Snarkpit Forum Index » Source engine editing » Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
« previous page 1
2
Post Reply
Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Dark|Killer on Wed Oct 5th at 10:57am 2005

Whats the difference between cordon compiling and hammer's compiling ?!



.::Dark|Masta::. - One name. One legend.



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Madedog on Wed Oct 5th at 11:24am 2005

"Cordon" means making a box, especially recommended when working with small details on a HUGE map, anything outside is no longer displayed. Cordon compiling is just leaving the cordon on and letting it compile. Thus you can help view and test smaller area in your map, which helps a lot.

Crono, 42 minutes with 23 computer server farm, that's EVERYTHING taken together, BSP, VIS and RAD, and afaik, RAD was the one taking 40 minutes! So don't talk about things you do not know, VIS takes no longer than perhaps a minute or so.



HL2 tutorials 'n' stuff: http://madedog.pri.ee
217.159.236.34:27050 - CSS Server - Clean | koffer.ee



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by fishy on Wed Oct 5th at 11:36am 2005

? quoting Madedog
VIS takes no longer than perhaps a minute or so.

the only vis that i've had that took less than a minute, was vis that was run on a leaky map.




i eat paint



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by wil5on on Wed Oct 5th at 1:08pm 2005

It depends on the machine youre compiling on.


"If you talk at all during this lesson, you have detention. Do you understand?"
- My yr11 Economics teacher



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Dark|Killer on Wed Oct 5th at 2:36pm 2005

Oh hey guys, i was looking through a decompiled map, and i saw that lots of parts of the map had skip textured blocks around some rooms and stuff, why is that??
And that 2 hint brushes in the middle of the map, one at the middle and another
a bit lower...
And the top was hint textures, and under and all other sides are skip, is that ok to do to anymap >??





.::Dark|Masta::. - One name. One legend.



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by BlisTer on Wed Oct 5th at 4:08pm 2005

? quoting Dark|Killer

And the top was hint textures, and under and all other sides are skip, is that ok to do to anymap >??


that's the way to use hint brushes. not necessarely the top side, but only one side should be textured with hint, the rest should be textured with skip. search for tutorials on hint brushes, they'll help you alot.




These words are my diaries screaming out loud



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by fishy on Wed Oct 5th at 5:45pm 2005

? quoting BlisTer

......... but only one side should be textured with hint, the rest should be textured with skip.

not quite. you're not restricted to having the hint texture on only one face of a brush. you can use it on as many faces as is suitable for the circumstances, and the other faces get textured with skip.




i eat paint



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Madedog on Wed Oct 5th at 5:55pm 2005

Well, a hint brush generates an extra vis leaf... so basically it is perfectly valid to create a box, each side covered with hint, it just creates an additional vis leaf in its boundaries. Remember - hint brush needs to reach from one wall to another. Otherwise it has no effect.
As I said, SKIP faces are completely skipped by the compiler and the engine, they do not exist anymore. They are only useful in hammer, which you can use to rotate your models. You do know how difficult it is to rotate a model perfectly? Oh yeah, but with SKIP brushes you can first surround your brush and that's how you can align them perfectly to another model or edge. It is just easier.



HL2 tutorials 'n' stuff: http://madedog.pri.ee
217.159.236.34:27050 - CSS Server - Clean | koffer.ee



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by omegaslayer on Wed Oct 5th at 6:35pm 2005

To clear something up first: Its not "lag" (maps dont have lag, they have poor FPS-frames per second), Lag implies there is something thats causing the server to slow down and shoot your ping time way up (like trains tend to raise ping times for many people, but not necicerily decreasing Frames per second). Now as for optimization of polygons thats what you want to do.
I suggest reading that optimization tutorial (already done).
Texture the surfaces that the player wont see with nodraw (I saw a few surfaces in those screen shots that it could have been done on)
And type +showbudget. This is a readout of what the engine is doing, if there is a problem with dynamic lights, then look into those point_spotlights. If there is a problem with too many models being rendered, look into func_occluder. If There are too many world polys being rendered, look into hint brushes and area portals (only use area portals if YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!)



Posting And You



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Captain P on Wed Oct 5th at 8:32pm 2005

Vis taking longer than a minute? My current map, Mudanchee, compiles in 7 minutes - 5 or 6 of them taken up by rad. Vis is pretty quick there... <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">

Personally, I think hint brushes and that sort of manual optimization things are only usefull after you've pinpointed a problem location. Check the map with mat_wireframe 1 to look for such area's where too much is being drawn for your taste. Then go and apply such tricks.



Create-ivity - a game development blog



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Madedog on Wed Oct 5th at 8:50pm 2005

Taken from the fact stated above, if VIS takes more time than 20 seconds on a normal map (as far as it has occurred to me) and you have a bit low FPS, you'll gonna need optimization. I understand heavily packed maps taking longer but if they have good FPS and budget (also, a good habit is to use glview to check out the vis leafs - remember, the clearer the view (the lesser the lines), the better the optimization is. A clear part is what occluders and areaportals give. Areaportals are also a good practice, especially because they divide VIS leafs so as long as you have a good areaportal, you need not to worry about the HINT brush that should be somewhere in the same place (doorway or a window for instance).



HL2 tutorials 'n' stuff: http://madedog.pri.ee
217.159.236.34:27050 - CSS Server - Clean | koffer.ee



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Dark|Killer on Thu Oct 6th at 6:37am 2005

THank you all for your replies, your so helpful, now my compile time dropped to 5-8 mintutes, for now, i wont touch it anymore, im done with it, i have to continue doing the second part of the map, part 2, becuase of you all, i finished part 1 <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif">
IM doing a small map, its for nothing actually, i was just bored and felt like doing a gloomy map, so i tested the lights, and areaportals, worked fine...i dont want to play with hint brushes at the moment, i think i screw thing up alot with that <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif">

Anyway, Just keep posting here any problems at compiling or anything <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif"> and any further problems i have i will post it here <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif">



.::Dark|Masta::. - One name. One legend.



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Madedog on Thu Oct 6th at 7:11am 2005

There are occasions you can get totally out without any HINT brushes whatsoever.
They are only used when you want to cut down some leafs and especially when you manage to create a real complex area somewhere... which generates lots of leafs.



HL2 tutorials 'n' stuff: http://madedog.pri.ee
217.159.236.34:27050 - CSS Server - Clean | koffer.ee



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by DrFrag on Thu Oct 6th at 9:04am 2005

Sounds like the problem's been solved, but I thought I'd add my 2 cents.

This thread...
http://www.hl2world.com/bbs/an-announcement-about-vvis-times-vt31475.html
..saved my soul from the eternal compiling pit of hellfire and vvis.





Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Dark|Killer on Thu Oct 6th at 6:47pm 2005

Thanks dude, the site helps too, and yeah the problem is sovled, but any suggestion or complaints about compiling can be posted here <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif">



.::Dark|Masta::. - One name. One legend.



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by BlisTer on Thu Oct 6th at 8:08pm 2005

? quoting fishy
you're not restricted to having the hint texture on only one face of a brush. you can use it on as many faces as is suitable for the circumstances, and the other faces get textured with skip.

true, but the only example i can think of (with simple geometry hint brushes) where this would be advantageous is a room with a pillar in the middle and an entrance of the same width as that pillar. in other cases it would break up visleafs unnecessary. mm yeah a few farfetched examples spring to mind too now <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif"> but you're right, it's not a necessity. just optimal in most situations.




These words are my diaries screaming out loud



Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by toxic-mapper on Wed Oct 12th at 11:51am 2005

i have the sam poblem of dark killer but i need AN OUT DOOR HINT BRUSH NOT INDOOR i need help how to do a hint brush




Quote
 Re: Some Ways To Reduce Compile Time
Posted by Madedog on Wed Oct 12th at 1:52pm 2005

ffs this has been discussed in this very topic! go and read the optimization tutorial thats link is given here!



HL2 tutorials 'n' stuff: http://madedog.pri.ee
217.159.236.34:27050 - CSS Server - Clean | koffer.ee




« previous page 1
2
Post Reply