Checkerboard Hintbrushing - FourthX Please Read!

[DrRickDaglessMD]

The grid pattern of the terrain is lined up with a checkerboard of hint brushes (Not visible here) that pre-break the map into squares (dual tris) before the normal poly breakup occurs. This has 2 effects that I've found so far, one is to produce far less poly breakup even when small objects touch the area (the small barricade legs) and the second effect is a highly efficient vis (seen above).

I will make the .map available when testing is done, I think i can seperate the hint brushes into a func_group so it's easy to see. Currently the map is in .qkm format (quark) and the hint brushes are in a folder. The quark based q2 compilers are needed I think to take advantage of the hint brushes in this way but AFAIK this is still compatible with bsp.

Ftx

Hi Fourth,

In your Ranger beta thread you briefly describe a technique for terrain design in conjunction with a checkerboard-type implementation of hint brushes in order to create an incredibly efficient VIS result (see above!).

This is very impressive, I'm hoping you could give us a rundown on how to use this technique as it could allow us to create much more open maps despite conventional r_speed problems (thus the forum post not PM).

I've done a cheeky decompile of the ranger beta (hope you don't mind) and suffice it to say that in BSP the design is very hard to interpret without any further knowledge of your reasoning. I'd really appreciate any tips you can give us on this, its fair to say I'm incredibly envious of how well Ranger VISes.

Thanks,

Dr Rick Dagless M.D

[FourthX]

A normal map is coming with the hint brushes separated into a func_group for easy perusal. To tell you the truth it's pretty new to me too and any explanation I gave in words would just confuse you more .

Of course this is not the only way to use hint brushes, splat mesa uses some to reduce the vis between the base and the mid which have almost nothing between them.

Here's some reading material on the subject...

http://www.gamedesign.net/node/52
http://www.frankclan.ca/maps/map_resources/engine2.html

FtX

[Apocalypse]

Thanks FourthX, I've always been afraid to attempt more open (not like a plain just larger maps in general I guess) maps for fear of crazy high r_speeds.

[FourthX]

No prob, also know that gensurf will spit out the matching hint brushes if you use it to make the terrain brushes. The trick there is to make sure that gensurf is spitting out squares of either 128 or 192 units. If you use 256 the terrain will be super blocky and the engine will end up with alot more poly because of the way the compilers work thier splits. Sorry I don't have a more scientific explanation I just know from playing with it.

Ranger in fact started as a simple 'alternating hill-valley' terrain mesh from gensurf, my next step was to raise up a bunch of the terrain tris to form the walls. Then I used multiple selection to raise certain parts by stretching them vertically. This last part creates the ramparts around the hills.

FtX

[jitspoe]

Gensurf uses a special "detail hint" that is used by the dewan compilers, I think.  It helps prevent the compiler from splitting but does not create new portals like regular hint brushes do.

[FourthX]

If you take the detail flag off those brushes then they make portals, this is how I did it actually but I forgot to mention it. When I left the detail flag on the vissing wasn't as tight, r_speeds were a bit higher and (I'm pretty sure) sound would have traveled way too far, which would cause lag in itself and cause confusion. If the terrain patch were just a small part of the map, like a garden or something I think the detail-hint thing would be pretty efficient though.

FtX

[jitspoe]

The detail hint thing is more for open maps where visibility isn't blocked by walls.  It just reduces the polygon count.

[Garrett]

Thats helpful for me...