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Topic Starter Topic: Stairway generator?
themuffinman
Insane Quaker
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Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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PostPosted: 11-16-2010 09:22 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Hi all,

A few years back I recall coming across a stairway generator plugin, it might have been in either Q3 or GTK Radiant. Is there such a thing? If so, where to get it? If it's specifically for a certain version of Radiant, which one?

I need to construct some pretty complex curved staircases, and my old reliable method of making the normal 1/4 circle based stairs won't be sufficient in this case. Any help would be appreciated :p
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Kaz
Señor Shambler
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Joined: 07 Mar 2006
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PostPosted: 11-16-2010 10:07 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


It's under bobtoolz IIRC - I know it was in 1.2.13 at least. Perhaps someone else will be able to provide more detailed information :)
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dichtfux
clueless
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Joined: 02 Feb 2006
Posts: 558
PostPosted: 11-16-2010 11:38 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I have the bobtoolz version that comes with NetRadiant and it doesn't include the stairway generator though I remember having it a long time ago. My bobtoolz version has:

Code:
turn edge
split patches
merge patches

plot splines
drop entity
tree planter

caulk selection
polygon builder
brush cleanup
vis viewer

pit-o-matic
reset textures



_________________
my FPS maps
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themuffinman
Insane Quaker
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Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 253
PostPosted: 11-16-2010 11:22 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Thanks for the replies. I'll keep looking for it.

However I have realised that I could still use the same approach to making the steps as before. I needed to make a flight of stairs have 23 or 24 steps (to reach a platform of 192 units), and fit in a specific area. I thought the stairs would need to be shaped more oval for more room to add the necessary steps. Being the idiot I can usually be, I didn't think that since I needed the stairs to span 90 degrees, and have 24 steps, that each step would need to be 3.75 degrees from it's origin and then it'd fit perfectly. So I went about it in a similar fashion as I've done before, which is:

Create a bunch of lines to represent different degrees, having 3.75 degree spaces between them (or 4, as GTK likes to round up). Then plot the two sides of the desired staircase. You'll end up with lines to plot each individual stair. Like below (thumbnail):

Image

Then I can go about it in the usual way... alter the height of each stair, maybe spilt each stair into parts for different textures etc. and caulk, with patches on top:

Image Image

Is this *really* the best way to do it? Or are there other, simpler ways? How do you go about making stairways? I never see any tutorials around about how to do it, and it's apparent nobody here knows where to get this plugin I've mentioned, so people must be doing it manually. Curved staircases are in many different maps, yet nobody shares how they do it.
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Theftbot
Mercenary
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Joined: 07 Oct 2009
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PostPosted: 11-17-2010 12:00 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/idtech/make-bsp-map-spiral-steps-and-stairs.php
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Kolossus
Gibblet
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PostPosted: 11-17-2010 03:01 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Stairway generator

:)
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themuffinman
Insane Quaker
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PostPosted: 11-17-2010 01:12 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Theftbot wrote:
http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/idtech/make-bsp-map-spiral-steps-and-stairs.php


Interesting. Quite different from the method I use. The issue with that method though is the floating vertex points you're bound to get from using the rotation tool, but I guess you could always just sort out the vertices afterwards. I'm not quite sure if it's quicker than my method though. Nevertheless, I'll give it a try next time. Thanks!

Kolossus wrote:
Stairway generator

:)


It's giving me a runtime error relating to the .net framework. I've got the latest framework installed, so what do I need to get for this to work? :(
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mrd
Elite
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PostPosted: 11-17-2010 03:45 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Out of curiosity, what's wrong with doing it by hand? Seems like you have a pretty good method set out which is achieving the results you need, yea? ... Is that Q2DM1? :olo:
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monaster
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PostPosted: 11-17-2010 04:28 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


@themuffinman and Kaz: yeah, 1.2.1 still has the stair generator, along with "pit-o-matic" and even "build doors" ;) from the very beginning once you installed GTK Radiant 1.2.1.
GTK 1.5.0 doesn't have it from the beginning any more (might be an extra download, but it never tried that, when I actually need bob's toolz, 1.2.1 is enough for my personal needs).



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Kolossus
Gibblet
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PostPosted: 11-18-2010 02:44 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


@Muffinman: Ah yes... Install Framework *.* (I don't know which is the last version) It will work after that... :)
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Bliccer
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PostPosted: 11-18-2010 05:04 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Maybe you could try this one:

TreppenTool.exe

Generates very nice stairways.
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themuffinman
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PostPosted: 11-18-2010 11:34 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


@mrd:
I'm just looking for convenience. Hell, if I was good at programming and knew how to make Radiant plug-ins, I'd make many things automated! Plug-ins would be especially useful nowadays with maps becoming more complex and detailed, good plug-ins could really cut down development time. Yes it is q2dm1 :olo: Since every Edge remake has been complete shit (yes that includes Q4's version! As well as the CPM and OSP versions), I've decided to make the definitive remake of it. I had a beta version put together early this year, but man it was terrible! Now I'm making the map from scratch using the original as a guide, and it's working out quite well. I just can't decide whether the stairs are too wide or not.

@Monaster:
Thanks, I've downloaded that version of Radiant now, it's got all the tools you mentioned. Problem is, while it does make perfect straight staircases, when I try to do a 'corner' staircase, it produces nothing but a bevel... wtf??

@Kolossus:
Hmmm alright I'll try that.

@Bliccer:
Now I just need a few classes on German and I'm good to go :D I just clicked the 'Berechnen' button. Hell know what that means! :D Is there an English version of that by any chance?
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monaster
Insane Quaker
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Posts: 498
PostPosted: 11-19-2010 09:16 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Hm, have to check about that curve problem, can't remember anything like that. :disgust:

Forget about your german lesson, here's the GUI appearance translated literally for you: haven't yet tested Bliccer's tool, but it's quite self-explanatory, I hope it didn't get anything still wrong in the shitty code pic below. In that case feel free to correct me, and if it's necessary I'll might do that in a few days myself, when I had time to really use this tool and not just start it. <3
Code:
_____________________________
|number of sides              | 3-60
|starting angle               | 0-359 direction your 1st step faces
|finishing angle              | 0-359 direction your last step faces
|step height                  | 1-16
|all in all staircase height  | default:100
|core diameter                | default:20; core must be the column used in the middle of a very narrow spiral staircase
|all in all staircase diameter| default:200; diameter from most left to most right step border
|                             |
|insert core                  |
|caulk texture                |
|detail brushes               | detail this thing to avoid too complex portal creations when compiling later
|                             |
|    CALCULATE (create)       |
______________________________



_________________
If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron.
-Lee Trevino, golfer who actually has been struck by lightning.
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Bliccer
Insane Quaker
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Joined: 26 Nov 2009
Posts: 294
PostPosted: 11-21-2010 06:22 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


themuffinman wrote:
@Bliccer:
Now I just need a few classes on German and I'm good to go :D I just clicked the 'Berechnen' button. Hell know what that means! :D Is there an English version of that by any chance?


Well, here it is:

Typing:

Anzahl Seiten (amount of sides) = How many sides the core of the stairway should have.
Startwinkel (starting angle) = Defines the angle, the first step should start off.
Endwinkel (ending angle) = Greyed off anyway. Should have been which angle the last step should have I guess.
Stufenhöhe (stepheight) = Tells the generator how high the steps should be (in units).
Treppenhöhe (Stairway height) = Defines the height of the whole stairway; can be seen at the core (in units).
Kerndurchmesser (core diameter) = The diameter of the core (and also brush; later explained).
Außendurchmesser (outer diameter) = The diameter of the outer rim. Going from the pivot of the core to the outside.

Ticking:

Kern einsetzen (including core): Places a brush with the core diameter in the middle of the stiarway.
Caulk textur (caulk texture): Every brush generated has the caulk texture on its faces.
[color=#FF0000]Detail Brushes (details brushes): The whole stairway is already detailed.

Berechnen (Calculating/Generating): Generates the stairway into a new map file whose path you can select. Click onto ok and you got the a new map file with the stair in it.


There you go. Have fun. It's a handy tool!
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themuffinman
Insane Quaker
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Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 253
PostPosted: 11-21-2010 10:06 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Thanks to both of you! Yes it's a great tool. Finding it difficult to get the exact size and angle of the stairs, and the ending angle feature is disabled, but besides that, it really is good. Thanks!
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