cubemap's don't work!!! Created 19 years ago2005-02-01 11:16:06 UTC by OneEyeOnly

I posted this in an earlier topic "light screwup" but no one seems to notice.

Anyways when I run buildcubemaps in the console I get this message.

] building_cubemaps 1
] buildcubemaps
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Creating default cubemaps for env_cubemap using skybox sky_wasteland02...
Material "debug/debuglightmap":
No render states in shader "LightmappedGeneric_DX8"
Material "debug/debuglightmapzbuffer":
No render states in shader "LightmappedGeneric_DX8"

Does anyone know what that's about?

I dont even get that message, there's an error message of a missing txt file or something, then the game crashes. No cubemaps for me I guess...
The pathetic Steam file is probably responsible for my error, I dont really know what those messages you get mean

I don't know what that stuff means, but you need to place env_cubemaps into your map. Somewhere in the forums someone told me why they are so important, even though I don't know where I still remember why... it is because they calculate how light makes shadows on every thing and how to make reflection on things. The more your map has, the better the shadows may look, but it makes compile and loading time longer.

I think that is it, but there may be more to it than just placing the in your map, but that is what I do.

Cubemaps dont affect shadows... they are cubic images used in reflections, depending on the type of shader the texture has. Shadows are done by RAD when compiling, while cubemaps are made once you are playing your map (although for some reason they dont work for all of us)

Oh, in that case, just ignore me.

Okay thanks for explaining how it all works, but it don't really help to solve my problem. It's not that I forgot to place cubemaps in the map, I don't think i could have run the "buildcubemaps" command at all if I hadn't. It looks to me like the problem has something to do with an directX driver or something like that, thou I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure it's not my GFX (FX5900) that doesn?t support pixel shaders.
Kasperg said they for some reason don't work for all of us. Well how does everyone make them work?

I never need tell to tell it to do anything, I never type "buildcubemaps". I just place them in my map where they are needed and then forget about them.

so what would happen if you didnt place cubemaps in your map? How do we know where to put them?

Whithout cubemaps, then models look the same but everywhere but the models eyes turn black.
I place cubemaps so they calculate what is around them, so where one can not see I make another. And in big rooms or outdoors, I place them every once in a while or where I think something needs to have its own. Every once in a while means that I can place, maybe, 10-15 player start things inbetween (I don't remember because I am not using hammer at the moment). When you place them you should place them startegecally so that compile and run time is not too large.

It is kind of hard to explain in words on how to do it, sorry if this does not help. If I think of a more clear way to explain it then I will.

Oh ok, thanks, I wont notice a big difference if I dont include them though?

When I did not know what they did, I did not include them and make most models black except the model's eyes. If you can, you should try and see what I mean.

I havnt used them and my models looked fine. I put them in like you described and I dont see anychange. Ill put them in just in case though

I'm pretty sure you have to place cubemaps if you want the engine to make those cool reflections in walls and floors.
The "buildcubemaps" command is not needed to make reflections, but without it, I think the engine completely ignores how your map looks, and build all reflections based on the sky bag ground you use (in my case sky_wasteland02) please correct me if I'm wrong.
On how to place them around your map, I'd suggest you open de_cbble which comes with the SDK and tjcek out how them pro?s did it.
Anyways doesn?t anyone know what this means?

Material "debug/debuglightmap":
No render states in shader "LightmappedGeneric_DX8"
Material "debug/debuglightmapzbuffer":
No render states in shader "LightmappedGeneric_DX8"

Another thing I was told in a different forum yesterday to use "impulse 80"(81) command in the console for testing cubemaps, anyone got some more detail on that?

Yeah, impulse 81 is correct. It turns the SMG into a set of cubes to test reflectivity.

As for the cubemaps, I think it's a DirectX 9 feature. If your GFX card can't handle DX9 (i.e. It wasn't built for DX9) then HL2 won't run at DX9 mode. I think that's why Snpbond hasn't noticed a difference.

A couple of days ago I force loaded HL2 to run with DX9 and the models were indeed black since I hadn't built the cubemaps. Normally, under DX8 mode (my GFX card's natural DX version), the models look fine and the cubemaps do little difference.

The other reason, Ant, might be that HL? was using non-existent code to light the models?

I'd say that was fairly obvious.

Oh I'd notice the difference, I run on dx9 and have a geforce 6600GT. I would notice but for some reason I dont

Clean your eyes ;)?

OneEye, try forcing the right DX level for your card?

My GFX does support DX 9.0, my current version is 9.0c I believe, but does that matter?

Just a suggestion.