Parallax obb

Overview

This brush entity defines the boundaries of Parallax Corrected Cubemaps, which are env_cubemaps that move with the camera, giving a slightly more accurate reflection on brushes. This entity basically tells the game how to display and warp the reflections by setting the dimensions of the effect to the dimensions of this entity. The Cubemap Bounds keyvalue on the desired cubemap must be set to this entity's targetname in order to function as intended. The recommended texture for this brush entity is the tools\toolstrigger texture, although any trigger texture will work.

Todo: I have a custom tooltexture made specifically for parallax obb that had parallax instead of trigger on it. I will provide download link somewhere here - Equalizer5118, an idiot who cant spel (talk) 22:08, 21 August 2023 (PDT)

Creation

Template:ModernNote Creating a parallax cubemap is fairly easy, and can be done with relative swiftness. To start, create a room with 1 or more reflective surfaces. Floors work very well with parallaxed cubemaps.

Next, place an env_cubemap in the exact center of the room: Halfway up, equadistant between each wall. You can set the resolution to anything you want, but higher values are recommended for reflective surfaces.

After this, create a brush the size of the room and tie it to a parallax_obb. Name it something similar to "parallax_room1". Finally, go into the env_cubemap's properties and, in the "Cubemap bounds" keyvalue, specify the targetname that you gave your parallax_obb.

Now, compile and load up the map in your game. Open the Developer Console and build the cubemaps using the buildcubemaps command. The game should flash an image on screen and then reload the map. After this, you will see that your surfaces now reflect your room somewhat more accurately compared to a non-parallaxed cubemap!
Now, you may notice that when viewed from certain angles, objects may appear to be 2D, similar to what is shown here:

Notice how the reflection in the tile is a flat image and not 3D. This is because cubemaps are actually similar to skybox textures, being that they are multiple orientations of the same place, combined to give the illusion of one continuous space. Cubemaps cannot accurately give 3D images from all angles. Props can be shown flat and/or smeared.
Keep this in mind when developing your map, and if the smearing is too much of an issue, you can always lower the cubemap resolution to 128x128 or 64x64 to make this less noticable.

Note:There are a couple nuances to this entity:

• Props are not affected by parallaxed cubemaps. The way they render cubemaps is different to that of brushes, and therefore do not support parallaxed reflections. If you absolutely need an accurate reflection, try baking the reflection of the scene into the material itself instead of relying on cubemaps
• This entity may only be tied to a rectangular brush. ^[confirm]
• Multiple cubemaps can be tied to the same obb entity. Remember that in order to have many cubemaps on the same surface, you must split the surface into different brushes.
• Objects in the middle of rooms will be seemingly pasted onto the wall in the cubemap, leading to a very distractingly inaccurate reflection. If all else fails, simply untie the cubemap from the obb and lower the resolution. This will remove the parallax effect, but it will look less distracting.

KeyValues

Name (targetname) <string>[ Edit ]

The name that other entities refer to this entity by, via Inputs/Outputs or other keyvalues (e.g. parentname or target).
Also displayed in Hammer's 2D views and Entity Report.

See also:  Generic Keyvalues, Inputs and Outputs available to all entities

Flags

This entity has no flags

See also

• Parallax Corrected Cubemaps
• Cubemaps