Model Brightness Multiplier

Decimator

<div class="IPBDescription">allowing for darker lighting</div> On irc we were discussing how to have a dark map without making the models too hard to see, and I had a thought: What if there were an environment entity that multiplied the brightness of models? That would allow for darker lighting, so even the bright textures could be made dark without making it impossible to see the players and buildings. As it is now the model simply takes on the lighting of the floor it's on (excepting the skulk which takes on the walls as well), but if this brightness could be multiplied it would give the mappers more freedom in how they use their lighting.

Another possibility would be to make both a brush verstion and a point version for even greater control of the effect, but that's not the main point.

Comments?

Cagey

IIRC Sprit of Half-Life uses special lights to brighten models (and I know Wolf3D's modified Q3 engine uses separate model lights), but I think the optimal solution would be setting the light value for the model directly in the model's properties--it doesn't add any entities to the map, doesn't require any runtime calculation, and allows fine control over the perceived color and brightness of individual models regardless of environment.

Decimator

Could that actually be done on an individual map basis though?

NerdIII

I'm not a fan of unrealistic light hacks, but Cagey told me the light pathes save more than just a light value, so the models have body shadows and not one uniform light value. So maybe a light that hits the floor in a low angle will make the floor dark, but still light the models from one side? (Or have I misunderstood it?)

Cagey

<!--QuoteBegin--NerdIII+Oct 9 2003, 09:59 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (NerdIII @ Oct 9 2003, 09:59 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I'm not a fan of unrealistic light hacks, but Cagey told me the light pathes save more than just a light value, so the models have body shadows and not one uniform light value. So maybe a light that hits the floor in a low angle will make the floor dark, but still light the models from one side? (Or have I misunderstood it?) <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think you misunderstood what I was saying -- light has 3 color components so models will take on the color of the light hitting the floor patch, but it's still 1 light value over the entire model <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->. The tools don't store any information about light angles; models don't have body shadows.

<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Could that actually be done on an individual map basis though? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Yeah (EDIT: I realized I said "model's properties" instead of "model projecting entity's properties" above, sorry for the confusion)-- if you put a light key directly into the entity properties for the model (not the model file, but the properties for the cycler_sprite or monster_furniture or whatever the mapper's using) you could have different amounts of light for two instances of the model side by side in the same map. By no extra entities, what I meant was no entity other than the one that's already placing the model in the map.

Decimator

I was speaking more in terms of the actual players and structures on the map, as far as I know those don't use map entities.

edit: typos

Cagey

<!--QuoteBegin--Decimator+Oct 9 2003, 04:08 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Decimator @ Oct 9 2003, 04:08 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I was speaking more in terms of the actual players and structures on the map, as far as I know those don't use map entities.

edit: typos <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ahh - I see.

Yeah, the system you describe in your first post is the way to go for that. Spirit has something like this <a href='http://spirit.valve-erc.com/guide/EntityGuide.html#env_elight' target='_blank'>implemented</a>, but i don't know how it impacts performance.