Snarkpit Forum Index » Source engine editing » Source engine performance indicators
Source engine performance indicators
1
2 next page »
Post Reply
Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by ReNo on Sat Nov 6th at 7:13pm 2004

In HL1 we had r_speeds to use in the optimisation of our maps, so is there any similar tool available in the source engine? I know valve have said it based optimisations on performance as opposed to polycount, but does that mean we are meant to base our judgements on how the maps run on our own computers using cl_showfps? If anyone knows of other methods of judging map performance in the source engine, please share them here.
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by omegaslayer on Sun Nov 7th at 1:25am 2004

Your jumping on the HL2 editing fast. Try posting at the steam forums if no one comes up with the answer here. Im curious to know this command also.

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by Campaignjunkie on Sun Nov 7th at 1:31am 2004

I believe the command is +showbudget
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by G.Ballblue on Sun Nov 7th at 2:30am 2004

budget?

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by ReNo on Sun Nov 7th at 5:12am 2004

While I don't quite understand what its telling me yet, it certainly appears to be the sort of indicator I was looking for I guess a box room really isn't going to give the feature much opportunity to show its usefulness!
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by G.Ballblue on Sun Nov 7th at 5:13am 2004

The box room.... ahhh, our first maps [addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by ReNo on Sun Nov 7th at 4:34pm 2004

I've had a dig around in CS:S and found quite a few tools to help mappers judge their level's performance.

First up is, as CJ said, +showbudget. This brings up a panel that displays how much time is being spent per frame on each main component of the game - physics, props, geometry, sounds, etc... It also has an FPS graph that will show spikes when performance drops significantly.

Next is +showbudget_texture. This displays the amount of memory used on each type of texture data, such as cubemaps, lightmaps, and world textures, per frame. There is also a variation on this, +showbudget_texture_global, that shows the memory use of textures across the entire map as opposed to the current frame.

We also have a dedicated interface for level performance, accessed using perfui, but unfortunately it doesn't provide access to everything we would find handy (such as the above tools). It grants us portal rendering and occlusion rendering (more information about these can be found in the Source SDK documentation), as well as displaying the fade distances on props.

Another little feature that some will find handy is the mat_leafvis command, that draws a red wireframe around the current leaf that the player occupies. This will be handy in identifying overly large leafs that grant the player too much overdraw, as well as areas that have their leaves overly segmented.
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by Leperous on Sun Nov 7th at 4:42pm 2004

So I guess where we once talked about "high r_speeds", we'll now be saying "our budget is too high"? Hmm... that's going to confuse some noobs



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by Orpheus on Sun Nov 7th at 4:47pm 2004

? quoting Leperous
So I guess where we once talked about "high r_speeds", we'll now be saying "our budget is too high"? Hmm... that's going to confuse some noobs

we can always add it to a political thread and say something like "DAMN another asswipe went and made another G dubya" map

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by KungFuSquirrel on Sun Nov 7th at 4:47pm 2004

Technically, the actual budget or target performance would stay the same, you'd just be over or under it. [addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by G.Ballblue on Sun Nov 7th at 6:47pm 2004

So... does the r_speeds limit go above a few thousand?

/me is asking cuz he really wantz a headz start on HL2 mappin

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by ReNo on Sun Nov 7th at 7:25pm 2004

The point is that r_speeds are no longer used, and performance isn't only dictated by polycount. As source uses other technologies such as normal mapping and shaders, you can't tell how well a map will run only by the polycount. These new tools are a far better judge of the level performance than r_speeds would be if they were available.
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by MisterBister on Sun Nov 7th at 7:30pm 2004

? quote:
The point is that r_speeds are no longer used, and performance isn't only dictated by polycount. As source uses other technologies such as normal mapping and shaders, you can't tell how well a map will run only by the polycount. These new tools are a far better judge of the level performance than r_speeds would be if they were available.


Sounds really smart... I cant wait to lay my hands on a half-life2 copy.
I would really love to buy hl2 via steam but i dont have a VISA of MASTERCARD card..
So i cant play with the editor until the game is relseased =(.
And the most s**tty thing of all is that the game is released the same day as the huge big important NATIONAL english test. Man, that really sucks.




Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by still_CJ on Mon Nov 8th at 9:58pm 2004

I appreciate the fact that we need to start relying on the 'budget' to analyse performance, but I can't help thinking that a well constructed map at the r_speeds 1/gl_wireframe 2 level will provide a better start point than a less well ordered one.

Having mucked around with the console, I think mat_wireframe and/or r_overlaywireframe equate to gl_wireframe 2, but no specif link to r_speeds (which sounds like it may now be irrelevant anyway),

CJ





Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by KungFuSquirrel on Tue Nov 9th at 2:51am 2004

Not really. Thing is, as texture resolution gets higher and higher, as there's more and more passes on any one texture (alpha channels, normal maps, spec maps, glow passes, etc.), and as other effects get more and more expensive, polys become cheaper and cheaper to the point where they're almost irrelevant. Unreal's current method of showing scene complexity by displaying a range of green to red based on overdraw and Doom3's r_showlightcount option is the type of thing that will be more and more indicative of performance than any raw number of polys. [addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by Kage_Prototype on Tue Nov 9th at 7:52am 2004

I think I remember Valve saying they relied more on general fps on target systems, rather than something like r_speeds.
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by Orpheus on Tue Nov 9th at 10:02am 2004

the *taboo* version still uses "r_speeds 1" gives a massive amount of info i do not understand.. no of it is familiar.. perhaps i could sneak in a screenshot and compare it to what they released with the budget command???

in the interest of science?? lep? gwil?

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by Leperous on Tue Nov 9th at 11:18am 2004

No, I don't care what the *taboo* version uses tbh, it has no consequence on anything...



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by Orpheus on Tue Nov 9th at 11:45am 2004

fine then, no prob..

i was kinda thinkin the same thing, but also was thinking, "what did they change since"

i still think the stolen version was a ploy to extend their time limit for release, you know.. they claimed a release date they couldn't meet and needed to do something..

i don't know much about coding, but it seems to me that to use a completely different set of commands would be quite a feat.. and since the *taboo* version still uses HL1 commands and this new release does not.. *shrugs*

whether it was a ploy or not... it worked, they got their extra year

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Source engine performance indicators
Posted by Leperous on Tue Nov 9th at 11:54am 2004

I doubt that Gabe et al are capable of tricking the FBI!




1
2 next page »
Post Reply