Need scene detail/exterior design rethinking from old gen days, help a greybeard out.

[velvet nebula]

question for the group

So this isn't a decomp request or cloning of work, just a refresh and check of my thoughts on skybox and external geometry beyond the player space.

On maps like de_overpass or de_mirage, the areas just outside of player space that add detail to the alleys and such, are they loaded into the new skybox space or are they extensions of the existing player space and they use the lightmap player box down in player area to reduce lightdraw?

Also if i have two areas in different parts of a map, but are physically able to see a second space, how would i prevent vis from looking across the void the skybox creates to prevent players from seeing the second area as it's an inside area but due to how the new mesh workflow works, players can potentially see in now.

Do i just dress it up and treat these seeable spaces that exist outside the playable regions as lighted spaces where as in old cs1.x days and even CS:S days you'd have to box it in?

Probably would be easier if i saw a decompile of something like vertigo, or one of the other main maps. The newer skymap system was just coming out when i stopped map making so never really used it.

Thanks!

Need scene detail/exterior design rethinking from old gen days, help a greybeard out.

[stable frigate]

On maps like de_overpass or de_mirage, the areas just outside of player space that add detail to the alleys and such, are they loaded into the new skybox space or are they extensions of the existing player space and they use the lightmap player box down in player area to reduce lightdraw?

depends how far away they are, but stuff close to the playable space are extensions of the existing player space + lightmapplayerspace to reduce lightmap usage as u said

Also if i have two areas in different parts of a map, but are physically able to see a second space, how would i prevent vis from looking across the void the skybox creates to prevent players from seeing the second area as it's an inside area but due to how the new mesh workflow works, players can potentially see in now.

cover it up by giving it an exterior. this is where the eagle one tutorials fall flat and why i wouldnt recommend copying them 100% when making maps in cs2. a lot of useful stuff in them, but this workflow method is not feasible for counter-strike really.

i prefer to start from a single quad on the floor and just going from there, instead of starting with an inverted cube

if you have half life alyx it has the vmaps for all the levels in there, u can give those a look

but if u go into any map just ingame and noclip outside the playable area youll see what parts are within the main map and what parts are 3d skybox

the non solid parts are separate skybox, solid parts are main map

[velvet nebula]

do we still have to seal the level with boxing, or no? I'm still somewhat confused about that since i noticed using the old nodraw method gave me poorer performance until i rolled back.

And thanks for answering!

[stable frigate]

you do but not with nodraw, i can give you an example vmap of mine to see how my workflow is if you'd like

@velvet nebula

[velvet nebula]

all good i was following eagle one's method, but i just extended planes facing inward to bridge gaps, some other mesh i just seamed the gaps creating a single mesh overtime. The arched room is part of the mesh leading to the open space, but the building mesh is self contained with bridge blocking around the doorframes.

i did see voxels around nodraw textures indicating light calc or vis calc (still updating my terms from old engine) so that's how i knew it was not a good idea to block the world with it.

[stable frigate]

i wouldn't be able to give u much definitive advice without seeing the vmap as your wording can be interpreted in a few ways and don't wanna give u the wrong info based on misinterpretation

but for the light calculations u can run mat_luxels 1 in game to see how it splits up the lightmap

vis voxels u can see in hammer as you've figured out

[velvet nebula]

mesh - plane/mesh - mesh

the plane is a bridge behind the door frame in the transition between the mesh rooms, overlaps them slightly so it bridges the void, basically doing a block off

it has a generic texture on it behind the doorframe

[stable frigate]

still id really have to see the map lol

but im boutta eat dinner

[velvet nebula]

one sec

[stable frigate]

I'll help you out afterwards

[velvet nebula]

all good

[stable frigate]

ah ok i see what u mean

so instead of nodraw in cs2 you wanna use solidblocklight, not nodraw. but also you want to avoid backfaces on your solidblocklight

let me load up hammer ill show u an example of when i used it

ok so heres the front of a building im making

and heres what it looks like behind the window and door

and u can see on the opposite side there's no blocklight facing the other way

@velvet nebula

compare that to your example where you have nodraw sticking out the other way, into the void. u dont want that