Springheel's Stuff

[Obsttorte 1522]

You don't need to illuminate the with with a point light, though. You can create a custom shader and use blend add for the illumination. Adding parms allow to manipulate the brightness of the window if the shader is used on fs.

 

Regarding the texture manipulation on model. You can indeed not manipulate the texture on the model in DR, but you can create a custom shader and manipulate the look there. Shaders allow for rotation and translation. Not optimal but better then nothing I guess.

 

Regarding stairs. Beneath teh fact that the steps need to be monsterclipped, fs steps also need nodrawsolid textures so the correct sound gets played when ai or the player walk upon them. In this sense it may be the best approach to only create models for the railings etc., and for the rest you can use worldspawn prefabs. Or you create a prefab containing the monsterclip and nodrawsolid surfaces to be used with the model.

[SteveL 1042]

Both setups look good. The projected texture can benefit from a softer and more detailed shadow but the simpler setup looks natural to me too.

 

@Sotha: Does the projected light not illuminate the player then?

[MirceaKitsune 258]

I like the projected texture approach most. I wonder how to make the window light move with the window when it opens however... since this would likely be wanted for interactive windows as well.

[Springheel 4645]

ou usually get somewhat better looking solution by putting a projected light on top of the window,

 

Well, the pointlight your example creates precisely the problem I'm trying to avoid--the window bars are clearly being illuminated from in front of the window, not behind. But if you don't use the pointlight, the edges of the window frame are not illuminated properly.

 

A different light texture would probably look better in the example, as it could simulate bars and other details, but that was just a proof of concept shot.

[Sotha 1909]

Steve, yes projected will illuminate player, but the point light will give a more accurate lighting in front of the window.

 

Mircea, this is more suitable for decorative windows. Interactive ones could use simple real lighting. I.e. when window shutters are closed no light passes through. When the shutters are opened light seeps out normally from the inside.

 

Spring, could be a matter of taste, but I do not find the front lighting problematic at all.

[Bikerdude 3741]

Quite simple setup, once you have the light texture. Projected light casts the light texture on the floor. The point light illuminates the window so it looks like light shines on it from the outside PLUS it gives the gameplay effect of illuminating players right in front of the window. The light shaft is just the final touch and not absolutely necessary.

I have been using this arrangement for ages now, I think I was the first o use it (I think there is a tut post somewhere)

 

@Sotha, you can use a normal point source for the projection as well, just more the origin to where you want it.

[Springheel 4645]

Spring, could be a matter of taste, but I do not find the front lighting problematic at all.

 

I'm sure taste enters into it. The projected lights look great, and in examples like yours where it's very soft moonlight coming through, that approach is fine. But in dark environments where you're looking at a brightly lit window, it bugs me when the light is in front instead of behind it.

[Melan 1809]

Even if it is unrealistic, it is useful to light up your architecture and bring out those interesting shadows. Besides, light does get scattered IRL as well. Depends on what kind of effect you are looking for.

[rich_is_bored 281]

I recall in DoomEdit there was a way to change the center of a light without changing it's location. Perhaps it only has an effect on shadows. I can't remember.

[nbohr1more 2165]

Yes, moving the light_center will affect both the falloff and the shadow behavior without changing the size or orientation of the light volume.

I had a few rants around here about the need for a better way to control this for compound light entities.

[Bikerdude 3741]

I recall in DoomEdit there was a way to change the center of a light without changing it's location. Perhaps it only has an effect on shadows. I can't remember.

Same in DR, you just place the volume where you want it and then move the origin.

[nbohr1more 2165]

Same in DR, you just place the volume where you want it and then move the origin.

 

I'll have to test this but I don't believe the light_center moves with the origin or it does but moving the origin moves the whole light volume

with it. At least I recall struggling with it before. I guess the workaround is to set the light DR to vert mode and grab the light_center vert from

my recollection.

[Bikerdude 3741]

Sorry your correct, I meant to say "light center"

1. right click create light source and then shift select it.
2. the press the V key and then drag select the light center (LC).
3. the select the LC light center and move it where you like.

[Springheel 4645]

Turns out the obtuse corner pieces (used to join 270degree turns) can be put together in 4s to make a decent pillar, which could then be used to break up large spaces. And you can use them as accents on regular brush walls. The second image is just a regular brush wall, with two pairs of obtuse corner pieces for detailing.

 

It seems that the modules can be useful even as accents in a primarily brush-based map section.

[Bikerdude 3741]

Very nice work as all ways mister.

[Springheel 4645]

Another place they can be used in regular brush-based architecture is to hide sharp-edged corners:

 

 

[Paralytik 74]

Looks great!

[SteveL 1042]

Are the edges of the corner pieces slightly bowed?

[Springheel 4645]

Yes. Older walls tend to sag like that.

[Melan 1809]

I love minor, subtle details like that.

[SteveL 1042]

A Victorian seminary that I used to visit had walls that did that. Wallpapered wood.

[Springheel 4645]

Working on some exterior modules now. This stone01 set has a window, a blank wall, a door, a grime decal, and a corner (which also makes good pillars).

 

edit: There's also an empty door module, so mappers could use it to make enterable structures.

 

The image below is stacked two modules high (ignore the bad lighting):

[demagogue 1265]

I'm starting to appreciate that the more of these we have, the more we're on par with any commercial game. I think they'll be empowering and motivating for mappers too. That's exactly what I was thinking playing Dishonored. I wish I had those funcstats.

 

I hope you, and hopefully others joining the cause, keep this up for different categories of buildings, church, castle, shops, sewer, different economic strata houses, etc.

[Paralytik 74]

Is there a wiki article on how you created this standard yet? Would be really cool to see others get into making pieces that can be used in combination with yours.

[Springheel 4645]

Is there a wiki article on how you created this standard yet? Would be really cool to see others get into making pieces that can be used in combination with yours.

 

 

Just a post in Sotha's modular building thread. If there's enough demand I could write up something.

 

I'm starting to appreciate that the more of these we have, the more we're on par with any commercial game. I think they'll be empowering and motivating for mappers too.

 

That's my hope...the easier we can make it for maps to look good, the better for TDM. I'm a bit relieved that these modules can still be useful even for mappers that don't want to build with them exclusively...you could build entirely off-grid with brushes like normal, but just use the module pieces as accents and corner pieces as demonstrated above. For example, the wall segment in the pic below took ten seconds--I just drew out a random-sized brush, and added two corner piece modules to each end. Ten seconds, and it already looks great. I imagine it would take only ten minutes or so to map out an entire castle wall with this technique.