func_detail issue

Is it adviseable/possible to make all/some of my models in HL2DM func_details? Also, Should I make the brush faces that cannot be seen by the player into nodraw or hint brushes? I have lots of building facades in my map that were made from brushes.

I also have things like building models and fuel pump models in my map. The gas pumps are prop_statics right now. Just trying to reduce compile time and increase in-game performance.

I've read lots of threads on these issues but it seems that people have different opinions and I just need it clarified before I scour my level and change tons of brush faces. on a side note, my current map .bsp size is almost 10 mb. Thanks in advance.

Er, func_detail is a brush entity, you can't turn models into it. If you're talking about a prop_detail, these entities don't somehow speed up game performance and are useless unless you're building some sort of 'entity gallery'. However, turning small pieces of complicated looking architecture or things which will horribly split faces into a func_detail or func_brush is a good idea. (Yak- I've noticed some of my func_details don't cause any splitting!) Check out the dm_lockdown source map supplied with the SDK to see what sort of thing to do, and use the console command mat_wireframe 1 in game.

Faces you can't see in the world, such as rooftops, should be textured with nodraw. There's no point in texturing faces that won't ever get rendered (e.g. those touching the void or in between two brushes).

And HINT brushes and areaportals are your friend for increasing in-game performance, there are various tutorials on how to use these here and around the internet. If I get some time one day then I'll write a tutorial on in-game performance enhancing tips :smile:

Thanks for the info, Lep. I appreciate it.

awe nutts... Ive turned some things In my map into func_detail because I thought it increased performance. For example I have a roller coaster type car that Ive built that runs along a track (func_traintank) and then I took that same roller coaster and moved it to a section in the map that's basically a spare parts warehouse. The roller coaster car I put in the parts warehouse I turned into a func_detail because it's made up of a number of brushes. Im now led to believe that making it a func_detail is making things worse then better and I should turn it into a prop_static or just leave it as a bunch of brushes.

No... making it a func_detail is a good idea. They help improve performance.

Yes. If you make them func_detail, then they won't cause any splitting
during the VIS calculation. That in turn, means cleaner polys and fewer
polys.

As far as the nodraw texture, you don't have to worry about putting in
some areas. Places like underneath the street for example, and outside
of the skybox. Those faces will be automatically culled.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Leperous</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>(Yak- I've noticed some of my func_details don't cause any splitting!)</DIV></DIV>

Well, they only cause splitting if an edge of a func_detail lies on the same plane and touches a regular brush face. If you have a small fiddly bit and place it on the middle of a big wall it's not going to chop it up, but if you have a broken wall on top of a regular wall and they are perfectly aligned they will.
The problem is when people just blankly say func_detail doesn't cause face splitting, as it most certainly does in the right situation.

they only cause splitting if an edge of a func_detail lies on the same plane and touches a regular brush face ...

That's excellent (and extremely relevant) information, Yak. How did you find that out? Just through experimentation on your own or reading it from somewhere?

Well I noticed it while working on my map. I had two types of doorways, a regular and a combine one. The regular one fit perfectly into the wall so nothing was sticking out while the combine one was slightly slanted so that one of the two edges was sticking out over a big floor brush. The regular one cut up the nearby floor on both edges while the combine one cut it up only where the one edge was aligned. The one sticking out did nothing. Then with my knowledge of the old engine and some experimentation I pretty much figured it out. When I get the time I'm going to write up a tutorial about proper func_detail usage and suggestions on how to avoid the face splitting.

<DIV class=quote style="WIDTH: 90%; HEIGHT: 81px">
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Vassago5kft</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Yes. If you make them func_detail, then they won't cause any splitting during the VIS calculation. That in turn, means cleaner polys and fewer polys.

As far as the nodraw texture, you don't have to worry about putting in some areas. Places like underneath the street for example, and outside of the skybox. Those faces will be automatically culled.
</DIV></DIV>
On that note, how does Hammer know that underneath my street is out of the playable area? I have my skybox all the way around my map. Should I then turn the ottom of my map into a regular brush or just leave it alone?