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VRAD is the command-line tool that takes a compiled BSP map and embeds lighting data into it. VRAD's static and pre-compiled light is bounced around the world with a radiosity algorithm. VRAD will:

• Generate lightmaps
• Generate ambient samples
• Generate per-object or per-vertex prop_static and detail prop lighting

VRAD is generally the slowest of the three compilers due to the many, many calculations it must perform. Lighting optimization can help, as can ensuring your map is free of leaks.

Syntax

vrad [options...] <bsp file>

For example:

"Half-Life 2\bin\vrad.exe" -both -StaticPropLighting -StaticPropPolys -TextureShadows sdk_trainstation_01

This will generate and embed both Standard and High Dynamic Range lighting data, at per-vertex detail for prop_static entities. It also generates shadows based on transparency for prop_static entities that have been flagged as casting texture shadows.

Options

Use these in combination with expert compile mode or a batch file.

Effects

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-ldr

-hdr

-both

Whether to compile Standard Dynamic Range lighting, High Dynamic Range lighting, or both respectively.

Note:Since , SDR support was dropped. Thus making -ldr and -both obsolete in engine branches made on or after . Instead, -hdr is required in order to produce proper lighting for your map.

Note:For , there is no need to use -both or -ldr because they could slow down the progress of baking lighting and increase the size of bsp file!}

Note: defaults to compiling only HDR automatically.

-fast

Compiles quick low quality lighting. Used for quick previewing.

Note:-fast will cause random and miscolored splotching to appear in darker areas. As well as shadowed edges around Displacements. It is advised to not ship your map using -fast.

-final

Increases the quality of light_environment and indirect lighting by spending more time firing rays.
Sets-StaticPropSampleScale to 16.

-extrasky <integer>

Trace N times as many rays for indirect light and sky ambient.

(-final is equivalent to -extrasky 16; normal is equivalent to -extrasky 1)

-lights <filename>.rad

Load a custom lights file in addition to lights.rad and the map-specific lights file. Include the file extension in the parameter.

-bounce <integer>

Set the maximum number of light ray bounces. (default: 100).

-smooth <integer>

Set the threshold for smoothing groups, in degrees (default: 45).

-luxeldensity <normal>

Scale down all luxels. Default (and maximum) value is 1.

-reflectivityScale <float>

Scale the $reflectivity of all textures. Default 1.0 (Does not work in )

-softsun <float>

Treat the sun as an area light source of this many degrees. Produces soft shadows. Recommended values are 0-5, default is 0. Identical to the SunSpreadAngle parameter for light_environment, use that instead.

-StaticPropLighting  (in all games since )

Generate per-vertex lighting on prop_statics; always enabled for light_spot entities. Disables info_lighting entities on props without bump maps. Does not work on props with bump maps, except in .

Note:(only in )(also in ) Also generates lightmaps for static props that have generatelightmaps enabled.

Warning:This can increase your map's filesize substantially. Disable vertex lighting for props that don't need it to keep filesize low.

Note:In , in order to get proper lighting on your static props, you will need to run VRAD with this command.

-StaticPropPolys  (in all games since )

Use the actual meshes of static props to generate shadows instead of using their collision meshes. This results in far more accurate shadowing.

-TextureShadows  (in all games since )

Generates lightmap shadows from $alphatest and $translucent surfaces of models (NOT brushes) that are specified in a lights file and being used with prop_static. Usually requires -StaticPropPolys to have any effect.

Note:A surface will need a low lightmap scale for most texture shadows to be recognisable.

Warning:This will not work if a translucent texture's $basetexture parameter in the VMT contains the .vtf file extension; file extensions should be omitted from texture paths in VMTs.

-aoscale <float> (in all games since )

Scales the intensity of VRAD's simulated ambient occlusion. 1.0 is default.

Tip:Valve uses 1.5 for the new Dust 2.

-aoradius <float> (only in )

Set the radius of VRAD's simulated ambient occlusion.

Todo: Figure out what exactly this does.

-aosamples <integer> (only in )

How many samples to use for VRAD's simulated ambient occlusion.

-StaticPropBounce <integer> (only in )

Number of static prop light bounces to simulate. The default is 0.

Tip:Valve uses 3 static prop bounces for the new Dust 2.

Note:Any static props that you want light to bounce off of must also have their "Enable Bounced Lighting" keyvalue set.

-StaticPropLightingFinal  (only in )

Replaced by -final.

-StaticPropLightingOld  (only in )

Will use the old lighting algorithm on props, light affects them much more.

-choptexlights  (only in )

Enables chopping of texture lights generated from a lights file. Control texture light quality with lightmap density in Hammer. Dramatically increases both texture light quality and compile time.

-extratransfers  (only in )

Enable overscaling of light transfers.

-transferscale <float> (only in )

This is the scale factor of light transfers. Increased values make surfaces transfer extra light (scale of 2-4 suggested). Default 1.0.

-satthresh <float> (only in )

This is the threshold that checks how saturated a material color is. Used with -satthreshscale. Default 0.4.

-satthreshscale <float> (only in )

The amount to scale light transfers from surfaces that pass the saturation threshold. Default 3.0.

-ambientocclusion  (only in )

Enable lightmapped ambient occlusion

-experimentalambientocclusion  (only in )

Use an improved algorithm for the ambient occlusion

-cascadeshadows  (only in )

indicates that lightmap alpha data is interleved in the lighting lump, required for CSM.

-realskylight  (only in )

Enables VRAD to compute skylight ambient color by using actual values from skybox.

-realskylightscale <float> (only in )

Scale factor of -realskylight intensity. Default: 1.0

-directsunlightisforadditivemode  (only in )

Toggles direct sunlight for additive mode.

-ambient <vector> (only in ) (also in )

Sets the ambient term. Can be used to tweak lightmap color. Appears to just mix the color into all lightmaps.

-PortalTraversalLighting  (only in )

Enables static lights to go through static worldportals.

-PortalTraversalAO  (only in )

Enables static light AO to go through static worldportals.

Performance

-low

Run as a low-priority process.

-threads <integer>

Override the number of CPU threads used. Maximum is 16 threads (32 in ). With a patched vrad_dll you can use 32 threads.

Tip:If you know that the compile time will be very long and would rather do something else while waiting, it may be useful to specify a number of threads 1 or 2 lower than what your CPU has. This allows the computer to allocate some more power to other applications, making it less choppy while lighting is being compiled. Keep in mind that this may slightly extend your compile time.

-mpi

Use VMPI to distribute computations.

-mpi_pw <string>

Use a password to choose a specific set of VMPI workers.

-noextra

Disable supersampling. This will lead to blockier, more inaccurate lighting.

-chop <integer>

Smallest number of luxel widths for a bounce patch, used on edges. (Default: 4)

-maxchop <integer>

Coarsest allowed number of luxel widths for a patch, used in face interiors. (Default: 4)

-dispchop <integer>

Smallest acceptable luxel width of displacement patch face. (Default: 8)

-LargeDispSampleRadius

This can be used if there are splotches of bounced light on terrain. The compile will take longer, but it will gather light across a wider area.

-compressconstant <integer>

Compress lightmaps whose color variation is less than this many units.

Todo: Find out if this is branch specific, as it doesn't work with TF2.

-fastambient

Uses low quality per-leaf ambient sampling to save compute time.

-LeafAmbientSampleReduction <float> (only in )

Reduction factor for ambient samples. Defaults to 1.0.

-noao  (only in )

Disables compiling simulated ambient occlusion for lightmaps.

-StaticPropSampleScale <float> (only in )

Regulates the generated per-vertex prop_static lighting.

slow: 16 (high quality); default: 4 (normal); fast: 0.25 (low quality)

Note:-final is the equivalent of having -StaticPropSampleScale 16.

-disppatchradius <float>

Sets the maximum radius allowed for displacement patches.

-ambientfromleafcenters  (only in )

Samples ambient lighting from the center of the leaf.

Debugging

-rederrors

Emit red light when "a luxel has no samples".

-vproject <directory>

-game <directory>

Override the VPROJECT environment variable.

-insert_search_path <directory>

Includes an extra base directory for mounting additional content (like Gameinfo.txt entries). Useful if you want to separate some assets from the mod for whatever reason.

-v

-verbose

Turn on verbose output.

-novconfig

Don't bring up graphical UI on vproject errors.

-dump

Dump patches to debug files.

-dumpnormals

Write normals to debug .txt files.

-debugextra

Places debugging data in lightmaps to visualize supersampling.

-dlightmap

Force direct lighting into different lightmap than radiosity.

-stoponexit

Wait for a keypress on exit.

-nodetaillight

Don't light detail props.

-centersamples

Move sample centers.

-loghash

Log the sample hash table to samplehash.txt.

-onlydetail

Only light detail props and per-leaf lighting.

-maxdispsamplesize <integer>

Set max displacement sample size (default: 512).

-FullMinidump

Write large minidumps on crash.

-OnlyStaticProps

Only perform direct static prop lighting.

-StaticPropNormals

When lighting static props, just show their normal vector.

-noskyboxrecurse

Turn off recursion into 3d skybox (skybox shadows on world).

-nossprops

Globally disable self-shadowing on static props.

-dumppropmaps  (only in )

Dump computed static prop lightmaps as TGA files.

Tip:This can be used to create lightmaps for dynamic props, using the $lightmap shader parameter.

-unlitdetail  (only in )

Disables lighting for detail props.

Lights files

Main article:  RAD file#Source 1

Console Output

Todo: Add description about missing outputs output (BuildVisLeafs, other)

See Also

• QRAD - GoldSrc counterpart.
• VRAD2 & VRAD3 - Source 2 counterpart.
• Map Compiling Theory
• HDR Lighting Basics
• VRAD HDR Crash Fix
• Static Props show up black