Lights.rad File Technique Any Ideas?

Zerotech

<div class="IPBDescription">add lighting without using it as entity</div> would anyone like to shed some light about this technique? I've heard its possible to add light effects so you don't need to set it as an entity which can reduce the need of entites and can improve the fps quality picture.

Confused

its fairly simple:

you add -lights <mylights.rad> to the rad command line

the file format is fairly simple too

fx_panel09 255 0 0 100
fx_screens02 0 128 128 100
<texturename> <r> <G> <b> <intensity>

its texture name and then the same stuff you see in a light entity.

there is an example oone by chrome angel in
<a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30824&hl=nslights\.rad' target='_blank'>this thread</a>

also note that light enitites are not run time entities in ns unless they have a name.

Zerotech

ok so that means, for every texture i choose to have lights i have to remember the proper name of the texture from it's wad file then I add the values in terms of colour, contrast, brightness etc.

So for the texture lighting to work properly in the game, do i need to import the rad file itself to the ns folder or its not neccessary.

from what I've seen for any type of texture i want lights on, every texture of that type will have lights regardless of its shape and size if I am correct, please clarify the situation.

Confused

yes, every texture of the same type will emit light. They will also be lit full bright if placed in the .rad.

the file can be any where for example mine is i:mydocuments/maps/pile of junk/lights.rad. you simply use a long file name and are golden.
You merely refrence it from th command line of HLRAD using teh command "-light <filename>"

you don't need to give it to ns because the lighting values in a hl map are precalculated, this is the purpose behind hlrad. Thus, ns really can't do any thing with the info. so dont worry about that.

also teh easiest way to get the names of textures out of hammer is to use the replace tool becuase you can copy out of the textbox.


clear?

Zerotech

yes i'm perfectly clear about it, thanks.

btw I'm creating my 1st ns based map, so i'm not a pro at it, nor the map itself is crash hot.

my 1st map would take weeks if not months, as i've already have begun present ing a brainstorm of what this map contains.