leaf thread....=lag? Created 20 years ago2004-08-03 05:48:30 UTC by doodle

well i think this might be a common problem with other mod makers and if anyone else has it speak up ;). But picture this...you spend 18 hours making quite a large map...sorta the size of 2fort or dust or somethin. then at the end you put in a sky around the area and put a light_environment entity in the middle of the map in the air. then (having ZHLT compile tools) you compile it. you look at the grey screen and wait a while...then you notice that it says leaf thread....(15 mins and 1 curse later) still the same...(30 mins after that and 1 coke 2 curses later)...same (1 hour 3 cokes and 18 curses later) then you give up and start a new map....or delete the sky and light.(note works without the sky and light...) oh yeh and while its compiling your mouse can hardly move accross the screen....lag

May I suggest you should testcompile more often?

Really, I never create a map completely without having it compiled for over a hundred times. This lets me adress errors at the spot instead of having to check the whole map and correct a load of errors at once. It also lets me see whether a new addition actually is an improvement or not.

But yes, final compiles can and often do take a lot of time. Best would be to let it compile during night or when you're away to work or something like that...

Which zoner's version do you use.
Just saying 'zoner's' isn't helpfull.
Some versions do have bugs.
Get the newest ones.
For bigger maps it is better to do a batch compile with -estimate for all tools.
Gives more information and you can follow the compile process more easy as the DOS console updates all the time. Also VHE slows compiles down.

how do i run the compiler in MS-DOS???
or in linux? :

Well mouse lag would be caused by running a compile with -full or having a slow computer.

Make sure you are not skyboxing the level. That will drive compile times through the roof.

what you mean skyboxing?

covering places with sky texture...oh um im not that stupid i compiled every few mins it kept working....just the end one took forever. skyboxing the level?

Skyboxing is when you create a big brush covered in SKY, hollow it out, and put your level inside said box. It will drive up your r_speeds, compile times, and is just a bad practice. Don't do it in your maps.

all i know is that leafthread takes a while normally, but if you want to do lower it, I advise just putting a light_spot entity for the outside, and place each individual wall of the sky in the places you need it, but make sure you don't leave a leak because of it.

That light_spot outside the level causes a leak, or I didn't understand what you said, JujitsuMan...

Anyway, when you want to speed up the process, make smaller detail brushes into entities.
This article helps greatly to understand the vis-process, it also describes why detail brushes would better be left out of the vis-process (e.g. made entities, wich don't affect the process):
http://www.gamedesign.net/book/view/266

But after all, it is just a time-consuming process...

Well mouse lag would be caused by running a compile with -full or having a slow computer.

Mouse Lag. Open up task manager (ctrl+alt+delete) and you will see something taking all the CPU. Most likely hlvis.exe, or maybe hlrad.exe, depending when you decided to close hammer.

Hope this helps solve your lag problem.

About your long compile times. If this is your final version, you may wish to compile full. If you are merely playtesting it, run vis on fast, and experiment with the settings. My abandoned map (which is relatively big) spent half an hour compiling, with a full compile, on my P4 2ghz computer. You have to be patient. Go sit down, watch TV, do something, and just keep checking the compiling every 5 or so minutes.

And whatever you do, do NOT skybox your entire map. Skyboxing is bad. If you still do not understand what skyboxing is, I will tell you: Creating a massive sky brush all around your level, then hollowing it. It makes the compile tools render so much more stuff, and makes compile times go crazy.

Hope this helps you out.

I don't run VIS or RAD when I playtest. Makes compile times quicker.

how do i compile in DOS?!?

I don't think you can...

You can't!
I assume you want to batch compile.
The easiest way is using a batch compiler.
http://countermap.counter-strike.net/Nemesis/index.php?p=2
http://www.vlatitude.com/files.php

since no one reas the tutorials anymore: http://www.cariad.co.za/twhl/tutorial.php?id=35

While we are on the subject of Batch compilers, is it possible to have the test map button on toolbar open up HLCC?

Not that I know of. You could always pull Hammer apart, recode it...

ok, stuff HLCC, how about Nem's Batch compiler? Can you have the test map button on toolbar open up Nem's Batch compiler?

Like I said above...

Just create a shrotcut to your batch file or batch compile program and put it into the taskbar.

You can't compile in true DOS. Maybe you mean in a DOS window? Just type "hlrad /?" or whatever (maybe just "hlrad") and you'll get a list of arguments.