Ugly Light Created 16 years ago2008-08-12 13:49:08 UTC by Striker

Hi ! I just got source SDK and I want to ask you a bunch of questions.
First of all , I'm doing some test maps to familiarize myself with the new hammer and engine .Why the lights are so ugly ? I mean , look what contrast they're generating . In Half-Life 1 the plae near the light wouldn't be so black ( dark is a too good word )
Second of all , how can I use wads and how to include them ? I can only use materials ......
Third of all , can I import hammer 3.5 prefabs ?
Thanks in advance.

[EDIT]
What's the equivalent of trigger_auto in source ? I can't find it :/
Why the "light" entity doesn't have a "parent" field ?

"Why the lights are so ugly"

To put it simple, that's not litten very well at all;

Part of updated game lighting means more contrast, which is a good thing in the right hands.

If you want less contrast, lower your light downward a little further or tweak with the ambient light settings in the lights properties.

Second of all , how can I use wads and how to include them?

Wads are now out of date, materials are the new textures. You cant really use wads in the new hammer. If you want to place new textures in, it requires a little more work than in goldsource. Unless you create textures of your own (you'll need to find tuts on it), hammer automatically imports the texture sets of all of the main valve games that you own.

Goldsource Prefabs

Worthless.. You could transfer the brushwork over, but you wont have the textures. That makes most prefabs worthless :/

What's the equivalent of trigger_auto in source ? I can't find it :/

There's not an exact one, but a nice way to cheat it I guess is to place a trigger_once brush over the info_player_start of your map with the same triggers. Gets the same job done-

Why the "light" entity doesn't have a "parent" field?

The light entity is a static light entity. If you want a light entity that you can parent, use a light_dynamic.

Sorry if any of that came out harsh

Lights: I expect you're either not compiling with full VIS or RAD, or you're using model/prop textures on brushes.

Wads: No. Source doesn't use them.

Prefabs: why on earth would you want to?

trigger_auto: logic_auto

parenting lights:You can't. They're not dynamic entities.

Quite nice responses . Thanks
I'll see what I can do ....
The light problem concerns me now ....

[EDIT] Looks like I have another problem . How do I set the new logic_auto entity to work ? Oh , let me guess , using this ? :And also.... where's func_train

Outputs are pretty self-explanitory. Use the dropdown menus to select various options.

Output named: is the trigger condition,
via this input: is the action,
parameter override: is the value.

func_train is obsolete and has been replaced entirely by func_tracktrain which is much more flexible.

Actually, the func_tracktrain in Source is a major pain in the ass to work with.

The func_train is indeed obsolete, but it can still be used. There's simply no FGD code for it, so its not in the list of entities. To get it back, go here: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Func_train

Hehe, nice-

I've never had a use for automatic map spawning entities to start working and you found logic_auto.

I have an input/output tutorial that i'm supposed to be writing, but until then write into the logic_auto's onput tab:

My output named:OnMapSpawn
Targets entities named:lumina
Via this input:Turn On

and leave the rest at default.

Assuming lumina is a light entity, this entity tells the light to turn on at the map start (AKA, map'spawn')

And I agree with the func_train thing though.. They dont exist normally anymore and I miss them too. Now func_tracktrain is all that exists, and its more complicated than it needs to be.

So wait a second , from what I understand , source made it harder to create some entities ?
"OnMapSpawn" and "turn on" are commands the engine recognize ?

Actually it made it easier in a lot of ways, you just have to know how it works.

You'll notice that next to "My Output", "Target Entities Named", and "Via This Input" are dropdown boxes that should have what i've listed and other options in it.

I love the I/O system in a way that makes goldsource mapping pretty much unbearable to me :/

Use the dropdown boxes

Oh I noticed that now !
My lights are better ( I switched to FULL HDR compile)
How can I use the "texture-lights" ? Please don't tell me they're gone !

Tex lights aren't gone, they just aren't exactly 'good' anymore.

They lack control thats generally needed

Oh yay ! I can use multiple outputs from the same logic_auto !
Ok , I hope I don't get on your nerves , but I have some other problems now .
The light_dynamic isn't lit up. Even with a logic_auto. The color is white .

Not really sure, tbh-

That doesn't tell me a whole lot :/

Oh sorry , can we speak of this tomorrow ? I'm a little tired now . Tomorrow evening I'll have some free time .

Striker, i know exactly how you feel about this Input/Output system. The first time i used it, it just made me go nuts because it didn't made any sense to me at all.

I hated it.

Until, after some more fiddeling with different kinds of Outputs, i finally began to understand how it works.

You'll get to that point too sooner or later, but only if you keep trying.

I'm kinda used to it , as I play Garry's Mod. But it's a little different here

Can somebody provide me with a vmf were a light_dynamic attached to a moving train actualy works ? Thank you.

Can somebody provide me with a vmf were a light_dynamic attached to a moving train actualy works ? Thank you.

I can. Give me some time to put it together.

Also note that a light_dynamic is a very expensive entity, so don't use many of them.

"very expensive entity"
do you mean it will hurt the fps ?

Yes, but only if you use many of them. But if you're doing a singleplayer map, you can have a couple more. Just don't overdo it. For regular lights, use light entities.

I just want to see an example of a moving light_dynamic entity for now.

Like i said, im puting something together. Just wait. WAIT!

Edit:
Ok here it is: http://www.themightyatom.nl/stuff/train_with_dyn_lights.vmf

The link is dead

Rightclick, safe target as...

thanks, you are too kind .
[EDIT} I never though of spotlight :)) .
Wtf ? The wheels aren't appearing in-game :/ ....

Wtf ? The wheels aren't appearing in-game :/ ....

My mistake, i used a prop_dynamic so i could parent the wheels to the car. But the wheel models appearantly don't work with prop_dynamic. I never noticed it myself, because its a pretty dark map.

Its just for show anyway.

I'll discuss about this later ( In Gmod , you just have to use a "wheel" tool to atach a workin wheel with torque)

New Problem : How to increase the power of a point_spotlight entity ?

You mean the brightness?

Something like that ( and the diametre )

Learn to you the Valve Developer Wiki: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Point_spotlight

Oh , thanks.

Umm , I have a new problem . In hl1 I used to make fences using some textures with pure blue and tie them to a func_wall entity and giving them the "solid" property.
In hl2 there are some textures with fences , but instead of blue , they are black . Do they work without any entity tieing ?

Yes, the transparency is handled entirely when you make the materials, it will appear transparent on the brush, which you can tie to any entity you like.

What is happening .... when I'm ready to compile and push the compile button , it goes through bsp and gets stucked on vis .
My map is huge , but I know in hl2 it should take less time than hl1

[EDIT] I pressed ALT+P but hammer says I have no errors :/ .....

when do we see the same room with a better lightning

I'm working on a huge map , for gmod.