fullbright/black lightmaps on full compile [solved - for now

[Pat Howard]

i am getting this result when i try to compile my map.

-light -fast -patchshadows -samples 6 -bounce 8 -dirty
[lvlshot]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3305662/baseq3/screenshots/kara/shot0326.jpg[/lvlshot]

it only happens when i compile with bounce. here's what the lightmap looks like without bounce (perfectly fine).

-light -fast -patchshadows -samples 6 -dirty
[lvlshot]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3305662/baseq3/screenshots/kara/shot0325.jpg[/lvlshot]

does anyone know what could be causing this? the map has no leaks, although there are a few models with buried origins that cause a leak message. (this is a different error than a true leak and has never given me problems in the past).

i really hope someone can help with this

[AEon]

I wonder if you are hitting some detail level limit... though I really hope not.

[Pat Howard]

nope, i am creating this room in a separate .map file. it has a little over 2k brushes and r_speeds are around 25k.

i just did a test without all the models, which i thought could be the culprit, and it didn't fix anything. i don't know if i should be relieved about that or not, haha.

it seems like the black surfaces are random, as in there is no rhyme or reason to which ones are blacked out. however, from compile to compile the black surfaces seem to be the same every time.

[Theftbot]

Are you compiling from radiant?

[Pat Howard]

nope, using a batch file and the latest version of q3map2.

Code: Select all

set Q3_PATH="C:\Program Files\Quake iii arena"
set COMP_PATH="C:\Program Files\Quake iii arena\q3map2\q3map2.exe"
set BOT_PATH="C:\Program Files\Quake iii arena\q3map2\bspc.exe"
set MAP_PATH="C:\Program Files\Quake iii arena\baseq3\maps\test.map"
set GEN_OPTIONS=-fs_basepath %Q3_PATH%

%COMP_PATH% -meta %GEN_OPTIONS% %MAP_PATH%
%COMP_PATH% -light -fast -patchshadows -samples 6 -bounce 8 -dirty %GEN_OPTIONS% %MAP_PATH%

pause
REM start /d "C:\Program Files\Quake iii arena\" quake3.exe

it seems to be a brush-related issue. something is definitely going on in the roof/windows area because when i delete those i either fix it or get rid of most of the black surfaces. oddly in one case the black surfaces were contained to the area behind those double doors when i deleted the roof.

ironically this was the first room in the map where i tried to be REALLY good with my mapping practices. lots of detail brushes, void sealed, and very little overdraw.

this seems like it's going to be a tough one...

edit: okay! mostly fixed after deleting the broken planks in the roofs. so weird. but i still have the problem showing up in this one area:

[lvlshot]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3305662/baseq3/screenshots/kara/shot0328.jpg[/lvlshot]

[cityy]

I've had this before but can't remember the cause.. Have you checked your .shader file for syntax errors?

[Pat Howard]

i just replaced my .shader with a backup version from a week ago and i'm still getting the error. i also checked for syntax errors and didn't see anything.

what map did you get this error on? do you remember anything about how you were able to fix it?

gah, progress was going so great until this happened

[Pat Howard]

the issue is solved when i compile with gtkradiant 1.4.0, i.e. an older version of q3map2.

unfortunately with this version i've never been able to get forcemeta to work on models that use shaders, e.g. my trees and vines.

[AndehX]

is it important to have forcemeta on those models? What does it do to them exactly?

[Pat Howard]

makes them lightmapped instead of vertex lit.

[Pat Howard]

okay, i've found the culprit. after deleting all the wood-textured brushes from my map the problem is completely solved. i guess i'll have to remake those roofs. slightly annoying, but it could be much worse.

i still wish i knew exactly what was causing the problem and i really hope this doesn't show up again. you'd think if it was a brush-related issue then brush cleanup would fix it, but it doesn't.

glad to have this fixed for now.

[Pat Howard]

okay, i've found the culprit. after deleting all the wood-textured brushes from my map the problem is completely solved. i guess i'll have to remake those roofs. slightly annoying, but it could be much worse.

i still wish i knew exactly what was causing the problem and i really hope this doesn't show up again. you'd think if it was a brush-related issue then brush cleanup would fix it, but it doesn't.

glad to have this fixed for now.

[fKd]

Bounce is over rated. If I was not in Europe on holiday I'd totally be keen to look into this weird behavior. Your new works are looking really great man. Amped to give em a go once I get home.

[AndehX]

out of curiosity Pat, what ETA are we looking at for a release?

[Pat Howard]

@fKd: i used to not like bounce either. i didn't use it in my CTF map Ironwood, but that was before i realized that the lightimage can affect the color of the bounce light. now that i know that i can probably use it no matter what skybox i'm using. i'm not specifying a light image in the shader here though since it doesn't seem to be a problem for Miramar (the sky i'm using for this map). overall i think if you plan for it from the start, using bounce makes for a softer lightmap, which i prefer.

thanks for the encouragement!

@Andeh: i'd rather not give an ETA, since i've been forced to eat my own words so many times in the past . for example, i think i told you guys that Hydra would be in beta like six weeks ago, but i didn't know i was going to be working on this map at the same time. i will say that due to collecting tons of concept art and planning the environmental stuff really thoroughly, this map is going much, much faster than any map i've ever made. the three main atriums are basically done, now i am just working on the connecting halls and side rooms. other than this little technical hiccup i'm going as fast as i can to finish this thing up.