I'm Having A Bit Of A Problem With Texture Lights

jbadjbad Join Date: 2003-01-27 Member: 12865Members
<div class="IPBDescription">thinking it might be my setup?</div> New member here, but I've been mapping for a few months now. However, I've only managed to use light entities and not texture lights. Here's what I'm doing:

I made a plain cube room. Within this room I inserted another smaller cube with the light texture: ~light3c. I go to compile this room-map and the compiler (zoner's) tells me there are no lights and so it is fullbright. Any ideas? Maybe I'm missing something VERY simple here.

Thanks guys. <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->

Comments

  • PrivatePanicPrivatePanic Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6546Members
    Well you must tell the compile tools that you want to use Texlights, and you must define those lights.

    First step:

    Create a file named like your map with the ending .RAD (for example ns_mymap.rad). You can put it in any directory but I suggest you to put it where your .RMF and .MAP files are.

    Open this file and enter one line for each texture that should light its surrounding with the following syntax:

    TEXTURENAME RED GREEN BLUE INTENSITY

    For example:

    ~light3c 255 255 255 50

    That would make your texture throw white light. The intensity (or brightness) must be somewhat lower than the one of a pointlight you would use, because one face with the texture won't be ONE light source; each 16x16 Pixel area of the face will be treated as one light source, so one textured face can be dozens or hundrets of light sources. Play around a little bit.

    Second step:

    In your call of RAD (HLRAD.EXE, if yours is called QRAD.EXE, I *strongly* suggest you to get ZHLT; go to www.valve-erc.com for this), you got to specify that you want to use a .RAD file, and which one, of course.

    Example:
    hlrad.exe -noinfo -high -lights ns_mymap.rad "e:\hammer\maps\mymap"

    (Note: the noinfo param will cut a bit of rad's vast output and the high param will tell hlrad.exe to use more CPU time than without it)


    All clear? <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • DarkhoundDarkhound Join Date: 2002-11-15 Member: 8794Members
    In the directory with your compile tools there should be a file called lights.rad. This contains the lighting information for textures. One line from my file reads like this:

    trim_lab2light 255 255 150 400

    Where trim_lab2light is the name of the texture, 255 255 150 is the color of the texture light, and 400 is the intensity.
  • jbadjbad Join Date: 2003-01-27 Member: 12865Members
    Ok, I am using ZHLT Zoner's compile tools. v2.5.3

    Here's the message I get:

    "Error: No Lights!
    Description: lighting of map halted (I assume you do not want a pitch black map!)
    Howto Fix: Put some lights in the map."

    I've renamed my Valve.rad to lights.rad, so that is done.

    Is it really necessary that I make my own .rad file?

    Let me get this straight.....I've got the renamed lights.rad file, I add a block and texture it with a texture mentioned in lights.rad, and then compile. That's all I have to do?.....because that doesn't seem to be working. I've tried making it a func_wall with no luck there either. Man am I confused. <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • jbadjbad Join Date: 2003-01-27 Member: 12865Members
    hmmm.....do I have to refer to lights.rad anywhere in my setup to compile?
  • jbadjbad Join Date: 2003-01-27 Member: 12865Members
    awesome.....I fixed it <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->

    to all those that should in the future SEARCH.....the lights.rad file must be located in the valve/maps folder.

    Happy mapping everybody <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> And don't forget to <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> some <!--emo&::skulk::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'><!--endemo--> for inspiration <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • PrivatePanicPrivatePanic Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6546Members
    Hmm it doesn't necessarily have to be in your valve/maps folder... unless your compile tool can't find it, then it seems to look there first.
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