Hollowing is considered quite wrong actually. Likely to introduce errors and sloppy mapping. For a test phase of your map it can be quite useful though. <a href='http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~quark/' target='_blank'>QuArK</a> users can use the "wall maker" duplicator. Create the shape of your level out of plain cubes, put them inside the duplicator and QuArK automaticaly creates the level around them! If you want to change your level, for example resizing a room or removing a hallway, just edit the brushes that define that room and QuArK automaticaly computes the changes. Using the "mitter" option creates proper walls, but takes longer to compute and generates many planes. Using extrude is a lot faster, but gives some visual errors that need to be manually cleaned up(overlapping brushes). For use in a final map you'll probably want to build the old fashioned way, wall by wall. Although a lot slower, it allows for much more flexibility.
And to follow up on oOTOo's reply: ask further questions at the <a href='http://www.chatbear.com/board.plm?b=390' target='_blank'>Valve-ERC forum</a>.
If you're talking about making your first <i>room</i> out of a hollowed box, then what Wolv said is right: it's sloppy, and discourages creativity.
If, however, you're talking about <i>enclosing</i> your entire level in a giant box, then that's a bit different, although just as discouraged. It can be fine if you're making a big room that you haven't finished yet and want to test, but you should delete the box as soon as possible. Not only does a big box greatly increase the complie time and add to compiler limits, but it makes the finding of leaks in your level very difficult. Once you finally delete the box, there could be any number of little holes in your level that you should have been fixing as you went along.
In short: it's OK in certain cases, but should never become a standard practice.
<i>why hasn't anyone made a subtractive geometry editor for half life yet. It's infinitely easier. </i> That's pretty much what QuArK emulates with the wallmaker.
Comments
<a href='http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~quark/' target='_blank'>QuArK</a> users can use the "wall maker" duplicator. Create the shape of your level out of plain cubes, put them inside the duplicator and QuArK automaticaly creates the level around them! If you want to change your level, for example resizing a room or removing a hallway, just edit the brushes that define that room and QuArK automaticaly computes the changes. Using the "mitter" option creates proper walls, but takes longer to compute and generates many planes. Using extrude is a lot faster, but gives some visual errors that need to be manually cleaned up(overlapping brushes).
For use in a final map you'll probably want to build the old fashioned way, wall by wall. Although a lot slower, it allows for much more flexibility.
And to follow up on oOTOo's reply: ask further questions at the <a href='http://www.chatbear.com/board.plm?b=390' target='_blank'>Valve-ERC forum</a>.
amckern
If, however, you're talking about <i>enclosing</i> your entire level in a giant box, then that's a bit different, although just as discouraged. It can be fine if you're making a big room that you haven't finished yet and want to test, but you should delete the box as soon as possible. Not only does a big box greatly increase the complie time and add to compiler limits, but it makes the finding of leaks in your level very difficult. Once you finally delete the box, there could be any number of little holes in your level that you should have been fixing as you went along.
In short: it's OK in certain cases, but should never become a standard practice.
That's pretty much what QuArK emulates with the wallmaker.