Lighting proplems - Any tut's?

[brisck1]

Hey guys just moved on to my next problem now. Ive created a test map with a skybox and an env_light entity in it and a normal light entity to test lighting, but when I compile the map (made sure vis and the rest are ON) it comes into hl2 unlit...

in the console the only error the the map is "unlit" and turns on mat_fullbright 1

Why aren't my lights working? am I using the wrong type of lights?

p.s. im not using any dynamic lights either

 

[Barking_Mad]

I had that problem, and fixed it by re-installing the sdk.

backup any maps etc, select sdk in steam and right click> delete local content. Then delete the sdk folder from SteamApps and let steam re install it.

There may be other ways to fix it, but that did it for me.

 

[The Dark Elf]

Hey guys just moved on to my next problem now. Ive created a test map with a skybox and an env_light entity in it and a normal light entity to test lighting, but when I compile the map (made sure vis and the rest are ON) it comes into hl2 unlit...

in the console the only error the the map is "unlit" and turns on mat_fullbright 1

Why aren't my lights working? am I using the wrong type of lights?

p.s. im not using any dynamic lights either

sometimes while testing maps, if you've run the same map without lighting (and its beein using mat_fullbright 1) it can sometimes not realise when you reload/changelevel/restart that its now got proper lighting.

Another little thing about that, I've noticed some cases while testing and alt+tabbing back and forth from HL2 and Hammer, that HL2 will sometimes stop loading a newer version of the map correctly and as such missing changes you've made. Since in some cases it can be hard to spot happening, its worth shutting HL2 down and reloading now and again, or always saving the maps under a different filename each time, to make sure its loading a proper uptodate version.

 

[brisck1]

Thanks guys, just tried what you suggested Dark Elf, renamed the map and re-compiled it under a different name, but unfortunately it still comes out the same

I had a look at the log file but im not really sure what im lookin at...

** Executing...
** Command: Change Directory
** Parameters: "c:\valve\steam\steamapps\brisck1\sourcesdk"


** Executing...
** Command: Copy File
** Parameters: "C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2\maps\testmap2.vmf" "C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2\maps\testmap2.vmf"


** Executing...
** Command: "c:\valve\steam\steamapps\brisck1\sourcesdk\bin\vbsp.exe"
** Parameters: -game "C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2" "C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2\maps\testmap2"

Valve Software - vbsp.exe (Nov 22 2004)
1 threads
materialPath: C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2\materials
Loading C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2\maps\testmap2.vmf
fixing up env_cubemap materials on brush sides...
ProcessBlock_Thread: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
ProcessBlock_Thread: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (1)
Processing areas...done (0)
Building Faces...done (0)
FixTjuncs...
PruneNodes...
WriteBSP...
done (0)
writing C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2\maps\testmap2.prt...done (0)
Creating default cubemaps for env_cubemap using skybox sky_wasteland02...
Run buildcubemaps in the engine to get the correct cube maps.
Finding displacement neighbors...
Finding lightmap sample positions...
Displacement Alpha : 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10
Building Physics collision data...
done (0) (4776 bytes)
Placing detail props : 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10
Water found with no water_lod_control entity, creating a default one.
Writing C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2\maps\testmap2.bsp
1 second elapsed
Memory leak: mempool blocks left in memory: 49

** Executing...
** Command: "c:\valve\steam\steamapps\brisck1\sourcesdk\bin\vvis.exe"
** Parameters: -game "C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2" "C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2\maps\testmap2"

Valve Software - vvis.exe (Nov 22 2004)
1 threads
reading c:\dawnofthedead\dotd-hl2\maps\testmap2.bsp
reading c:\dawnofthedead\dotd-hl2\maps\testmap2.prt
22 portalclusters
46 numportals
BasePortalVis: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
PortalFlow: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)
Optimized: 0 visible clusters (0.00%)
Total clusters visible: 436
Average clusters visible: 19
Building PAS...
Average clusters audible: 22
visdatasize:312 compressed from 352
writing c:\dawnofthedead\dotd-hl2\maps\testmap2.bsp
0 seconds elapsed

** Executing...
** Command: "c:\valve\steam\steamapps\brisck1\sourcesdk\bin\vrad.exe"
** Parameters: -game "C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2" -extra "C:\dawnofthedead\DOTD-HL2\maps\testmap2"

seems a bit wierd the amount of (0)'s that keep popping up.

Any ideas?

 

[The Dark Elf]

Thanks guys, just tried what you suggested Dark Elf, renamed the map and re-compiled it under a different name, but unfortunately it still comes out the same

I had a look at the log file but im not really sure what im lookin at...



seems a bit wierd the amount of (0)'s that keep popping up.

Any ideas?

yeah, where's vrad? you must have it turned off.. vrad comes last and does the light vrad (RADiosity)

wait I see it, you've got it on -extra mode.. thats never worked for me, and doesn't do the lights atall in that mode, switch to normal and try again.

 

[brisck1]

THANKS Dark! That was the problem. What the hell is "extra" supposed to do I wonder? Mine defaulted to it so I gathered that was the best setting. Nevermind. One more problem down

 

[The Dark Elf]

THANKS Dark! That was the problem. What the hell is "extra" supposed to do I wonder? Mine defaulted to it so I gathered that was the best setting. Nevermind. One more problem down

Before, turning on Extra would give better quality lighting/shadows in a map. And the other day I thought it might be needed to get shadows coming off from prop_Statics (but it turned out vrad had a bug stopping that) so I'm guessing now its redundant since you can just use the lightmap settings per surface to increase or decrease shadow quality where you need it, making it compile faster and making the bsp smaller.

(switch to the lightmap display of the map same way you would the other views) then just change the res (smaller number higher quality) for the surfaces you want.. completely dark or lit ones can be low quality, ones with edges of shadows or edges of other lights on a surface make those higher quality.