Source SDK How to make your map look good

[MathieuCore2]

What about cubemaps ?

[kaverdinho]

hey man could you make a new video with more quality :D pleas btw good job (Y)

[MathieuCore2]

can i have a light_environement even if there is no skybox ? mean indoor...

[MathieuCore2]

lol look like 3kliksphilip talking in this video : /watch?v=5wcKpoAQKj4

from 4:03 to 4:05

[Mornedil]

I'm having a HUGE problem with env_sun.

Somehow, it distorts the color of the skybox. The skybox background is a normal blue-ish color, but the env_sun makes it green-ish. here's an image: img412.imageshack.us/img412/87­29/edupsun.jpg

It doesn't matter whatever I set the env_sun color to. It still distorts the same way.

Have you ever encountered this? Do you know how to fix it?

[bungiebobawsome1]

i have a problem with my sdk. everytime i try to select something from the 3d camera view, it will automatically select the skybox or something larger underneath it, so if i want to select it from the 3d mode, i have to move the skybox and other obstructing things to select and modify what i want. i honestly dont know what i did to screw that up, but please give me your advise on how to fix it.

[OMEGAConscript]

wait........ man, can this make maps for tf2?

[3kliksphilip]

@OMEGAConscript Yes

[OMEGAConscript]

@3kliksphilip how? all I see in its menu s the video stress test

[Hedemovies]

@3kliksphilip whats the best thing you can do on a map to make bots be able to go around all over the place? i have made ome good maps but the bots can't walk everywhere

[BrooklynNYC777]

is it possible to have this map saved as a EXE file so you can have it as a standalone player on a computer ?

[3kliksphilip]

@BrooklynNYC777 No. It needs hundreds of megabytes from CSS's folder for it to work.

[DAngotti22]

lol solitaire

[boomerxxx]

How on earth do you move around whilst selecting textures with the Texture Application? I just can't figure it out. Everything was so much easier with Goldsrc...

[3kliksphilip]

@boomerxxx wasd

[boomerxxx]

@3kliksphilip So that's it? In Goldsrc you could actually move around with the camera tool, whilst selecting textures. No such thing?

[3kliksphilip]

@boomerxxx I really don't understand what you're having trouble with. I've never used Goldsrc, but the things you seem to want to do are possible to do in Hammer with very little difficulty what so ever. I never use the Camera Tool in Hammer, I simply move my mouse over the 3D screen and press 'Z', then navigate with WASD.

[themrlegoman1000]

light env=yes other=i dont know im still a it noob a sdk i know the basics but otherwise nope.avi

[3kliksphilip]

@themrlegoman1000 Upload your map's vmf file to a site like mediafire, then PM me a link to the download and I'll take a look at the map for you.

[themrlegoman1000]

have a building big like tower how i can get it lighted i must place like 100 light spots to that and 3/4 of them wont even work

[3kliksphilip]

@themrlegoman1000 You could use a light_environment entity to light up the outdoor sections of your map. And are you sure the light_spot entities aren't working? Have you given them a custom appearance? If so... that will be the problem.

[DANTEandSTEVEN]

hahaha solitaire is open

[ShadX222]

Nice tutorial but bad quality image xD

[1JCpac1]

i have a problem. i made a map with a building, a hole in it so people can get in and out, a big grass floor outside of it and a hollow skybox thing that goes way up in the sky and covers all the grass. when i look at the outside from inside the building everything starts getting blurry. pls help

[3kliksphilip]

@1JCpac1 You mean... HDR? You can disable that both in-game, and when you're about to compile your map. (If you look outside, it will look VERY bright with HDR on. It simulates how cameras work.)

[1JCpac1]

@3kliksphilip how can i change it? is it in the "Options" or do i change it in the programmer's Console?

[3kliksphilip]

@1JCpac1 In the advanced video properties.

[wendor24]

I'm only 11 and i love making map's, thank you.

[LuiDeca]

hey! you noticed that when we shoot a wall, an image of the gunshot appears on the wall (like an overlay or something)... so how do i disable it on a certain object?

[3kliksphilip]

@LuiDeca I guess you could make it a func_illusionary, allowing things to travel through it. Then have a solid surface underneath, hidden from view by the illusionary. Would be annoying to have to do it to loads of objects though.

[LuiDeca]

@3kliksphilip uh.. too confusing trought comments... tut? :)

but ill try it.

[LuiDeca]

@3kliksphilip uh, dint worked.

i think u dint unterstood my question. When u shoot a wall u see the mark on the wall. How do i make walls that dont have these marks?

[3kliksphilip]

@LuiDeca I answered that above.

[darkbou]

@LuiDeca "$nodecal" 1 in to the vmt code of the texture should do it more comfortably

[NinjaKittyLOL]

That response was fast. Thanks, But I am a bit confused. If I dont make a light env., How would I make darkness?

[3kliksphilip]

@NinjaKittyLOL By having other types of lights in your level, like 'light' and 'light_spot'

[NinjaKittyLOL]

How would I make a NightTime map?

[3kliksphilip]

@NinjaKittyLOL Either don't have a light_environment entity, or have one with very low lighting levels, like a brightness of 255 255 255 20

[gthubbegt]

hi man you did rly helped me but when im going in to my map i only can join CT it said that T was full but im alone on the server do u know what to do :D ?

[tronlaser]

Hey, if you could, can you maybe go back and re-do some of your older tutorials like this one in a better resolution? No offence but i cant read anything on the screen

[360noscope4tw]

When i turned my entity into light_enviornment my whole map went black when i playtested it can anyone help me?

[3kliksphilip]

@360noscope4tw Watch my tutorial on skyboxes, it's a new video of mine. It explains how they work.

[iCheesicle]

@360noscope4tw You can't add more than one env_light.

[bonana99]

For me, the light_enviroment shows up as Rick Astley giving me a thumbs up and it says "Obsolete!" under it. Ftw.

[3kliksphilip]

@bonana99 You must have typed it in wrong. How did you get the properties menu up in the first place? Did you like, click on a block and press ctrl+t ?

[bonana99]

@3kliksphilip Ummm nvrm i think the light_enviroment isn't in the mod I was mapping for...Thanks though. It was for source 2006

[lpbulletpor]

Thanks a lot for your tutorials. Most of them were very usefull, and really improved my mapping skills!

PS: You play Solitaire :b

[roborave]

Hi! I'm making a Stranded map for a Garry's Mod server. I'm using HL2 for the map's engine. I did all the things in the video (Making a hollow box around the map, adding the Skybox texture, going to map properties and typing the sky box name...), and whenever I load the map up, I get the 'hole-in-the-map' effect. What am I doing wrong?

[HalfBloodOfficial]

@roborave check nothing is touching the skybox texture (as it may be leaking).

[Juho234]

Hey! I'm having some problems making indoor lighting. Somehow my walls are not reflecting the light at all and if I don't have a light pointed straight to it, it'll just show up completely black. I'm having spotlights on the ceiling and 'cos they point down the whole ceiling and some corners are black. I might fix this by making just normal lights to cover those dark areas but is there any better way?

[3kliksphilip]

@Juho234 How big is your room? In very large rooms, perhaps your lights aren't bright enough to illuminate the entire thing. Also, there's a limit to the number of lights you can have that affect one surface, be sure you don't have like, 20 lights shining on a surface or some of them won't work.

It's very hard to tell what's wrong in your situation without seeing the level for myself. I feel that the problem is simply just the way you've configured and positioned your lights. PM me the vmf.

[ihusitusi]

@3kliksphilip what to do if at the end of compiling it says "placing detail props : 0...1...2...3Error! too many detail props emitted on this map (64k max!)n" then it cant compile and i dont have that many props in the map?!!? :C please help me!

[3kliksphilip]

@ihusitusi Ah, sorry for the late response, didn't see this comment here. PM me a link to where I can download the vmf file for your map from, I should be able to help then.

[ihusitusi]

@3kliksphilip I hope you have left 4 dead 2 couse its a left 4 dead 2 map :P btw how do I send the map? XD

[96bmb]

@3kliksphilip how do i publish a map that i've made. . . i've looked all around the youtube AND the hammer help guide but i just cant find it :(

[killer24norway]

@96bmb for example cssmaps(DOT)com

[3kliksphilip]

@96bmb Just upload it to large mapping sites, like gamebanana.

[96bmb]

@3kliksphilip ok but gamebanana dosen't have a 'register' page :(

srry if im a bit noob but u know where it's located?

[3kliksphilip]

@96bmb Top left, just under the login box?

[BadName1337]

uhmm i have a question..why do you use hypercam2 AND Fraps ?

[3kliksphilip]

@BadName1337 Because they're good for different things

[BadName1337]

@3kliksphilip Ok i understand =) but when u run my map it wont work? the game wont even load..help?

[3kliksphilip]

@BadName1337 Explain in more detail when it stops working, and what happens to show that it isn't working

[3kliksphilip]

@BadName1337 Explain in more detail when it stops working, and what happens to show that it isn't working

[Budooka21]

thanks good tutorial

[Darkshifter98]

For some reason I cant see my env_sun even though i follwed your steps exactly what did I do wrong?

[3kliksphilip]

@Darkshifter98 Set its directions to the same as your light_environment entity.

[xSopaku]

What if there's two skybox textures with the same name??

[3kliksphilip]

@xSopaku There won't be. They'll simply be the same skybox, different directions. Once you lop off the front and end bit of the name they'll be the same.

[SnapErTochNiksVan]

how to make a medic in source sdk?

[3kliksphilip]

@SnapErTochNiksVan trigger_hurt, negative damage.

[ZeppyLike]

can you teach us how to make your name on the map? so it shows that YOU are the maker/owner? :)

[3kliksphilip]

@ZeppyLike 3D text, or on a texture?

[ZeppyLike]

@3kliksphilip like an 3D text :)

[3kliksphilip]

@ZeppyLike Either you download some that other people have already made... or you make it manually out of blocks, the same way as you make walls and floors. Try pressing the [ ] buttons to change the grid size

[ZeppyLike]

@3kliksphilip thank you

[scopekingop]

Lol solitare must help the wait on compiling

[godisrobin]

Please help me, how can i use the map in css?

[3kliksphilip]

@godisrobin Press F9 to compile your map, then in-game, open up the console and type

map yourmapnamehere

[danecookfan5]

hey im trying to make my map have a dark red light but when i change the colour it turns black

[3kliksphilip]

@danecookfan5 Keep messing about with it, don't just give up after one attempt. What sort of light entities are you using to try and make it red?

[rockgod111]

I'm having trouble getting the light_dynamic entity working. All of the other lights are working fine but this one just isn't producing in light at all when I compile the map.

[3kliksphilip]

@rockgod111 light_dynamic is a bit different to other entities, it lights things up in real-time, but it's fake lighting and doesn't really do the job properly.

[rockgod111]

@3kliksphilip Yeah, I sought of guessed they had something to do with real time lighting, hence why I wanted to use them. :P Would you recommend using them? If so, got any tips?

[3kliksphilip]

@rockgod111 Depends what you're trying to make, but no, it's no substitute for a pretty, well-placed static light in terms of effect, and it doesn't cast shadows. You could try env_projectedtexture , it casts shadows and stuff, but it's new and quite buggy.

[goldspike4]

the light_environment thing doesn't work

[3kliksphilip]

@goldspike4 It does in every map that I've ever made, perhaps you've done something differently or wrong. Explain how you're using it and for what sort of map.

[goldspike4]

@3kliksphilip well i am using it for tf2 sdk if that makes a diff and i have no leaks

[3kliksphilip]

@goldspike4 No, it should still work if you used it properly. Try watching my new two tutorials, they talk about the light_environment entity

[nazerbs]

@goldspike4 me to but mines for battlegrounds 2 and its not working

[1i11en]

and yes i need to learn 2 spell :P

[1i11en]

DD: my map fcked up becuas of these i did right waht did go wrong?? HELp PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[midgar8784]

Just the light like just the light when i place it on a map its like really bright and the ceiling is really white not all of it just that area, is there a way for the light to be less bright?

[3kliksphilip]

@midgar8784 Try moving it further away from the ceiling, or making the brightness less than 200. Try 50.

[midgar8784]

@3kliksphilip thank you :)

[midgar8784]

@3kliksphilip thank you :) also, can i just put it in the middle the light in the middle? because i think if i put it too close to the ground it will be more bright on the ground.

1 more thing what brightness on the light?

[3kliksphilip]

@midgar8784 255 255 255 200 - the 200 value determines the brightness.

[devhook23]

solitaire??

[Rulictar]

If I set the fog end at 8000 will it be twice as foggy as your map is? Oh, and if I set it can I keep the fog from coming inside buildings?

[3kliksphilip]

@Rulictar If you make it end at 8000 then it will only be totally foggy at a distance of 8000 units. So it would be less foggy than a smaller value.

[Rulictar]

@3kliksphilip AHHH, dangit, ohwell I compiled the map but I am not totally finished with it yet, my map isn't the biggest but it's much bigger then yours, so should i change it to 4000.0 so it will be dense fog?

[3kliksphilip]

@Rulictar Depends. Does it make your map look better?

[DeathNimrod]

Nvm, forgot to enable it xD Thanks for the tutorials though! And once I have finished my map, I will give you a link, I am pretty Impressed with it.

[DeathNimrod]

My sun did not work.

[3kliksphilip]

@DeathNimrod env_sun ? light_environment?

[beatear]

why doesnt this work when working with tf2 maps? 

[3kliksphilip]

@beatear It does

[beatear]

@3kliksphilip i have tryed up to 3 times now, diffrent maps and everything, and no sign of lighting what so ever.

[thehumor]

my lights have a giant orb around them and a light beam. not just a bulb.

and i the run map thye arent there? WTF

[thehumor]

ok. i place lights

and in the map they arent there

[3kliksphilip]

@thehumor Try adding something else to your map, like a wall or something. Does that show up?

[thehumor]

@3kliksphilip

yes i have a building and thing. and i have more problems. one wall dissapear. the floor is half textured, half purple boxed, and still no lights. im gonna check it now

[3kliksphilip]

@thehumor Is this the first time you've tried mapping? How much do you playtest the map? How much do you add between playtesting it? These general questions will give me a better idea of what the problem could be in general.

The floor that's half purple is being affected by a cubemap issue, it shouldn't really occur normally, but try adding an env_cubemap in the level, typing buildcubemaps in the console when you load up your map, and then restarting the entire game. Reply back once done.

[thehumor]

@3kliksphilip

ok i fixed a few things.

the floor i fixed by setting another texture on it.

now the light problem.. i really didnt know this

i put light_dynamic on it

and not just light

i dont know whats the difference or what it does but now i do have light.

and i still have a piece of wall dissapearing

its a piece of wall thats breakable and a non-breakble piece of wall next to it.

the non-breakable part dissapears. and its a corner of the first floor and a lift.

[3kliksphilip]

@thehumor Don't use light_dynamic, try light_spot. If you want the spotlight effect (with the visible beam) also add a point_spotlight to it. (two separate entities altogether).

Sometimes if a wall has too many other walls touching it then it won't render properly. Could you PM me the compilelog for your map, and title the PM something like 'portalside' ? It helps me to remember who's who when reading the PMs. Thanks.

[thehumor]

@3kliksphilip

and for the questions.

this is my first time mapping

i test my map everytime i add something big like an elevator with loads of scripts.

[3kliksphilip]

@thehumor Do you really think you should be attempting something 'big like an elevator with loads of scripts.' on your first level?

[thehumor]

@3kliksphilip

with a tutorial from internet

its working out quite good

[TheSupriseSpruiker]

Well im making a ba_jail map... and all my map is indoors and it is already fully lighted and there is limited shadows... what would you recommend to do for lighting and shadowing?

[3kliksphilip]

@TheSupriseSpruiker Place a light_spot entity in the middle of every room, see what it looks like and work from there

[TheSupriseSpruiker]

@3kliksphilip ok well the rooms shadows are abit weird... they are all like yellowy and the rooms are really dark

[3kliksphilip]

@TheSupriseSpruiker The yellowy shadow would be from what you've set the ambient value for the light_environment entity. Probably. Did you make it a yellowish colour?

I can't help you with your problem, there's no 'right' or 'wrong' way to light up the room, you just have to experiment with light, light_spot, entities and the values of your light_environment entity. If it's dark, place a light in the room. If it's still dark, make the brightness of that light brighter, etc.

[TheSupriseSpruiker]

@3kliksphilip Ok it looks fine now... thanks heaps.

[007man23]

WHy is my map totally black HELPPPPP

[MogDog66]

@007man23 make sure you did the skybox correctly

[rjt197197]

Question: Is there a way to set only 1 side of a block a certain material?

[3kliksphilip]

@rjt197197 Use, click on the Toggle Texture Application Tool on the left hand side of the screen, right click on the texture to change it to the currently selected texture in that menu box.

[rjt197197]

@3kliksphilip Alright, thanks!

[afrorory]

wow great tips thanks fo the help ^^

[vancar6]

Whats the best one that comes from Half Life 2?

[the12221]

If you have too many "light scale 1" objects in your map all lightning will be disabled. :(

[3kliksphilip]

@the12221 That's to be expected, don't want a 1 gb map file, do we? :P

[shadowsofshadow]

@3kliksphilip Maybe if it's deemed the greatest map for that game for all time!!! Then again not many people will play it because it's 1GB of pure awesome mapness.

[3kliksphilip]

@shadowsofshadow Of the 1 GB, 1020 MB of it would just be lighting information, which would be totally inappropriate, considering that even the largest of maps should have less than 10 MB of lighting information normally. (Plus anybody can make a large map, set the lightmapscale to 1 and have incredibly sharp looking shadows... but it really doesn't justify the increase in file size unless used in moderation, believe me)

[shadowsofshadow]

@3kliksphilip Touche! Do you have Team Fortress 2?

[3kliksphilip]

@shadowsofshadow Yes, but I don't play it

[Geckoinc2]

when ever i add the env_sun and enviroment. but the sun is always under the map and it is realy anoying

[3kliksphilip]

@Geckoinc2 Set the env_sun's angles to be the same as the light_environment's

[JosephMelia]

Love your tutorials and I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.

I have HL2, HL2 deathmatch HL ep 1 and Ep2

I have recently began to make levels in the sdk and am rather new to Hammer.

I want to use props from ep2,such as trees.

Where do I find them or how do I direct the editor to them?.Thanks in advance for any assistance you might provide.

[3kliksphilip]

@JosephMelia Look up a tutorial on the prop_static entity

[ZoroarkFan84]

On my maps the sun causes lag & sometimes makes the game crash. Why?

[3kliksphilip]

@ZoroarkFan84 I doubt that's the sun's fault. Try removing it (Is it the light_environment or env_sun entity that you're using?). I reckon the problem will still be there.

[ZoroarkFan84]

@3kliksphilip Actually, that fixed the map.

[mattuiop]

some of the refection textures on my maps are pink checkers and some of my guns glow. how do i fix this?

[3kliksphilip]

@mattuiop Add cubemaps to your level

[realdenni199]

Thank you Philip.

The light effect's really made my map realistic.

[joceww]

hi! i havent used sdk in long time. so now i dont know how i can make "DARK" map. like u cant see anything wihtout flashlight or other lights. so i have changed skybox texture to night one. but its not enough dark so what can i do? (sry my english) thx!

[3kliksphilip]

@joceww Since you know about the sdk, the tidiest way would be to make a point_servercommand and to to make it instantly input the console command

mat_fullbright 0

at the beginning of the level. Alternatively, you place one light entity in the level in an enclosed space nobody can get to in the level, and it'll make the rest of the level pitch black.

[MegaMrBunBun]

@joceww With stuff like that you can also Make a light_environment and Click ambient <-- srry if I spelled it wrong :D and that helps alot I would say like a 10 - 50 If you want it that Dark I might not be Philip but I can help alot :D

[Xerothe0th]

its funny cuz alltho this tut is extremely useful it amazing how blind gammers are to the ammount of effort put into a map, its either "shit" or "good"

[TheHystericalDude]

Thanks for all your help 3kliksphilip!!!

[machinima190]

is it a MUST use everything else but light_env? i used only light_env and i played map. whole map is dark. can't see anything. how i fix it?

[3kliksphilip]

@machinima190 light_environment only casts light from the toolsskybox texture. For indoor areas, use light or light_spot entities.

[AnimationStationS]

I added light to my map but it still looks a bit dull and im not sure if i've added the wrong amount of sunlight or something. Help?

[3kliksphilip]

@AnimationStationS Did you set a direction for the light_environment? Or did you use a light to light up an indoor area? Either way, I can't help unless you PM me a link to an image of the problem

[Wolvesatemytoast]

I've always wondered, how do you make the ground more realistic? And with that i mean, how to add little bumbs and stuff to make the ground a bit more rough so it isn't just a flat block :P I've tried the vertex tool but obviously it can't be used to do so slight changes in the block..

[3kliksphilip]

@Wolvesatemytoast Displacements

[Wolvesatemytoast]

@3kliksphilip Oh, yeah... probably should have watched all videos before asking something.. thanks :)

[ryarans]

im new to all this i have a server and want to tup billabords up how do i do that

[3kliksphilip]

@ryarans That would be a custom texture.

[tamere216]

great guides as always 3kliksphilip

[captainclayman]

i cant compile my map, it says vbsp.exe has stopped working

[vancar6]

And also my skybox texture is skybox/sky_lostcoast_hdrlf but IT WILL NOT WORK ITS JUST A BLUE BLUR i am made a mod based off Half Life 2.

[3kliksphilip]

@vancar6 Watch my tutorial on adding skyboxes, you don't add the last two letters or the bit before the /

[vancar6]

My map is just a building.

Why wont the building light up when i put up the sun thingy?

I tried lights they just are not bright egnough HELP!

[3kliksphilip]

@vancar6 Because the sun thingy only emits light from the skybox, it doesn't emit light inside a building. For that, you'd need a light or light_spot entity

[vancar6]

@3kliksphilip

Thanks!



[BBgamerUK]

Solitaire :D

Nice tutorial, this tutorial helped me understand the env_sun entity.