Problems with my outdoor map

Hello All,

I come to you seeking help. I recently started mapping HL2 (i had only
mapped 1 game before and that was vampire:TMR) and i am having a
problem. I searched the site for information regarding VIS time and as
i read i was having problems understanding the posts.

I am about 40% complete with an outdoor map involving 2 large buildings
(1 warehouse, 1 mansion) all on a large terrain surface surrounded by
cliffs with tunnels throughout. Initially i noticed my render time was
long (2 hrs or so) and now so even more and i tried figuring out what
my problem was - however i only got to the point of understanding it
had to do with VIS.

My map is extremely large surrounded by a skybox (i figured that added to it since the engine has to render all the dead space).

I would like some suggestions as to how to optimize an outdoor map from
those experienced in such matters. Im sorry if this question is
'nubbish' i just really cannot find the answers i am looking for (even
on google..hehe).

Is there something you can decipher from my compile log? Also what can
i do if i want a decently detailed outdoor map with a less than
hour or so compile time? (when im actually in game i get good FPS)

thanks in advance and sorry for the bother

Peter

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Batch
Compiler
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1. Please report bugs to: ryansgregg@hotmail.com #

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Written At: 5/25/2005 6:42 AM

BC Version: 3.1.2.0

Valve Software - vbsp.exe (Jan 19 2005)

2 threads

materialPath: C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\therealcdos\counter-strike

source\cstrike\materials

Loading C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\therealcdos\sourcesdk_content\cst

rike\mapsrc\de_cliffs_3again.vmf

Can't find surfaceprop stone for material STONE/INFWLLC, using default

Can't find surfaceprop panel for material METAL/PRODVENTA, using default

fixing up env_cubemap materials on brush sides...

ProcessBlock_Thread: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (0)

ProcessBlock_Thread: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (1)

Processing areas...done (0)

Building Faces...done (0)

Chop Details...done (0)

Find Visible Detail Sides...done (0)

Merging details...done (0)

FixTjuncs...

PruneNodes...

WriteBSP...

done (0)

writing C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\therealcdos\sourcesdk_content\cst

rike\mapsrc\de_cliffs_3again.prt...done (1)

Creating default cubemaps for env_cubemap using skybox sky_day03_06...

Run buildcubemaps in the engine to get the correct cube maps.

Finding displacement neighbors...

Finding lightmap sample positions...

Displacement Alpha : 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10

Building Physics collision data...

done (1) (594830 bytes)

Emitting linux collision data (use -nolinuxdata to disable).

Building Physics collision data...

done (0) (1745473 bytes)

Placing detail props : 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10

Writing C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\therealcdos\sourcesdk_content\cst

rike\mapsrc\de_cliffs_3again.bsp

10 seconds elapsed

Memory leak: mempool blocks left in memory: 48

Memory leak: mempool blocks left in memory: 3

Valve Software - vvis.exe (Dec 15 2004)

2 threads

reading c:\program files\valve\steam\steamapps\therealcdos\sourcesdk_content\cst

rike\mapsrc\de_cliffs_3again.bsp

reading c:\program files\valve\steam\steamapps\therealcdos\sourcesdk_content\cst

rike\mapsrc\de_cliffs_3again.prt

1145 portalclusters

2963 numportals

BasePortalVis: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 (4)

PortalFlow: 0...1...2...3...4...5...6

(after an hr and a half i decided to call it quits there - running VRAD alone gave me no problems)

Work with Areaportals, I think that Valve does that to with large outside maps

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Thx in advantage

Could you post some screenshots of the map in hammer? If we see the
scale and layout you have going, we might be able to see more precisely
what would help out.

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[img]http://card.mygamercard.net/sig/Default/reno84.png[/img]
Designer @ Haiku Interactive | ReNo-vation.net

Cdos said:
Memory leak: mempool blocks left in memory: 48
Memory leak: mempool blocks left in memory: 3

These values certainly seem off, so I'm guessing your map is a bit of a horrific mess :redface:

I might well be "preaching to the converted" here, but when you say
you've surrounded it with a skybox, make sure you haven't just put one
big box round the whole map. If you have, then everything will be
compiled, whilst if you only put skybox walls and sky as necessary (see
the HL1 tutorial
here)
it will cut times drastically on a large outdoor map. As I say, I'm
almost certainly telling you something you already know, but just a
suggestion.

In terms of the memory leaks, those are values I get on this computer
whilst just compiling a box room, so I wouldn't have thought it means
anything too significant, but I could well be wrong. :smile:

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My site

Use area portals and func_detail A LOT with out door maps. Also see this long long tutorial for optimizing a out door map: http://www.student.kun.nl/rvanhoorn/Optimization.htm

If I were you, Id look at area portals, occluders and hint brushes.

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Posting And You

Search for intersecting brushes as well, this can over load VIS time and cause your map to take days to compile.

thank you everyone, your suggestions have helped a lot. especially the
link to the optimization website. My map was a bit chaotic as it was my
first on this engine and i wasnt too sure about VIS and all, so im
going to be redoing this map optimizing from the beginning to get a
much better overall map.

thanks again!

• Peter

ps: ill post my progress on the mapping section.