Env_lightglow - How does it work? Tutorial?

[Flippage]

Hey guys,

I've been mapping for a while now, and I wanted to try out some of the cooler special effects. I have seen some screenshots of a env_lightglow being used, and I wanted to try it out. Unfortunately, all that was said was that the guy who made it used a env_lightglow and a few light_spot s.

I tried it myself, putting in a light_spot, and an env_lightglow, both pointing at the same entity. The light_spot was in front. Didn't work at all.

If anyone could tell me how it works, or point me in the direction of a tutorial. That'd be awsome.

One other thing to do with ground. I wanted to make my ground raise up into a mound, like what we saw in the demo videos of half-life 2. Not sure how this one works.

Appreciate any help
Cheers

 

[FireCrack]

cant help you with the first, but for the second you need to use an env_terrainmorph

Put it in your map then turn off smartedit so you cvan set the angles, set it to tthe direction you want the terrain to move (usualy up so select up) and then turn off smart edit and hit ok. When you trigger the env_terrainmorphs beginmorph input it will morph. Use the properties in it to set other things.


One big problem is that the env_terrainmorph doesnt regenerate collisions so you're gonna have to have another peice of gheometry, set to nodraw, for collision that moves up into the area the terrain morphs into.

 

[Flippage]

Ahh, really, ouch. I wouldn't know how to do that. Possibly with a path of somesort ?

I'll play around and see what I get.

Appreciate it

Now I just need the lightglow thingy - Any help is good

 

[FireCrack]

Yeah, a path of some sort or a func_door that's triggered.

Can you tie brushes with displacement surfaces to entities?



anyways, lightglow i have no idea

 

[CREMATOR666]

The env_lightglow shouldn't be "pointed" to an entity, the env_lightglow itself emits a...errrmmm...lightglow Just set the size and color of the glow and put it in front of a window or something.

 

[Flippage]

I just did what you said, and I don't think that is what I'm after. I will get a screenshot for you to see. Might help to explain what I'm after with the light

http://img197.exs.cx/img197/2500/nightfallbackground200030fz.jpg

This is the effect I'm after. The light beams coming in from the side at an angle. Not sure how to do that though.

Help ?

 

[Flippage]

right, figured it out myself

The entity I was actually thinking of was a point_spotlight. To get that cool beam effect. So I got it working anyway

Thanks for all the help fellas

 

[PvtRyan]

I'm pretty sure those are not point_spotlights, but simply prop_static. There's one model for that.

 

[navyseal2004]

right, figured it out myself

The entity I was actually thinking of was a point_spotlight. To get that cool beam effect. So I got it working anyway

Thanks for all the help fellas

Could you tell me the settings you used? I've been wanting to know this for a long time.

 

[Flippage]

sure. I put about 15 point_spotlights, fairly close to each other, just outside a window.

I then angled them so that they pointed inside the window, and into the room.

http://mars.walagata.com/w/statikmunkey/point_spotlights.JPG

I set the length to 400

And the width to 5 for 3 / 4, 10 for 1 / 4 of them. So about 4 or 5 were a little bigger.

The default size is 100 width, which just plain looks terrible.

http://mars.walagata.com/w/statikmunkey/point_spotlights2.jpg

I was thinking of making a few video tutorials for things like this that haven't been covered. Would anyone want to see the video tutorials for things like this? Or do you think no one would be interested ?

 

[geelen]

Er, I think there's a flag so the spotlight doesnt actually light anything up. In your example you can see several little spots on the floor which looks a bit shit. I think the best way to do it is to set up your spotlights to look like your nice rays of light, then light up the room with just one light source. I'd suggest another spotlight outside the window but I'm not sure. Doesnt hl2 have a env_light thingo which works like it's a long way away (to simulate sunlight)? If you got that pointing at the outside of the window the radiosity calculation should take care of the rest.

The beams of light look good through the air, espcially with the dust, by the way...

Oh, and a video tutorial would be awesome. But talk on them. I don't know about anyone else but Ichi3D's videotutorials are much better than anyone else's. Maybe it's because of that sexy Leeds accent

 

[Flippage]

Hah, yeh. Ichi is awsome.

The spots of light on the floor, are meant to be there. Light doesnt just stop in mid air. And it's only an example anyway. You can do what you like with the settings to get them the way you think is good .

I was planning to release a couple of these video tutorials. One for this, one for terrainmorph use ( with audio and such - Make it look realistic ) - So if you like, you and I could chat about it, and work things out ? If you want to be involved that is. And that's assuming people want more video tutorials.

Let me know. Pm or email. Or if you aren't even interested, that's cool too . - This goes to anyone. If interested, and want to work on some video tutorials with me, pm or email .

 

[geelen]

That depends. What accent do you have?

 

[Flippage]

A really bad Australian / New Zealand accent. But I can do:

• Homeless
• Old
• Bad Cop
• Sexy Fireman
• Distressed housewife

My range of languages include:

• English
• Bad English

Just noticed you're in Brisbane. Me too

 

[geelen]

Wow, someone else from Brisbane Well now you HAVE to do a video tutorial. To increase awareness of our fine city.

Maybe we could release a lighting tutorial in the spirit of Steve Irwin. I'm sure it would be the best way to appeal to our fickle foreign audiences.

Personally I'd like to see the terrain morphing one, that'd be cool. Mostly because we all saw it in the e3 demo, but also because it could have some really cool gameplay implications in some cs:s funmaps

Word of advice, though. Play down the niw zulland iccent...

 

[Scragdallion]

Guys, regarding env_lightglow, I made a tutorial using it to recreate the end of tunnel effect.
Not that I want to pimp but it's hosted at hl2mapping.com in the tutorials section (HDRI).

 

[Flippage]

Well, really that is a different effect. Does your tutorial cover the effect I was describing?

That's like saying, I already used the block tool in a video tutorial, so you dont need to make a different one.

Catch me on msn geelen, euro_wizard (at) hotmail (dot) com

We'll talk

But yeh, there is one problem with the terrainmorph, in that, once the terrain is morphed. It is not solid. The actual hitbox of the terrain remains as it was originally. Which is really weird. I have to play around and figure it out.

But yeh, I'll talk to you on msn

 

[Scragdallion]

No the effect I aply in my tut is mainly the light at the end of tunnel effect when driving the buggy and with some windows in the 1p game.
It does however explain how to use the env_lightglow entity as well as point_sun, light_environment, func_areaportalwindow and func_illusionary.

The effect I think you are after - shafts of light? - is a lot simpler (and more efficient) to do than a dozen or so point_spots. It's a texture, pure and simple. There are two versions, one animated and one static, Valve used both applied to a prop for the shafts of light but both textures are available.

Unfortunately, I can't remember their names but they ARE there (filter by "shader" and it will be one of those).

 

[Flippage]

I'm aware of the one for that train level in CS Source. Havent heard of any others.

The end effect though is the same thing though really. And it's not like mine was hard.

Keep in mind, it doesnt matter how you do it, as long as the end result is the same, or similar.

 

[Scragdallion]

Well it can matter. point_spotlights are more expensive performance-wise especially if they are dynamic, than a few func_illusionarys. There is also a hard limit on the number of point entities which I have hit in the past.

Frankly, I'd rather Valve just created a parallel area light that you could drag over the area and set the direction, length, colour of to cover the whole effect.
That of course would have been too easy.

If you have a lot of windows, doorways with this effect, I'd seriously recommend using the func_illusionary and texture, but hey, it's up to you.

Btw, don't let the three posts fool you, I'm not exactly new to this.