Get rid of those boring
EDIT: Note that this is a fairly old tutorial and the example maps it references are lost to the ether or something. Hopefully you will still find it useful without them 
Although creating levels for games is ultimately about making an enjoyable environment for gameplay to take place in, making it look good is an important aspect of the job. Newcomers to the trade can be forgiven for making cuboid rooms and corridors, but after a certain amount of experience a little more is expected in terms of architectural interest. In this tutorial I will show you how to transform a boring and uninspiring corridor into a far more interesting area, and leave you with the challenge of spicing up the rooms it connects with your new-found knowledge. I assume you are able to create a map like that shown below, and have basic knowledge of entities and brush manipulation.
To begin, load up the first example map in Worldcraft/VHE. You can see a simple and boring little map. It has 2 point entities (an info_player_deathmatch and an info_player_start) and 6 brush entities (the light fixtures are func_walls to stop face splitting). The corridor in the middle is the area we are most concerned about, so for now select all the brushes making up the rooms (hold ctrl and left click on brushes to select more than one at once) and then go to "view -> hide selected objects".
The first step we will take is to use the clip tool to split the corridor into 3 sections - the middle, and the 2 entrance sections. Select the entire corridor (you can delete the lights in it, they will be replaced) and then use the clip tool to split off a section 64 units deep into the corridor. Repeat this at the other entrance. You should have something looking like the image below...
The end bits will be border sections to provide a nicer transition between the corridor and the rooms. This allows for nice texture transitions rather than sudden and obvious differences.
It is important to remember that there is no set design you need to keep to when designing corridors or rooms. Your architecture can look however you want it, so be creative. For the purpose of this tutorial I will show you one design, but don't feel you need to stick to it rigorously. If this is your first real delve into slightly complex architecture however, it may be wise to stick with my design.
We will first shape our middle section, so select the end bits and hide them as before. Now select one of the walls. We will clip this into 4 sections to allow for some interesting brushwork. Split the wall horizontally 3 times on the side view (the locations you make your splits at doesn't really matter for now). Hide the ceiling and floor, as you don't have to stick within the restraints of them since those will be changing soon anyway. Now resize your wall sections so the bottom piece is 96 units tall, and each of the remaining sections are 32 units tall. It should look like the image below...
Now select all the brushes making up the wall, and select the vertex manipulation tool. Move the vertices (drag selection boxes over them then press enter to select more than one at a time) to create a shape like the one below...
Now show your hidden objects, then hide everything other than the centre section of the corridor again. Now clone your wall sections (hold shift while you drag the objects), flip it horizontally on the side view, and replace your flat wall with your new one. It is now time to work on the ceiling of the corridor.
Like you did with the wall, split your ceiling into 3 sections. Now use the vertex tool again to shape the ceiling like the one in the image below. To add more faces to a brush, select one of the yellow dots and press shift-f.
Now that the ceiling is done, we will work on the floor. As before, split it into 5 sections, and use vertex manipulation to shape it like the picture below.
Now the middle section of your corridor is done, its time to work on the entrance sections. Hide everything on the map except for one of the end sections and the middle of the corridor you have just made. For this example we will make the end bits serve the purpose of neatening up the brushwork of the corridor for easy transition into the rooms at the ends. That does not mean to say that they need to be rectangular in shape.
Use your clip tool to split the end section?s wall into 3 bits, and the ceiling into 3 also. Now change your grid size to 4, and using the vertex tool create the shape shown below. Note that the floor is not changing, so you can use that as reference to ensure everything is lined up correctly. Once you have one wall made, you can clone it and flip it rather than going through the process of making the second wall.
Now you have finished the basic architecture of the corridor, but need to fit it to the rooms. If you now unhide all your objects, you will see that there are gaps and overlaps between the corridor, the entrance points, and the rooms. To fix this requires quite a bit of use of either the clip tool or the vertex manipulation tool. Which you use is up to you. Create blocks and clip / manipulate them to seal the holes between the walls and your new entrance way. Do this on both the room side and the corridor side. Now clone these fillers and put them onto the other side to save you repeating your efforts. This can be quite a tricky process if you are inexperienced with modifying brushes at vertex level, but it is an essential skill in creating complex levels. If you are having trouble, then try hiding everything on the map except for your entrance section. Now create and clip brushes around the entrance to make it into a rectangle around the furthest extents of it. Below is an image showing the filler brushes next to the entrance brushes. The filler brushes are highlighted red ? note that they form a rectangle so that it can fit into your room with minimum hassle.
Before you head onto the next step, fly around the map in the 3D view and ensure that there are no holes anywhere in the map. Pay particular attention to the parts you have just made around the entrance brushes.
Now your architecture is done, it would be wise to texture your work to look good. I won?t detail this section, as its very much down to personal choice how you want the area to look. Try not to go for textures that clash with each other though, and always try to pick textures that fit onto your faces well. Keep in mind that if you texture one of the walls as you want it, then you can just clone it and put it on the other side rather than re-applying all the textures to the opposite wall.
Now all thats left to do is replace the lights you deleted from the corridor earlier, and then compile the map. With a little luck it should look much more impressive than the original "box" corridor!
Now you know the basics of making complex architecture, why not try improving the look of the box rooms?
This essentially concludes the tutorial, although it is not necessarily all that could be done to the corridor. Adding lights and details is another important part of level design, but it is perhaps best kept for another tutorial.
I hope this tutorial has been useful to you, and if you have any questions then feel free to put them in the comments section here, email me, or ask in the forums.
Although creating levels for games is ultimately about making an enjoyable environment for gameplay to take place in, making it look good is an important aspect of the job. Newcomers to the trade can be forgiven for making cuboid rooms and corridors, but after a certain amount of experience a little more is expected in terms of architectural interest. In this tutorial I will show you how to transform a boring and uninspiring corridor into a far more interesting area, and leave you with the challenge of spicing up the rooms it connects with your new-found knowledge. I assume you are able to create a map like that shown below, and have basic knowledge of entities and brush manipulation.
To begin, load up the first example map in Worldcraft/VHE. You can see a simple and boring little map. It has 2 point entities (an info_player_deathmatch and an info_player_start) and 6 brush entities (the light fixtures are func_walls to stop face splitting). The corridor in the middle is the area we are most concerned about, so for now select all the brushes making up the rooms (hold ctrl and left click on brushes to select more than one at once) and then go to "view -> hide selected objects".
The first step we will take is to use the clip tool to split the corridor into 3 sections - the middle, and the 2 entrance sections. Select the entire corridor (you can delete the lights in it, they will be replaced) and then use the clip tool to split off a section 64 units deep into the corridor. Repeat this at the other entrance. You should have something looking like the image below...
The end bits will be border sections to provide a nicer transition between the corridor and the rooms. This allows for nice texture transitions rather than sudden and obvious differences.
It is important to remember that there is no set design you need to keep to when designing corridors or rooms. Your architecture can look however you want it, so be creative. For the purpose of this tutorial I will show you one design, but don't feel you need to stick to it rigorously. If this is your first real delve into slightly complex architecture however, it may be wise to stick with my design.
We will first shape our middle section, so select the end bits and hide them as before. Now select one of the walls. We will clip this into 4 sections to allow for some interesting brushwork. Split the wall horizontally 3 times on the side view (the locations you make your splits at doesn't really matter for now). Hide the ceiling and floor, as you don't have to stick within the restraints of them since those will be changing soon anyway. Now resize your wall sections so the bottom piece is 96 units tall, and each of the remaining sections are 32 units tall. It should look like the image below...
Now select all the brushes making up the wall, and select the vertex manipulation tool. Move the vertices (drag selection boxes over them then press enter to select more than one at a time) to create a shape like the one below...
Now show your hidden objects, then hide everything other than the centre section of the corridor again. Now clone your wall sections (hold shift while you drag the objects), flip it horizontally on the side view, and replace your flat wall with your new one. It is now time to work on the ceiling of the corridor.
Like you did with the wall, split your ceiling into 3 sections. Now use the vertex tool again to shape the ceiling like the one in the image below. To add more faces to a brush, select one of the yellow dots and press shift-f.
Now that the ceiling is done, we will work on the floor. As before, split it into 5 sections, and use vertex manipulation to shape it like the picture below.
Now the middle section of your corridor is done, its time to work on the entrance sections. Hide everything on the map except for one of the end sections and the middle of the corridor you have just made. For this example we will make the end bits serve the purpose of neatening up the brushwork of the corridor for easy transition into the rooms at the ends. That does not mean to say that they need to be rectangular in shape.
Use your clip tool to split the end section?s wall into 3 bits, and the ceiling into 3 also. Now change your grid size to 4, and using the vertex tool create the shape shown below. Note that the floor is not changing, so you can use that as reference to ensure everything is lined up correctly. Once you have one wall made, you can clone it and flip it rather than going through the process of making the second wall.
Now you have finished the basic architecture of the corridor, but need to fit it to the rooms. If you now unhide all your objects, you will see that there are gaps and overlaps between the corridor, the entrance points, and the rooms. To fix this requires quite a bit of use of either the clip tool or the vertex manipulation tool. Which you use is up to you. Create blocks and clip / manipulate them to seal the holes between the walls and your new entrance way. Do this on both the room side and the corridor side. Now clone these fillers and put them onto the other side to save you repeating your efforts. This can be quite a tricky process if you are inexperienced with modifying brushes at vertex level, but it is an essential skill in creating complex levels. If you are having trouble, then try hiding everything on the map except for your entrance section. Now create and clip brushes around the entrance to make it into a rectangle around the furthest extents of it. Below is an image showing the filler brushes next to the entrance brushes. The filler brushes are highlighted red ? note that they form a rectangle so that it can fit into your room with minimum hassle.
Before you head onto the next step, fly around the map in the 3D view and ensure that there are no holes anywhere in the map. Pay particular attention to the parts you have just made around the entrance brushes.
Now your architecture is done, it would be wise to texture your work to look good. I won?t detail this section, as its very much down to personal choice how you want the area to look. Try not to go for textures that clash with each other though, and always try to pick textures that fit onto your faces well. Keep in mind that if you texture one of the walls as you want it, then you can just clone it and put it on the other side rather than re-applying all the textures to the opposite wall.
Now all thats left to do is replace the lights you deleted from the corridor earlier, and then compile the map. With a little luck it should look much more impressive than the original "box" corridor!
Now you know the basics of making complex architecture, why not try improving the look of the box rooms?
This essentially concludes the tutorial, although it is not necessarily all that could be done to the corridor. Adding lights and details is another important part of level design, but it is perhaps best kept for another tutorial.
I hope this tutorial has been useful to you, and if you have any questions then feel free to put them in the comments section here, email me, or ask in the forums.
