How do I add water???!!!

[needtoknow]

Yes, extremely noobish question but I need to know. I've read the SDK document about water at least 10 times and I'm still stuck.

Ok, so I create a brush and apply the NoDraw texture the whole thing. Then I go in the texture appliance and select face mode, select the top face of the brush and apply a water texture to it. I usually put water02 yet I've tried just about every water texture to no avail.

Then I put an env_cubmap attached to the brush. Then run the game (HLDM if it matters).

Now the things thats wrong is that the water is technically there. When I jump into it and go below the surface everything is as it should be. I can swim in it, look up and see the surface of the water as it's supposed to look like and so on. The problem is unless I'm below the surface of the water, I can't even tell its there. It's 100% transparent. I see the "ocean floor" as if there's nothing between me and it, just like blank space. Yet when I shoot the "water", I get bullet splashes and such. It's like it's invisible above the surface yet there.

Put simply: I'm not getting the watery, shiny effect when I'm above the water. It's like it's not there and it's blank space yet when I jump into it, it is there. Hard to explain but I hope you somewhat understand.

What I want it to be used for is strictly for decorative purposes. People probably won't ever even get in the water on this map, yet its usually around them and must look nice.

I really though this would be easy but I've tried all I can. I always try buildcubemaps, I tried attaching a function_water entity to the brush, everything. No luck. Please help this (as it turns out) noob.

 

[ray_MAN]

Yes, this is a common problem, and so far I have yet to find a solution. I am currently experiencing this problem, too. :\

 

[SimonomiS]

Sorta the same, except when I go underwater, it acts like Im not, I move as if Im not even in the water, but my oxygen drains.

 

[needtoknow]

Well now I don't feel so stupid. Surly someone must know how to add water though, I mean I've seen dozens of maps with water in. Or is this happening because of the update to the SDK?

 

[gokumike]

add the entity water_lod_control on top of the brush.

 

[needtoknow]

Tried it. Still no luck.

 

[Lamer]

try moving ur cubemap around (higher) an type "buildcubemaps" in console- im a n00b too so im just sugesting

 

[dawdler]

Tried copying the stuff from the SDK example?

 

[clarky003]

i had this problem,, try rebuilding the skybox it fixed it on a regular basis for me ... go for the full overhall.. around your map features, floor, skybox walls.. and then create your 3D skybox using that as reference if your going to use one... add your water back in as a fresh brush... should clean the problem up.

 

[Revenge]

Just out of curiousity... Has anybody who runs the game in dx8 mode or lower been able to create water in their maps?

The SDK mentions that buildcubemaps basically records what the water should look like so that it can later be faked on dx7 and dx8 systems.... But if you can't actually render what the water should look like on your system... Then how are you going to record it?

 

[d'keesto]

Two more things to try:

Make sure you don't have leaks.

Make sure VVIS is turned on when you compile. That's what did it for me.