Hammer Cordon Usage

Overview of the Hammer Cordon Tool

cordon, n. (kôr'dn) - A line of people, military posts, or ships stationed around an area to enclose or guard it.

Compiling

Compiling with cordon boundaries set will compile only the part of the map selected with the cordon tool. This allows the user to compile one room or test lighting in a particular area without compiling the entire map. This can eliminate waiting for what can be a lengthy compile of a large map.

Cordons can also be used to eliminate areas from compilation when trying to find the location of a problem. This can be done by gradually decreasing the size of the cordoned area until the problem is elimnated, defining the area in which the problem must be. It is also possible to move the cordoned area around the map until the problem is found or eliminated.

Use

To select a cordon area, begin by clicking the Cordon Edit button (the square outlined in yellow and black on the right in the image above). In the 2D views, drag a box around the part of the map you want to compile. The box is a cube shape, so two different 2D views must be used to alter the height, width, and depth of the cube to fit the section to be cordoned off.

Once the area to be compiled is boxed off, select a different tool (the Select tool, for instance) and the Cordon Toggle button (the fully colored in black and yellow to the left of the Cordon Edit button) will become active.

Note:You must include a start point (an info_player_start or an info_player_deathmatch) inside your cordon boundary or else your map will not work.

The map can now be compiled and run and only the cordoned area will appear in the game.

File:Cordon2.jpg

Cordon boundaries selected.

File:Cordon3.jpg

Cordon boundaries activated.

If the area cordoned off is sufficiently smaller than the full map or the cordoned area excludes complex areas of the map, considerable compilation time can be saved.

The Edit Cordon Bounds Button

This function allows you to "cordon off" an area in order to test compile a section of the map file. When the Toggle Cordon State is activated, a thick red line will appear around that area. When you compile, only the objects inside of that red area will be compiled, and a black box will be placed around the area to seal leaks.

This function allows you to create new cordon boundaries, or edit existing ones. After enabling Edit Cordon Bounds, the editing handles of a cordon area will become active. Drag the boundary handles to a new area to change the size of the area. Select an different editing tool to deactivate Edit Cordon Bounds and make the changes to the cordon area.

The Toggle Cordon State Button

This function will toggle the visibility and effect of a cordon area you have created with the Edit Cordon Bounds tool. When the Toggle Cordon State is activated, a thick red line will appear around that area. When you compile, only the inside of that red area will be compiled, and a box will be placed around the area to seal leaks. With the button deactivated, the cordon area will not be visible, and the compile will be unaffected by the cordon. See Edit Cordon Bounds for information on how to create and edit cordon areas.

To create a new cordon area

1. Select the Edit cordon bounds button ( ) on the Map Operations Toolbar. (The Toggle cordon state button ( ) will also automatically activate.)
2. Drag a selection box in one of the 2D views. (You may resize it as necessary, in any of the 2D views.)
3. Select any other editing tool from the Map Tools Toolbar to finish creating the cordon area. (The Toggle cordon state button will remain active.)

Tip:Make sure a player start point lies within the bounds of the cordoned area before you run a test compile, otherwise the game will place the player at the world origin (0,0,0) when you load the map in the game engine.

To edit an existing cordon area

1. Select the Edit Cordon Bounds button on the Map Operations Toolbar. The Toggle Cordon State button will also automatically activate.
2. Drag the handles of the selection box in any of the 2D views to change the size of the cordon area.
3. Click-drag in the center of the selection box to move the entire box at once.
4. Select any other editing tool from the Map Tools Toolbar to finish editing the cordon area. The Toggle Cordon State button will remain active.

Changing the cordon wall texture

File:Cordon4.gif

One downside of the cordon tool is the annoying black and purple texture that represents the cordon boundary in the 3D view. It can make you sick after moving around a lot. Fortunately, it can easily be changed to a different texture by changing the cordon material.

1. Go to Tools > Options... > Game Configurations tab.
2. Click Browse by Cordon texture field.
3. Double-click to select a different texture. The tools/toolsskybox texture works well, but you need to make sure you have a light_environment in the bounds for the skybox texture to light the world properly after compile.