✅ [Solved] Gaps/seams appearing on the compiled model

[mellow basin]

✅ Solution:
#1159972138283970641 message

Hello everyone! Im trying to make a super simple pumpkin basket model in Blender. After exporting I get some artifacts on it. I've tried many ways to solve it, but none of them work. If anyone has any ideas why it's happening, please let me know.

This is only part of what I've tried, I can't remember everything:

• Checked normals
• Removed doubles (merge by distance)
• Added padding for UV
• Used Triangulate modifier
• Used Weighted normal modifier
• Used normals autosmooth 30/65 degrees

Video:
https://youtu.be/6_ND74T3m0c

[vernal sparrow]

looks normal

source engine, of course as old as it is, is going to render models differently than how blender will try to render them

if you’re talking about the thin holes in the mesh, I need to ask what you’re using to compile with (please don’t say cannonfodder, as it’s outdated asf.)

what’s your qc? vmt?

[mellow basin]

Thanks for answer. Yeh, that's understandable, sadly

[mellow basin]

I'm using Crowbar. It's my QC, from Source WIKi:

$modelname    "props_halloween\hw_pumpkin_basket.mdl"
$body mybody    "hw_pumpkin_basket.smd"

$surfaceprop    combine_metal
$cdmaterials    "props_halloween\"

$sequence idle    "hw_pumpkin_basket.smd" // no animation wanted, so re-using the reference mesh

$collisionmodel    "hw_pumpkin_basket_collision.smd" { $concave }

[vernal sparrow]

yeah, the qc looks normal. I’m guessing there’s either something wrong with the export or with the vmt file

have you tried increasing the distance when you Merge By Distance?

I take it you built the model from a simple cylinder or uv sphere, but worth checking since you mentioned using that.

[mellow basin]

My .vmt is:

"VertexLitGeneric"
{
    "$basetexture" "props_halloween/hw_pumpkin_basket"
    "$halflambert"    "1"
    "$nocull" "1"
}

Yes, I made it from the UV sphere, left 1/4, so I cut other 3 parts and used mirror for X and Y, after I did all editing, I applied modificator and merge all. And I tried to increese merge distance till it's making no damage to geometry.

So right now when I apply it again, it doesn't merge anything

[vernal sparrow]

guessing the “gaps” are the opposite side of the face trying to render underneath—yep

Remove $nocull

You can save and the material should reload itself in game

Would also recommend checking out https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/$phong, since phong force enables halflambert on its own

Up to you tho.

[mellow basin]

Thank you so much! It actually works. Main problem, before I had same gaps without $nocull, but I had meshes inside and outside, I made them through Solidify modificator. So i decide to use $nocull for optimization to have mesh only outside.

Probably I'll try to add inside geometry and check the problem again.

[mellow basin]

I will check it, thanks!

Next goal – inside geometry, hope it's dosen't gonna have any gaps 🤞

[vernal sparrow]

I see; yeah I might have done the same thing but no one is realistically going to care about 180 more polygons on a 280 poly model

Even if you have it show up a lot of times in a scene; drawcalls (every material + rendering transparency) will usually bog it down more than the poly count will

Depends on shader complexity really. I used to have a GeForce 210 that was slightly sluggish with phong but still could play 40fps in tf2 without it or 20fps with. -not particularly complex models, but polycount could contribute.

[mellow basin]

It just makes it a little easier for me to work with, but if it solves the problem, it's fine.

But unfortunately, after I added the inside geometry through the Solidify modifier, the gaps came back 😵‍💫 Any ideas how to fight with it?

P.S. Im using full texture for debugin

[vernal sparrow]

alright, yeah. I have no clue then.

See if you can put your smd & model files into a .zip and upload it here. Someone else might be able to debug this for you. I don’t have access to my computer for a while

[placid sphinx]

I have the same thing, its somehow related to anti-aliasing. If you disable it, this artifact should disappear. I don't remember this happening on another computers i used, maybe it depends on the video card or something else

[mellow basin]

Thanks a lot for your answers and help 💕 I had some stuff to do and dropped this for a while, for that reason is til did not send any files. I found a solution, just going to send it through the separate message to make it easy to find for other people

[mellow basin]

You're right, without antialiasing I can't see any gaps, but unfortunately it doesn't solve the problem for people who use it. But thanks for your answer! 🤝

✅ Solution:
I still have no idea what the problem was, but these gaps appear after I add interior geometry using the Solidify modifier. So maybe I'm using it wrong, but I decide to try the Mirro modifier (or just copy it with Shift+D) and scale the copy down a bit. After that I connect 2 shapes, merge everything (M) just in case and recalculate normally (Shift+N) and it works. It's probably not the correct way to fix it, but it works for me

UPD: Actually, you can just split the inner and outer geometry (Y in edit), even after using the Solidify modifier, works too