nolighting update: new error - WindingFromDrawSurf

(mazdaplz) #1

pretty straightforward problem, although strange.

i added a pier to my map, then tried to compile and time after time, the light stage failed.

what is going on? maybe i ran out of space for lightmaps? i am using gridsize 2x as big as normal

i can’t believe that 30 brushes can mess it up like that, can it?.

thanks in advance

(S14Y3R) #2

Hi, using radiant to compile? Have a look in the console while its compiling(press o) and see what error pops up.

(kael) #3

While the light phase was progressing, your compiler would have shown verbose results to you.

Did you check them up?

If you can’t figure out the problem, you may first identify your shaderlist.txt is correct.

:poke:

(mazdaplz) #4

ok, yesterday i did a complete check, and i found nothing.

i sent the file to a mapper friend of mine, and his radiant did display an error:
safe_malloc failed.

i researched on how to overcome this and i finally fixed it with -lomem in the compile settings.

i am still searching for ways to reduce memory usage though, any tips would be greatly appreciated.

and thanks for the replies guys :stuck_out_tongue: you definitely helpd

(kael) #5

I’m glad I could help. :slight_smile:

There are many ways to reduce memory usage.
As far as I know, following tips are useful and important, and there will be more!

Brushworking:

  1. Intelligent detail/structural brushwork.
  2. Clean brushwork. It also means do not overlap brushes each other.
  3. Adaptive hint & skip brushwork.
  4. Get rid of T-junctions as far as you can.
  5. Use _lightmapscale rarely and do not use it on worldspawn entity.
  6. Increase gridsize of your map. But this will produce lower resolution.
  7. Caulking. This affects compiling time but memory… I have no idea. :wink:

Compiling:

In q3map2, safe_malloc() that is C-function allocates dynamic memory for data initialization.
But if most of memory is occupied by other running processes, maybe compiling will be mostly failed, or compiler will spend more time on working even if any errors are caused.
So memory should be sufficient before compiling work.
The best way is killing all running processes like MSN Messenger, WIExplorer, Photoshop, … (including Radiant!) except for the q3map2 command window, but this is too annoying for me, I prefer to leave only Radiant. :evil:

  1. Do not use -samplesize.
  2. Do not use -super on light phase. It wastes more memory and more time than -samples.
  3. It is another good way to use -lomem on light phase but compiling will be slower.
  4. Buy more RAMs! :moo:

Have fun!

(mazdaplz) #6

ok i still need a little more help, i got another error saying:

--- MakeEntityMetaTriangles ---
0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9... (1)
    17397 total meta surfaces
    17397 stripped surfaces
        0 fanned surfaces
        0 patch meta surfaces
    52890 meta verts
    18096 meta triangles
--- TidyEntitySurfaces ---
    17397 empty or malformed surfaces deleted
--- SmoothMetaTriangles ---
0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9... (12)
     9604 smoothed vertexes
--- MergeMetaTriangles ---
0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10... (30)
      791 surfaces merged
   176459 vertexes merged
--- FilterDrawsurfsIntoTree ---
WindingFromDrawSurf failed: MAX_POINTS_ON_WINDING exceeded
************ ERROR ************
WindingFromDrawSurf failed: MAX_POINTS_ON_WINDING exceeded

and it does not say which brush is responsible, how do i go from there?? i need some help desperately

(S14Y3R) #7

give this a look:

http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14188&highlight=maxpointsonwinding

(mazdaplz) #8

thanks again for the reply :slight_smile:

so the only way to fix this is to use q3radiant???

i downloaded it yesterday and i aws hoping to use it to solve my problem but;

q3radiant asks for an install of quake3, it is not compatible with et or any other games, i do not own quake3!!!

so i downloaded openarena, and after several hours i was ready to try again except it wont compile because it says it can’t find the path.

wth? how come q3radiant is so user UNfriendly when gtkradiant is so cool.

what would i need to do to fix q3radiant? did i download a wrong version? i hope so

(S14Y3R) #9

q3Radiant? huh?

I was referring to the solution to your latest problem:

q3radiant isn’t even mentioned in that thread :? if you “need” to use it, when its asking for quake3 directory, it just wants to know where to put the /script /maps /etc folders for q3.

But just use GTKRadiant.

follow the instructions above for your MAX_POINTS_ON_WINDING error.

(mazdaplz) #10

well maybe i was getting something wrong.

/////////////////////

SOLUTION: Here is what to do to find your MAX_POINTS_ON_WINDING problem and fix it:

  1. Compile your level, fullvis (no light), with the normal Q3radiant compiler.
    (i only have gtkradiant with the latest q3map2)

  2. The error will appear with three numbers at the end (it doesn’t- you can read the exact error 2 posts up where i pasted it- there’s no coordinates whatsoever),

and i requote it just for the sake of it:

--- MergeMetaTriangles ---
0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10... (30)
      791 surfaces merged
   176459 vertexes merged
--- FilterDrawsurfsIntoTree ---
WindingFromDrawSurf failed: MAX_POINTS_ON_WINDING exceeded
************ ERROR ************
WindingFromDrawSurf failed: MAX_POINTS_ON_WINDING exceeded

it doesn’t mention any xyz coordinates or any specific brush.
so, how do i go about fixing that now? i have no idea where the guilty cloned brushes are

i was hoping q3radiant would give me different kind of info when i compiled since gtkradiant wont do something useful

thanks for your time again :smiley: it is really a pain to explain things right and be understood i am sorry if i don’t come across clearly

(S14Y3R) #11

doh, i read q3radiant compiler as q3map2…habit, sry.

might help:

This error often occurs when there are just too many vertices on a brush. Look for long, thin brushes and clip them (Shift-Enter) into multiple brushes to get rid of the error.

WindingFromDrawSurf failed: MAX_POINTS_ON_WINDING exceeded:
“There are too many vertices repeating themselves along a single axis. This can be caused by ladders. It can also mean you have a “brush side polygon” somewhere with more than 64 corner points.”

Have any really tall ladders with brush steps?

Have you tried compiling with a different version of q3map2?

Sorry for misunderstanding, I guess all the old pros are off playing with ET:QuakeWars SDK :twisted:

(mazdaplz) #12

ok, so i would have responded earlier but my map takes longer than 1 hour to compile.

i have to thank you S14Y3R, when i was looking for windows and columns to erase, it was actually the floor that was just one big brush on a large area of the map.

my advice to all mappers who still didnt get this error:

don’t use big brushes for the floor; the structural walls that make up the caulk hull should be cut in half if they reach about 5-9 stories high