mat_parallaxmap

[PvtRyan]

Hi, does anyone have any idea how to enable parallax mapping?
The command is there, it even becomes unresponsive for a while like it's doing something, but with zero result. Restarting the game doesn't work either. All I've gotten it to do was destroy my cubemaps (compiled > buildcubemaps > compiled again, used the old cubemaps > mat_parallaxmap 1 and cubemaps were gone)

Maybe it can be done with the SDK, or maybe even a simple VMT with some parameters will do.

 

[The Dark Elf]

The command works, it does do something, there just isn't very much using it. I think qckbeam said once there was a tree trunk that had it.

 

[Death.Trap]

The command works, it does do something, there just isn't very much using it. I think qckbeam said once there was a tree trunk that had it.

Yup, he was right. Best place to see it is after you get the airboat. You see a couple of logs here and there, they have it.

 

[PvtRyan]

The command works, it does do something, there just isn't very much using it. I think qckbeam said once there was a tree trunk that had it.

Okay, fair enough Is it a setting in their VMT? I might open it up if I can find the VTF for the trunks.

 

[The Dark Elf]

Okay, fair enough Is it a setting in their VMT? I might open it up if I can find the VTF for the trunks.

hmm I'm not entirely sure how its added to the material files for Source.

Qck knows, he tried to explain it to me once, but yeah im an artist not a programmer so I just smiled at him as I understood nothing, the rolled up paper hitting me sharply across the back of the head didn't help much neither.

 

[PvtRyan]

I stumbled upon a VMT with parallax settings by chance:

// envmaptint_fix
"LightmappedGeneric"
{
	"$basetexture" "Concrete/concretefloor019a"
	"$surfaceprop" "concrete"
	"%keywords" "c17downtown"
	"$bumpmap" "concrete\concretefloor019a_normal"
	"$normalmapalphaenvmapmask" 1
	"$envmap" "env_cubemap"
	"$envmapsaturation" 1
	"$envmapcontrast" 1
	"$envmaptint" "[ .56 .56 .56 ]"
	"$parallaxmap" "concrete\concretefloor019a_height"
	"$parallaxmapscale" ".1035"
}

So I guess you need to have a grayscale heightmap too.

EDIT: In search for the heightmap specified, I can't find it, I guess Valve wanted to implement parallax mapping on a larger scale, but never succeeded.

I'm gonna try to make one.

 

[The Dark Elf]

I stumbled upon a VMT with parallax settings by chance:

// envmaptint_fix
"LightmappedGeneric"
{
	"$basetexture" "Concrete/concretefloor019a"
	"$surfaceprop" "concrete"
	"%keywords" "c17downtown"
	"$bumpmap" "concrete\concretefloor019a_normal"
	"$normalmapalphaenvmapmask" 1
	"$envmap" "env_cubemap"
	"$envmapsaturation" 1
	"$envmapcontrast" 1
	"$envmaptint" "[ .56 .56 .56 ]"
	"$parallaxmap" "concrete\concretefloor019a_height"
	"$parallaxmapscale" ".1035"
}

So I guess you need to have a grayscale heightmap too.

EDIT: In search for the heightmap specified, I can't find it, I guess Valve wanted to implement parallax mapping on a larger scale, but never succeeded.

I'm gonna try to make one.

those are the simple part. I was led to believe it needed special fooling around to get them into the material file.

You'll have the heightmap from creating other parts of the surface if you set things up properly, so its nothing to worry about making those.

If its just a simple case of a few extra lines in the VMT then excellent

 

[Pericolos0]

your eyes have been fooled, there was no paralax map. It was a diffuse normal map. parallax mapping is atm, just like HDR Lighting, turned off. We might see it in a later update

 

[PvtRyan]

those are the simple part. I was led to believe it needed special fooling around to get them into the material file.

You'll have the heightmap from creating other parts of the surface if you set things up properly, so its nothing to worry about making those.

If its just a simple case of a few extra lines in the VMT then excellent

Problem is, I probably need to compile the heightmap tga to vtf with certain parameters, with a normal map, that's something like "normal" "1"

But maybe it just doesn't work like Pericolos0 says.

 

[Death.Trap]

your eyes have been fooled, there was no paralax map. It was a diffuse normal map. parallax mapping is atm, just like HDR Lighting, turned off. We might see it in a later update

Meh, looks like your right. =(

 

[PvtRyan]

From: Gary McTaggart
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 1:18 PM
To: Yahn Bernier
Subject: RE: Parallax mapping

Parallax mapping isn't supported. I'm not sure if/when we are going to support it. HDR will be supported in a future update.

So I guess I can stop trying. But HDR is good news :E