mirror texture

Hi, Is there a mirror texture (or a way of implementing a mirror using something else).

I want to make a mirror in a bathroom for HL2:DM

Thanx :smile:

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Sam37</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Hi, Is there a mirror texture (or a way of implementing a mirror using something else).

I want to make a mirror in a bathroom for HL2:DM

Thanx :smile:

</DIV></DIV>

it is my belief that if mirrors were possible, there would have been one in HL2.

since i have yet to complete the game i am not positive, but i would venture the answer is "you cannot make one"
did you see one in the game someplace?

A mirror should definatly be posssible. As water and the specular
mapping of surfaces(with the use of cubemaps) reflect the area to a
certain degree it should be possible to create a new texture which
completely or almost completely reflects the surroundings.

I don't know how as I have near to no knowledge with texture creation
but maybe the tutorial section with its tutorials about textures can
help you.

As far as mirrors in HL2 go: I think they simply left them out of the
game because they want the player to really feel to be Gordon Freeman
and that illusion would be destroyed if you could view yourself in a
mirror.

i do have a suggestion. how about you put a camera directly in front of a TV type thing..???

it would simulate a mirror wouldn't it?

It's possible that you could try that camera thing, have it focus at a
target entity, and have that target be parented to !player...

I'm not sure if that would work, you'd have to test it, and I'm sure it wouldn't look right in multiplayer.

Edit ) Even following the player wouldn't look right... you would
have to come up with some way to make the target entity point...
opposite of the player?

ok thanx anyway :smile:

U know id ont know how its done but as said b4 im almost 100% positive
its possible becuz in HL2 at the top of a light tower if u look up
there theres is HIGHLY reflective matrial it was a bit distorted but
that was becuz of how it was made but it should most definately be
possible

its probly possible; but you probly won;t be able to see your self in teh mirror, in cs source or HL2DM, becuase tehre probly is no model for that point of view.

well ive been looking thru aand as the previous replier wrote u cant
see urself and i kno this thru experience as well.. the model is never
drawn for urself so even if u had a mirror u might as well call the map
i_am_a_vampire since u cant see urself neways :smile:

HL2's DX9 shaders support it, but I'm not sure if Valve actually made a specific "mirror" material or if you would have to write one yourself. In any case, it will only work on high end systems.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting mazemaster</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>HL2's DX9 shaders support it, but I'm not sure if Valve actually made a specific "mirror" material or if you would have to write one yourself. In any case, it will only work on high end systems. </DIV></DIV>

sad when you think about that. duke had them on my 486, and unreal 1 had it on my 400 mhz :/
wonder why HL2 can't do it well?

Just because it wasnt in the HL2 Singleplayer doesnt mean its not
possible. There apparently isnt a Gordon Freeman model in game, thats
why when you set up a camera, the player's invisible.

In CS and hl2:dm your player model IS drawn.

HL2 there is no player model.

in CS:S try and type "thirdperson" in console.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting DrGlass</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>In CS and hl2:dm your player model IS drawn.

HL2 there is no player model.

in CS:S try and type "thirdperson" in console.
</DIV></DIV>

If a mirror texture were made (should theoretically be possible) it will only work in multiplayer and only for users that have thirdperson enabled.

Generally, if you're playing in first-person mode, your player model is not drawn. other people see you cos it's drawn on their machine but not on yours. only the viewmodel (hands n weapon) is drawn.

So if you made a mirror in multiplayer, if you were playing first-person (as 99.9% of the world does), it would reflect the world & other players, but not you :smile:

Camera idea is defunct for the same reason - no player model for the camera to see. It'll work in multiplayer but the camera would have to dynamically more around for you to see the right thing in the mirror at different angles - this won't work in multiplayer cos the camera would have to be in 2 places at once if 2 players were in sight of the mirror. Impossible!
Also, any camera system wouldn't flip the image left to right like a real mirror appears to.

Basically the reflective part of the mirror is possible, it's just getting to actually reflect what you think it should reflect that is impossible. Some of the stuff just isnt there to be reflected.

mazemaster said:
HL2's DX9 shaders support it, but I'm not sure
if Valve actually made a specific "mirror" material or if you would
have to write one yourself. In any case, it will only work on high end systems.

sad when you think about that. duke had them on my 486, and unreal 1 had it on my 400 mhz :/

wonder why HL2 can't do it well?

Duke had fake mirrors, if I remember correctly. It was a blank area
behind the mirror wall; as soon as you walked in front of it, another
duke would be made in the area behind, simulating a mirror.

...this led to all kinds of bugs, of course.

As for unreal, well, it had portals, which is pretty much what Orpheus
said. And THAT, even my pathetic little low-end PC can render.

...'course, I'm not sure if I'm right. /me shoots UnrealED, the worst editor he's ever used

HL2 can do UT's version. But reflective surfaces, now that's another problem.

...hm, 9 hours ago, last post... not thread necromancy as far as I can tell...

(first post here, btw)

I dont think the world is reflected in specular surfaces, only
light. Though I could be wrong about this. You could also
possibly write your own shader, if this was for your own mod.

The world is reflected in specular surfaces if you have your settings high enough.

Mirrors are not implimented because they cause too many visual errors and will almost never actually reflect what the player is doing. There's no better way of destroying the immersion than a mirror that shows your gun pointing straight ahead while the gun in your hand is being moved about in an idle animation. It's not because they are impossible.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Yak_Fighter</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>

Mirrors are not implimented because they cause too many visual errors and will almost never actually reflect what the player is doing. There's no better way of destroying the immersion than a mirror that shows your gun pointing straight ahead while the gun in your hand is being moved about in an idle animation. It's not because they are impossible.

</DIV></DIV>
you know, upon reflection, this makes the most sense of any i have heard yet. (forgive the pun)

what if you just make a camera that is right on the screen.... and itll be kinda like a mirror...

or 2 screens and 2 cameras for video conference :biggrin:

Even Doom 3's mirrors weren't that great- close, but even on my system there was a noticeable 'lag' with what was happening and what was being shown reflected :/

Even Doom 3's mirrors weren't that great- close, but even on my
system there was a noticeable 'lag' with what was happening and what
was being shown reflected :/

yes but DOOM 3 covered it up with cool scary flashbacks so you were too freaked out to notice the lag

If they could do it in HL2 they wouldnt have because if they did there would have to be a model of Freeman...

If they could do it in HL2 they wouldnt have because if they did there would have to be a model of Freeman...

i think they have a model of freeman, they just didnt put it ingame -
some pictures have freeman, what is obviously a model........... but
what's the point of drawing the model if you dont get to see it?

unless... to see it in a mirror

indeed.^

Hmm yeah thinking about it, the protal idea might work....there are portal systems in HL2, just not entirely sure how they work....will try it and see....

but i think the lack of player model (at least, one that is drawn in-game) will still b the big problem.

I think the answer here is, Yes it's probably possible if you made a mod but there are many reasons why you wouldn't want to.

You make a camera/TV setup and then point a camera facing directly out of the middle of the screen. that way the screen (mirror) displays exactly what's in front of it. Anyway that's how i did it.... :biggrin:

Never looked at the prop called Envballs in the shadertest folder? two
of the balls has effectively mirroring materials on them (with proper
cubemaps applied) but that will not surely reflect props and others

Nickelplate said:
You make a camera/TV setup and then point a camera facing directly out of the middle of the screen. that way the screen (mirror) displays exactly what's in front of it. Anyway that's how i did it.... :biggrin:

Is there a Tutorial on here for that? Id like to use that in my Haunted Church.

a whitish texture with a white specular mask will do a fair job of reflecting the world around it, but only the world as it was during the buildcubemaps proccess, when the reflections get created. you could probably have huge glass buildings that reflected the surrounding buildings, but nothing you could shave in front of.

---

i eat paint

MoneyShot said:
<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>・quoting Nickelplate</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>You make a camera/TV setup and then point a camera facing directly out of the middle of the screen. that way the screen (mirror) displays exactly what's in front of it. Anyway that's how i did it.... :biggrin:

Is there a Tutorial on here for that? Id like to use that in my Haunted Church.</div></div>

http://www.snarkpit.net/editing.php?page=tutorials&game=HL2&id=127
Is a good introduction to cameras..

Ok the problem with that is, you can only have one camera on at a time.. so I have been told. And if you had a full length mirror the image would end up being stretched.

So How else could someone make a mirror? It has been suggested to me to try and do something with a water surface since they are reflective.

have you seen this

http://www.chatbear.com/board.plm?a=viewthread&b=4989&t=209,1116216710,27589&s=0&id=852700#2

Thats perfect.. thanks. I had never seen that page before. Thank U!

EDIT:AHH BUMMER It wont reflect players.. darn.. thats not what I need then.

ever tried fixing your hair while watching yourself on a webcam? i don't think the camera idea would work very well as a mirror.

---

i eat paint

it wont, you cant have diffrent sized mirrors and also you can only have one.

you would also have to make a custom texture that didn't have scan lines, so you might as well make a reflective texture.