Frustrating texture/media issue.

[CorwinWeber]

Hi, all.

 

I've downloaded and installed both DarkRadiant and GTKRadiant, and between the two I'm finding DarkRadiant to be the more usable. That's the good news. The bad news is that the media browser is completely unusable, at least in my setup. What's happening is that the media browser lists everything as 'other materials,' meaning I have to scroll through several dozen uncategorized identical subject headings in the list to find any textures at all.... and they're a nightmare to load into the texture browser. Has anyone run into this before? Did I screw something up when I installed?

 

Thanks!

[Fidcal]

Sounds like a path error. In Edit > Preferences > Game you should have darkmod as the mod (fs_game)

[CorwinWeber]

Sounds like a path error. In Edit > Preferences > Game you should have darkmod as the mod (fs_game)

 

Sorry, should have mentioned.... I'm not editing DarkMod. Just Vanilla Doom3. I'm also on Ubuntu if that helps.

 

I was thinking some kind of path problem.... but aside from specifying the game mod, I'm not seeing anywhere to put a path. There doesn't seem to be any kind of rc or other config file...

[Serpentine]

File -> Select Game OR Tools -> Preferences -> Game

 

Should allow you to change the default path etc - it should be /usr/local/games/doom3/ or whatever by default.

 

Once set just restart DR and it should list things correctly... if this isnt the case provide a screenshot of that screen or some additional info, seems a somewhat odd issue.

[CorwinWeber]

File -> Select Game OR Tools -> Preferences -> Game

 

Should allow you to change the default path etc - it should be /usr/local/games/doom3/ or whatever by default.

 

Once set just restart DR and it should list things correctly... if this isnt the case provide a screenshot of that screen or some additional info, seems a somewhat odd issue.

 

Here 'tis. Odd, yes. I did go in and add in 'base' under the game menu, but no change.

[Serpentine]

Your game is set as "Doom 3"

Engine path is "/usr/local/games/doom3/" or equiv

Mod (fs_game) is empty

Mod Base is empty

 

You shouldn't need to tell it anything about base.

[CorwinWeber]

Your game is set as "Doom 3"

Engine path is "/usr/local/games/doom3/" or equiv

Mod (fs_game) is empty

Mod Base is empty

 

You shouldn't need to tell it anything about base.

 

Yes. I've also tried specifying base, and specifying my .doom3 directory in home/username. No joy on any of the above.

 

** edited to add **

 

On a lark, I also tried specifying base with home/username/.doom3, and when that didn't work I went back to using /usr/local/games/doom3 and running DarkRadiant with sudo. Also no joy.

 

....I tend to get a bit.... experimental.... when I'm out of ideas.

Edited April 10, 2010 by CorwinWeber

[greebo]

The Mediabrowser shouldn't do what you described, there should be only one single "Other Materials", not hundreds.

 

Can you tell me exactly how your local setup is looking like? Where is D3, which version is it, which PK4 files are in there and how are your DarkRadiant game settings?

[CorwinWeber]

The Mediabrowser shouldn't do what you described, there should be only one single "Other Materials", not hundreds.

 

Can you tell me exactly how your local setup is looking like? Where is D3, which version is it, which PK4 files are in there and how are your DarkRadiant game settings?

 

D3 is the latest version, compiled from source. (1.3, downloaded from id.) Which doom3 gives /usr/local/games/doom3. My data files are in /home/username/.doom3/base. PK4 files are all of the base ones, along with illumine's and falken's. (I forget the numbers on those.)

 

While I'm asking questions..... could anyone point me toward a decent tutorial on how to read what the pointfile option is telling me?

[greebo]

I'll try to check out the issue in the next few days with Vanilla Doom 3. I'm busy with other coding at the moment, but I'd appreciate it if you could open an issue on the bugtracker.

[CorwinWeber]

I'll try to check out the issue in the next few days with Vanilla Doom 3. I'm busy with other coding at the moment, but I'd appreciate it if you could open an issue on the bugtracker.

 

I'll look into a thing or two here before I do that. Honestly, if nobody else has seen this issue, I'm not sure it isn't an issue with my setup.... :S

 

Ok, next question.... where does DR get that information FROM anyway? Clearly it's scanning something to determine 'walls,' 'floors' and 'other materials.' Is it scanning the PK4 files? I know the categories are (kind of) listed there...

[greebo]

DarkRadiant is parsing all .mtr files in the materials/ folders. These can be in PK4 as well as outside of PK4s. The .mtr files are searched for shader names, e.g. "textures/darkmod/stone/bricks/whatever" and these are sorted into the respective folders in the Media Browser. If no "textures/" prefix is found in the shader name, the material is added below the "Other Materials" folder in the Media Browser. This "Other Materials" is added once before starting to sort the materials into the treeview, so I really can't imagine right now how such a large number of "Other Materials" can end up in your media browser.

[Fidcal]

While I'm asking questions..... could anyone point me toward a decent tutorial on how to read what the pointfile option is telling me?

 

Checkout:

 

http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Leaking_maps

 

http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Performance:_Essential_Must-Knows#How_to_detect_and_fix_leaks

[CorwinWeber]

Checkout:

 

http://modetwo.net/d...le=Leaking_maps

 

http://modetwo.net/d...t_and_fix_leaks

 

Thanks to both of you. I'm at a bit of a loss to explain why it's doing this myself. One thing that I can think of is that I copied my Doom install over from my previous Windows drive, I didn't install the data files directly from the disks. Don't know if that has anything to do with this or not.

 

The other question (related to the leak issue) that I have is how to prevent leaks with doors. What I'm doing is using the door frame models that come with Doom, and when I do what I'm finding is that everything is fine until I cut the hole out of the middle of the frame for the actual door. (Add the model, line it up with the wall, put a block in the middle and use subtract.) I finally figured out that it's this that's causing the leak, and said leak appears to be going through a solid object. (I've framed the door frame model with brushes, both regular texture, nodraw, and caulk.) Kind of at a loss to explain why I have a leak here.... the red line is literally going through the model and then through the framing brush. :S

[Mortem Desino]

Subtract is a generally acceptable way to cut a hole for a doorway, so that's alright.

 

Only plain-old worldspawn seals up the void, so check that it's not leaking through a func_static brush. I make that mistake all the time when I turn doorframe brushes into func_statics.

[ungoliant]

Thanks to both of you. I'm at a bit of a loss to explain why it's doing this myself. One thing that I can think of is that I copied my Doom install over from my previous Windows drive, I didn't install the data files directly from the disks. Don't know if that has anything to do with this or not.

 

The other question (related to the leak issue) that I have is how to prevent leaks with doors. What I'm doing is using the door frame models that come with Doom, and when I do what I'm finding is that everything is fine until I cut the hole out of the middle of the frame for the actual door. (Add the model, line it up with the wall, put a block in the middle and use subtract.) I finally figured out that it's this that's causing the leak, and said leak appears to be going through a solid object. (I've framed the door frame model with brushes, both regular texture, nodraw, and caulk.) Kind of at a loss to explain why I have a leak here.... the red line is literally going through the model and then through the framing brush. :S

 

i know exactly whats going on here.

 

I had a similar experience when i was starting my first map, a tower i was making had a crap ton of brushes on it that were z-fighting only at the corners, so i tried to fix it by texturing all the internal non-visible faces of each brush as no-draw. It didn't stop the z-fighting, but i didn't change it back from nodraw either. 40 hours later i was testing for leaks, and the result was, even if all the other faces of your brushes are solid textures, and are vertex aligned with no holes, the nodraw texture on that 1 non-visible side allows a leak to go STRAIGHT through a solid texture. Like, in the pointfile, it totally looks like the line goes straight through a solid wall. Maddening!! Before i finally figured out what the problem was, i almost threw my monitor out a window in frustration.

 

In other words, re-texture all your nodraw pieces in your walls/doorframes/etc to something solid. Caulk should not be a problem. Like MD said, make sure nothing thats supposed to be solid is a func_static.

 

P.S. CSG Subtract on everything FTW

Edited April 13, 2010 by ungoliant

[Mortem Desino]

P.S. CSG Subtract on everything for a maddening time optimizing

Fixed: from over two years personal experience. I love using it for windows, doors, and small hutches, but nothing more complicated than that.

 

And that nodraw example is correct. Nodraw does not seal against void, but "caulk" does.

[ungoliant]

<3

[CorwinWeber]

<3

 

** headdesk **

 

So, even if the nodraw is INSIDE another brush, it'll allow access out? I thought I'd read that only faces exposed to the void did that. The reason I was using nodraw on the faces I'm using it on was that they z-fight with the wall texture..... so I used nodraw on that face and left everything else as caulk. If I remember right, I also tried changing that brush to all a regular texture, including the faces I had changed to nodraw....

 

When I tried just using a caulk texture for everything it left holes in my walls. Not a great solution either. Maybe I just need to make my walls a lot thicker so I have some space to work with....

[ungoliant]

** headdesk **

 

So, even if the nodraw is INSIDE another brush, it'll allow access out? I thought I'd read that only faces exposed to the void did that. The reason I was using nodraw on the faces I'm using it on was that they z-fight with the wall texture..... so I used nodraw on that face and left everything else as caulk. If I remember right, I also tried changing that brush to all a regular texture, including the faces I had changed to nodraw....

 

When I tried just using a caulk texture for everything it left holes in my walls. Not a great solution either. Maybe I just need to make my walls a lot thicker so I have some space to work with....

 

technically there is no texture "inside" a brush, but i think i know what you're saying, and you are correct. there are 6 faces to a cube, if 2 cubes are adjacent, and the adjacent faces that do not show are nodraw texture, it will STILL leak. pain in the a$$ much? yes. but thats how it is.

 

if you changed it all to a 'regular' texture and theres still a leak, check the pointfile to see whats up, and it should accurately reflect where the leak is, as opposed to just going straight through a solid textured face, such as what happens if one of your non-visible faces in that brush is no-draw.

 

caulk does not render, but it does seal against the void. if you make a wall/doorframe completely out of caulk, it will appear to be invisible (or black?) and any other surfaces it is adjacent to will also appear invisible in game.

 

my guess is if this caulked surface viewed from one side leads to another visleaf that is shut off, it will appear black instead of invisible. I haven't done this myself, but thats my guess.

[CorwinWeber]

technically there is no texture "inside" a brush, but i think i know what you're saying, and you are correct. there are 6 faces to a cube, if 2 cubes are adjacent, and the adjacent faces that do not show are nodraw texture, it will STILL leak. pain in the a$ much? yes. but thats how it is.

 

if you changed it all to a 'regular' texture and theres still a leak, check the pointfile to see whats up, and it should accurately reflect where the leak is, as opposed to just going straight through a solid textured face, such as what happens if one of your non-visible faces in that brush is no-draw.

 

caulk does not render, but it does seal against the void. if you make a wall/doorframe completely out of caulk, it will appear to be invisible (or black?) and any other surfaces it is adjacent to will also appear invisible in game.

 

my guess is if this caulked surface viewed from one side leads to another visleaf that is shut off, it will appear black instead of invisible. I haven't done this myself, but thats my guess.

 

Nope. You can see right through. I had a map with a door in the middle of chunks cut out of the wall.