Map2Dif Errors and solutions : Feedback

#1 I think it would be valuable to have a page that lists the most common map2dif errors in one page with the typical reasons (e.g. not Valve 220 format) and the explicit error message. While working on the DeleD exporter I wasted hours of time searching the forums to manually collect this information and thought I was the only one having these problems for some time. If I had known other back then, I would have set up such a page some time ago.

#2 Got any of those notes left dirkk? ;)

#3 I anticipated this question before I posted this (of course :-). Yes, I do think so - I'll look into what I got

#4 I haven't figured out how to fix it but, After compiling and with no errors- the in-game dif shrinks, distorts, and or increases in size? Not all geometry but usually the thinner brushes when it does happen. I change geometry, scale, etc until it comes out right...? Is there a better way? Arrgh! I can't wait til the map2dif moves into CSG! Many of these problems will be gone:)
Thanks

#5 @Eric: Can you send me a model that has this problem?

#6 I fixed all my current dif's but, I'm sure I'll see it soon enough and I'll send you something.

#7 I like this resource FruitBat. All of my walls are 16 points think and I used the grid for placing every object so I know there are no overlaps or openings and I still get light leaks.

I'm hoping the lighting pack will make it go away. Although I think it's wrong to have to buy it to make it work.

I'm using radiant and if I understand you said that all openings should be covered with portals. Are portals a type of brush? I don't see it in the radient menus. I'm on a mac so I don't have access to quark.

#8 @Joe: Portals are an entity (if they are called that in radiant) I'd ask if anyone has got the torque entities in radiant and how they did it. If you don't have any portals you WILL get light leaks, they are essential to the lighting process, once you've added portals you may find those anomolies dissapear.

EDIT: Can you delete the duplicate thread from the main post please :)

#9 @ FruitBatInShades

Can you please explain me what is glueing or taging?

I have a Problem that i discribe in this thread and i think i must glue them together but do not found out till now.

http://www.garagegames.com/mg/forums/result.thread.php?qt=23606


I think i will have a lot of fun with dif too in the next weeks

Mathias

#10 Sorry Mathias, no idea in radiant, I don't use it!

#11 Glueing a tagged surface or even vertices is used mainly for alignment of brushes in Quark.

#12 I'm new to quark and am trying to learn the ins and outs of the tools... how would I correctly cut/edit/trim/glue these two corners to not overlap but still be sealed and attached...

note: one would be straight while the other would be at an angle (trying to make outer castle walls)
I'm trying to learn the right way so I don't have to go back through and re-edit or re-create every corner correctly :)
Thanks !

#13 Select the blue brush, ctrl-B. That will subtract the blur brush from the red one. You'll notice that the red brush now turns into 2 brushes. The main one and a little triangle to fill the gap.

#14 Thank you, very much appreciated :)

#15 I have a question about portals for you fruitbat. Are portals supposed to eliminate any terrain that is inside the portaled area from being rendered? Because i am following your instructions for portal placement but i am still seeing terrain rendered in my underground structures.

Edit:

I just ran a quick portal test and it turns out i had leaks. however, when i built a quick square room with a rectangular exit leading up and portaled it off, the portal worked fine, however the terrain near the exit was still there. it wasnt being rendered after i walked through the portal, however it vanished instantly yet i was walking on it and could not go into the basement of the building.

is there any way around this or am i pretty much limited to above ground structures?

#16 No, terrain will appear inside the interiors no matter what you do I'm afraid. Not sure if there is a workaround.

In the world editor there are 2 brush actions Set/Clear empty. Make sure your structure is where you want it, select a 1x1 brush and set empty on the terrain when the hole from your structure is, you will then be able to go into the cellar etc.

#17 FruitBat,

I added portals to my world and completely closed off any and all windows and doorways which equates to 39 portals. I did so in the manner that you suggested it the main thread in which the portal is thinner than the walls and over lap the walls by two points. All my exterior walls are 16 points thick and every wall is mitred to 45 degree angles. I can guarantee that no portal touches a detail brush as I have no detail brushes. I use radiant and I can't figure out how to export those so everything is a structural brush.

Sadly I'm still getting light leaks. Do you have any suggestions as to what to try? Do you know off hand if the lighting pack fixes all this? Because for $50 I'm ready to just plunk it down, my time is worth more.

Thanks for any pointers. I look forward to your interior manual.

#18 The lighting pack is worth $50 of anyones money, get it!

The mitred walls usually allow light to leak in, I found that very annoying, but just use the edges of normal blocks instead. As for exporting the portals, I have no idea, they need to be marked as a portal entity but i've no idea how you can do that in radiant, sorry!

#19 FruitBat,

I think you miss understood, I did create the portals. I wrote a program that made the portals for me. I create a brush with a special texture then I wrote a program that parses the map file and turns the brush into a portal. I can see on the output that it works. So i do have the portals.

In regards to mitreing you say that it usually allows lights to leak in. Does that mean that I should butt the two walls together or overlap the ends? As an analogy, I'm thinking of how you would build a wall in legos if that wall were one layer of bricks high.

Thanks for your feedback by the way.

#20 A few thoughts:-

1. Are you sure your portal routines works and sets the portal to "Do not let light pass"
2. Have you done a basic room with a door and a portal to check?
4. Have you set the portal texture to the NULL texture?
3. Have the corners butt up to each other but not overlap (i.e make sure one brush is not inside the other)