Here's hoping you guys can help, I'm a bit new at mapping. I have tried searching the forums for an answer to this, so far to no avail, so apologies if this problem has been solved before, but-

I keep getting a 'side with no normal' and 'entity X has a coplanar plane' error when i try to compile my map. By process of elimination, I have found this due to creating a really small cylinder (about 3x3x2). What the hell does this mean?/How can I fix it? I need the thing to be that small (it's supposed to be a skateboard wheel), and have tried creating a cylinder with fewer sides, but that leaves me with a cube. REALLY ANNOYING me now.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

Ok,
These problems are normally caused by Vertex Manipulation.
The best way to describe a fix is to look at ZHLTProblems.htm. Unfortunately Merl decided not to include them with version 1.7.

If you dload this file you will find what you are looking for.
ZHLTProblems

Thanks for the file, had a read.

It says that the problem is caused by vertex manipulation, but the cylinder's vertices are Hammer generated- I haven't touched them. Does this mean it just can't cope with cylinders that small? If so, can I make a square 'look like' a circle? Or do I have to mess about with the vertices manually until the error stops?

Sorry if this is a stupid question.

??`|

You can't have cilinders that small. Every vertex has to be on a grid point. When you create such a small cilinder this is automatically done, but it causes some faces to be on the same plane. Your co-planar problem.

Solution: a small cube... It may not look so good but a cilinder so small is too detailed for the grid. I would use a model for such a detailed thing...

A cube will work aswell, as no one pays attention to the round-ness of skateboard wheels

use a 3d-like texture so even of its a cube it trickses the eye making it looks like a cylinder, silly hobbitses.

...3d texture?

I think he means either a texture with relief or a texture with a circel on it (the wheel) and the rest transparant ( {-texture).

Could you define 'the rest' for me? If you mean that I can apply a texture with a circle on and make the rest of the face transparent, then could you tell me how please?

Thanks

It requires the texture-name to start with a '{', and the transparant parts need to be the last color from the textures color palette (wich is automatically made a blue color in Wally, when the texture-name starts with that '{').

Then, when you apply it to a face, the brush that it is on needs to be made an entity, for example a func_wall, with Render FX set to 'Solid' and Render Amount set to '255'.

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

nope i was talking about a "3d-like" texture, not a "3d" ones. e.g., try the a "pipe" texture, you will see that there are shadows on top and bottom. this gives a 3d look. if your far away from the object, you wont notice that it is a block (cube).