Fan shadows? oh yes...

Merkaba

<div class="IPBDescription">...shame hl engine can't cut it.</div>Fan shadows...such a sweet element to any map. There are a few methods tried and tested, such as using a 1 unit thick rotating brush to make the shadow with...I don't recall anyone doing the effect using light_spots, which would no doubt look miles better. So I had a go.

Two multimanagers, two trigger_autos, and 121 light_spots later, here is the result:

<img src="http://www.btinternet.com/~p.d.chapman/merkaba/hivefan.gif" border="0">


Cool, huh? I had fun building this room. I put a lot of effort into implementing the coolest fan shadows cast seen in any HL map, but unfortunately, in the end I had to cut it out because of the way HL handles the light_spots which generate the lights. Each light_spot is added to the visible entity packet, meaning HL soon runs out of available spaces. Naturally, this makes it pretty much useless for anything except single player maps which can be spread over several BSPs...

So, salute the l33t shadow fan effect, as I'm not convinced it'll ever see the light of day again! (At least, not on such a grand scale.)


<edit> The pause in the rotation is a .gif problem - the shadows don't pause like that in the game.



<!--EDIT|Merkaba|Mar. 05 2002,01:08-->

CyonPro

/me gives the HL engine an Atomic Wedgie.

realityisdead

You stole my idea, Merkaba.

Great job though, I didn't know if it was going to be possible.

mr_Nebel

I've seen this ingame AND OMG its so good.

/me raises my glass to the fan shadow

Merkaba

Except that it doesn't work!

I might have a possible solution, but I need to do some testing, and I don't have time right now. Go to finish Hera!

liquidscript

Merk, maybe you could make custom textures similar to _Mu's earlier posts in the Style topic.  He had some bright fan shaped lights and custom textures on the bottom that lit the floor in the same pattern.  You could try making an animated texture for this.

pielemuis

looks really cool Merkaba, and offtopic, CyonPro what's you avatar supposed to be?
Hmm shame you won't be able to put it in, i don't know much 'bout mapping, but couldn't you use one large animated texture or woudl that juts look real crappy?

Scythe

If you put a lot of effort into a animated fan shadow tex, you would end up with a pretty stunning and entity free (except for the func_rotating) fan shadow effect. You would have to make the tex custom taylored to you map and that part of the map, taking into account light sources and the like.

--Scythe--
<a href="mailto:the_only_scythe@yahoo.co.uk">the_only_scythe@yahoo.co.uk</a>

Muu

Sweet but you are as crazzy as me to spend so much time on something like that <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo--> I tryed something similar with lights(but not so many) and decided it was to high a cost compared to teh quality of the effect. When I get the time Ill try me new idea which is to have a light map texture on the flour with additiv blend and then a rotating fan  1 unit above it rendered with a low render amount and hopefuly HLs silly engine will draw them in the wrong order.

realityisdead

<!--QuoteBegin--Mu_+Mar. 05 2002,01:29--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (Mu_ @ Mar. 05 2002,01:29)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->1 unit above it rendered with a low render amount and hopefuly HLs silly engine will draw them in the wrong order.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Lol! <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->

Moleculor

The light map should work. As long as you've got the blades and textures aligned right. <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->

Muu

Ok this is just a technical demonstration of the effect I was talking about earlyer - it dosent look good because I havent created a lightmap texture for the flour(see earlyer <a href="http://www.natural-selection.org/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?" target="_blank">post</a>) so dont bother d/ling it if your not intrested in putting it in your map. Im not sure if this effect will work on all cards - and im pretty sure it wount work in software mode - but it wont look wierd if it dosen't work eather. If you us this effect in your map please let me know or send me some screen shots, Id love to see it.
P.S. because I'm doing this I expect others to do the same and share what ever knowledge they have freely.

<a href="http://www.mumuland.co.uk/ns/map/ns_jewel/clight/bob1.zip" target="_blank">RMF file</a>

Mart

It'd be nice if someone posted some screenies of it on here

CyonPro

Won't be me, this computer doesn't even have HL on it. <!--emo&:(--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('><!--endemo-->

Muu

I'll post some good shots of it in game(and maybe an exaple bsp) as soon as I can but Ive got alot of actual work to do - sorry.

Flayra

/me bows down to the Mappor/Hackor that is Merkaba.  

The network usage for this effect alone would mean it couldn't work in online play (an extra 4k a second to the client, somehow).  If we ever do a single-player version of NS, let's put this in. <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->

Mu, how about the .bsp?

Kassinger

Maybe he wants to keep ppl without WC from playing.
j/k <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->

Shuvit_Viper

you could use it in the NS training mission <!--emo&:D--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'><!--endemo-->

Yolmer

I just thought about something. Couldn't you make this effect with an animated texture? Of course you have to make the fan dark, or you'll see that the fan doesn't move in the same pace as the shadows.

Muu

Ok Im posting this not because its finnished or im happy with it but because flayra asked for it. I can make this alot better, but I'm not working on the part of the map I was going to us this effect for at the moment so It'll have to wait.
<img src="http://www.mumuland.co.uk/ns/map/ns_jewel/mufandemo0001.jpg" border="0">
If this dosen't work for you then I'll cry.
<a href="http://www.mumuland.co.uk/ns/map/ns_jewel/clight/mufandemo.zip" target="_blank">BSP</a>

Merkaba

To be honest, the possibility of using a rotatin brush to simulate the effect is out of the question. The floor is not even at all, and rotating brushes must be on a flat surface.

Muu

I'm not trying to simulate the effect you used! And Im not using a simple rotating brush. Plus I could simulate the effect you used as long as the player never entered an area where the hight was different within the arc of rotation of the fan.

Flayra

I will definitely consider projected textures for a future release of NS.  It would be quite easy to do and could allow effects like this, spotlights, dynamic shadows and more.

This effect looks too cool to just let go. <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->

realityisdead

I would looove dynamic shadows in the Half-Life engine. Ones that could be naturally cast onto odd shaped (non-flat) brushes or objects. Simulated or not. Oh boy, do I have ideas...