Some things about lighting on my new map.....

(rmcnew) #1

Well, I have finally got my map detailed enough to start putting lights up all around it … In some places it does really really well, but in other places it has been casting shadows funny … One place in the courtyard is where I have some scattered dirt covered terrain , does anyone have any hint on maybe something I could do to make it so that it is not look so pixel and box like?

The first picture is where the allies have to blow up the gate to get the lower corridors to blow up some generator hubs. The second one is in the lower corridor where the axis players spawn.


(zl1corvette) #2

For picture one, you could try some phong shading on the ground.
I think picture two looks pretty good so I dunno.

(rmcnew) #3

phong shading, how would I do that?

Yeah, everything below ground looks really good the way it is lit; above ground with the terrain sits where the problem mostly lies.

(rmcnew) #4

Sweet, I did the phong texture, and there was instant improvement … Thanks Zl1corvette.

The only other problem I see that remains is that the shadows that are casted are not very smooth, and sort of have the same problem that the terrain had before I phonged it…

(DAbell) #5

You don’t mention how you are doing your compile, are you using the ‘in Radiant’ compile options or are you using a batch file. If you are using a batch file there are some switches you can add which can help with the shadow problems you are having. This is an example of the test compile batch file i use, i’m pretty sure i don’t get the blocky shadows that your getting. its the -dirty switch that does the job i think. Check out the Q3map2 forum for better advice and for the up to date Q3map2 version which always gives better results.


@rem to use this batch file, drop a .map file on it or run it from a dos window:
@rem > compile <mapname>

@set Q3MAP_PATH="C:\Program Files\GtkRadiant-ET-1.3\q3map\q3map2.exe"
@set ET_PATH="C:/Program Files/Wolfenstein - Enemy Territory"
@set MAP_PATH="C:/Program Files/Wolfenstein - Enemy Territory/etmain/maps/stnazaire.map"
@set GEN_OPTIONS=-fs_basepath "C:/Program Files/Wolfenstein - Enemy Territory/" -game et

@rem
%Q3MAP_PATH% -meta -mv 1024 -mi 6144 %GEN_OPTIONS% -v %MAP_PATH%

@rem
%Q3MAP_PATH% -light -fast -dirty -patchshadows -lightmapsize 256 -gamma 2 -compensate 4 %GEN_OPTIONS% -v %MAP_PATH%

Hope this is a little use for you.

D

(rmcnew) #6

Yeah, I will try that, thanks …

I’ve tried every option for the light except for the -vis option, which I can’t use because it gives me a max_ something error, and I dion’t want to scale down my map to try to make the error comfy so I can’t use the compile options with the -vis.

(TFate) #7

Not sure, but I think compiling with “(simulate old style -light -extra) -BSP -meta, -vis, -light super 2” smooths out those shadows.

You’re getting a max_ error because you haven’t made any of your brushes into detail. I suggest making your whole terrain into detail, you should be fine compiling -vis after that. (Select the terrain, right-click, and go to “Make selected brushes detail.”

(rmcnew) #8

Well, I tried what you have just suggested, but after I select the terrain and make iit detailed it deletes the terrain and tthe compiler tells me there is a leak. I must not be doing something right.

(TFate) #9

Oop, it’s actually just “Make Detail.” And there must be something seriously wrong, because Radiant does not delete brushes that are simply made into detail. Make sure you don’t have detail brushes filtered off.

Press CTRL-D to toggle the detail brush filter. Any oddly shaped brushes or small brushes that aren’t meant to block your view should be made detail. You should do a search for more info on what is supposed to be detail and what’s not… (detailing is necessary).

(The Wanderer) #10

the reason your shadows are “blocky” is because your lightmap resolution is probably too low. Easiest way to fix this is to select the brushes where you want finer detail and turn them into a func_group. Then add a _lighmapscale key with a value of 0.5 or 0.25. (I believe the default value of 1 for _lightmapscale is 1 lightmap pixel for every 16 game units but don’t quote me on that).
The nice thing about this is that you can just add the detail to specific areas that need it and leave the rest as is, so that performance is not affected much.