 is the map compiler. To find out if blender supports either the q3 .map or .bsp format, you would probably be better off asking the blender community. My guess is that it doesn’t, but I haven’t tried to use blender in ages. If you can convert from blender to .ase or .md3, you could make mapobjects with it, but you cannot build a whole map that way.

(d|i|g|i|t|a|l) #5

Erm, you are asking a question about creating maps, not compiling them. q3map2 is the map compiler. To find out if blender supports either the q3 .map or .bsp format, you would probably be better off asking the blender community. My guess is that it doesn’t, but I haven’t tried to use blender in ages. If you can convert from blender to .ase or .md3, you could make mapobjects with it, but you cannot build a whole map that way.[/quote]OK, that’s a sensible answer. From having talked to the blender community, the consensus was, “you can write a python script to import/export just about anything blender.” Which is kind of why I came here - the python interface for q3map2 would be a part of the process. As to the .map format, if anyone has a good link describing that format, I’d be thrilled to look at it. Thanks!

(MadJack) #6

If you’re a programmer you might want to check radiant’s site or even q3map2’s site.

I really don’t have any links as to how the format works except for the obvious of course.

Q3map2’s sources site
Radian’t sources site

HTH

(SCDS_reyalP) #7

Erm, there is no ‘python interface to q3map2’, nor a need for one. What you would need to do is export either a .map (which q3map2 could then compile), or a .bsp. Either of those would be a significant task, far in excess of what it would take to learn gtkradiant, or even dig into the radiant code fix the bugs that annoy you most. If you don’t have the skill to do that, you have no chance of writing a working blender exporter.

If you really want write an exporter, the .map format is not documented that I know of, but it is plain text and fairly simple, and you can look at the gktradiant and q3map sourcecode. http://zerowing.idsoftware.com google and the various mapping forums (this one and quake3world.com) should also give you some information. A nice description of the bsp format is here http://www.gametutorials.com/Tutorials/OpenGL/Quake3Format.htm (which BTW, would be the result you would get if you typed quake3 bsp format in google and hit “I’m feeling lucky”)

The quake3 formats are rather popular, so searching for information and code on google should be fairly productive.

(chavo_one) #8

Here’s a worthwhile description of the map format. It was written for half-life mappers, but is generic enough for anyone mapping here (except for the final bit on wads and such).
http://collective.valve-erc.com/index.php?go=map_format

(Mr_Tickles) #9

Wow, I’m glad you linked to that map format page, very helpful. I did have an idea about how the planes and the brushes were created but wasn’t totally sure of the textures application on them. Also, I’m still wondering where the default position for the texture axes are on the plane? I guess the compiler and the editor must both have to agree on this otherwise it would lead to some funny texturing in game. Does it take, from the vertices of the face, the lowest z value, then the lowest y value then the lowest x value as the order of precedence when it works out which vertex of the face should be the origin of the texture graph?

I do want to do a mini project involving .map files in the future and this will be a handy reference, thanks for posting it :slight_smile: :nod:

(MadJack) #10

iirc, and that’s a long time ago, texturing is done from the brush’s origin, probably as seen in the editor’s 2D window.

I’m sure someone with the correct answer will hit me on the fingers if I’m wrong :smiley:

EDIT: I just visited the URL above and I’m wondering where the DETAIL flag is kept…
Any insight anyone?

(Mr_Tickles) #11

Hmmm, so… where would the brush’s origin be?

(SCDS_reyalP) #12

It’s not there, because is the map format for halflife, which being a quake1/quake2 game, had no detail.

edit: In quake 3 it is stored in flags for the planes, even though it applies to the whole brush.
(extract of an actual q3 map here http://www.quake3world.com/ubb/Archives/Archive-000004/HTML/20020703-6-019324.html )
At compile time, this is may be overridden by the shader.

Another good link:
http://www.planetquake.com/spog/stuff/technical.html

edit again: make teh linky worky

(MadJack) #13

Q3W’s post is 404 btw

The other link’s content is by SPoG… :notworthy: Revere SPoG! BOW to him :smiley:

(Makro) #14

My guess is that the editor/compiler calculates the absolute values of the dotproduct of the plane normal and each of the 3 axes and chooses the one with the greatest result. The texture is then projected on the corresponding plane, the origin of the texture (s,t = 0,0) being the origin of the world (0,0,0).