newLight_Dir

NewLight_Dir in bm_c2a5d.

newLight_Dir is a point entity available in Black Mesa. It places a godrays and disk/circle as sun effect in the skybox where it does not parallax, giving the impression that it is nearly infinitely far away. The entity does not contribute any actual lighting (the lighting code is disabled); it is merely a visual representation of the Sun.

Warning:New lights use expensive gbuffer, that means that with this entity your scene rendering at least 5 times, which makes your level very expensive, considering that XenEngine uses 32-bit architecture and DirectX 9.5 rendering. In large quantities, new lights can greatly heat up your computer and also cause large FPS drops (depending on difficulty of your map and how your area open). Use wisely.

Note:You maybe seen env_godrays_controller in Hammer or fgd. This is deprecated Crepuscular Rays from the Crossfire Update (22 december 2015 year). With newLight_Dir implementation, this entity is removed with crepuscular rays.

Represented by class CNewLightDir.

Todo: Update issues, rework page.

← Black Mesa Level Creation

Keyvalues

Name (targetname) <string>

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

LightEnvEnabled (LightEnvEnabled) <choices>

Determines is the entity uses light_environment's direction or its own (just like env_sun).

• 0: Enabled - use light_environment's direction.
• 1: Disabled - use its own direction.

PushbackDist (PushbackDist) <float>

Pushback distance is distance from godrays to player in skybox. Decreasing the value will cause parallax effect.

Examples

PushbackDist - 999 PushbackDist - 9999999

UseToneMapDisk (m_bUseToneMapDisk) <choices> 

Deprecated.
Sets tonemap state for disk, enabled or disabled. Doesn't work.

• 0: Enabled
• 1: Disabled

EnableGodRays (EnableGodRays) <choices>

Sets godrays state on spawn, enabled or disabled.

• 0: Disabled
• 1: Enabled

Warning:You can have only 40 point lights with godrays enabled simultaneously, otherwise the game will crash with this error message.

The error

If you'll try to enable forty-first light point with enabled Godrays.

Note:Godrays are draw and process even with closed areaportals.

Example

Density (Density) <float>

Density controls the length of rays/volumetric shadows. 1.0 should work in 99% cases. Good values are 0.5-1.5.

Examples

1.0 0.5 2.0

Weight (Weight) <float>

Weight controls the intensity of volumetric shadow. Blocking of rays by geometry. Good values are 0.1-10.

Examples

1.0 2.0 5.0

Decay (Decay) <float> 

Deprecated.
Decay controls luminance fall off per sample. Value here doesn't work.

Exposure (Exposure) <float>

Exposure controls the intensity of rays during blending pass with main scene. 2.0 is a good start. Good values are 1.0-10.0.

Examples

00.5 01.0 10.0

DistFactor (DistFactor) <float>

DistFactor controls the falloff of rays/length. 1.0 is a good starting value increase or decrease in the increments of 0.1. 0.0 will make the rays dissappear only disk will be rendererd.

Examples

1.0 2.0 5.0

Note:Godrays doesn't look smooth if used big value here. The same for Exposure.

Example

9999

ColorInner (ColorInner) <color255 + int>

The RGB color and brightness of the inner circle. Colors and brightness must be between 0 and 255.

Bug:This color value doesn't work properly with newLight_Point if you are using Normal godrays type. This entity takes only red value. Works fine with Fancy type.

Examples

Note:Rays is disabled on this picture (the colors are partially blending). 0 255 0 255 255 255 255 255 255 0 255 155

ColorRays (ColorRays) <color255 + int>

The RGB color and brightness of the rays. Colors and brightness must be between 0 and 255.

Examples

0 255 0 255 0 0 255 255 255 0 0 55

ColorOuter (ColorOuter) <color255 + int>

The RGB color and brightness of the outer circle. Colors and brightness must be between 0 and 255.

Bug:This color value doesn't work properly with newLight_Point if you are using Normal godrays type. This entity takes only red value. Works fine with Fancy type.

Examples

Note:Rays is disabled on this picture (the colors are partially blending). 255 255 255 255 255 0 0 255 0 0 255 55

Note:You can't use black colors for ColorOuter, ColorInner and ColorRays.

DiskRadius (DiskRadius) <float>

Radius of disk/circle of sun/point light in texturespace. 1.0 will be full screen, 0.5 is half screen, etc. 0 means don't render.

Examples

0.01 0.1 0.7

DiskInnerSizePercent (DiskInnerSizePercent) <float>

Disk inner circle radius is DiskRadius * DiskInnerSizePercent. 0 means don't render.

Examples

Note:Rays is disabled on this picture (for clarity). 0.1 0.7 0.9

Inputs

TurnOnGodRays

Turn the godrays on.

TurnOffGodRays

Turn the godrays off.

Bugs/Limitations

Engine limit

Level can't have more than one newLight_Dir, otherwise game will crash with this error message. However - you still can spawn new with point_template and kill old if you need to change Godrays position, change color, etc.

• 

  If you'll try to use more than one simultaneously.
  

---

Incorrect work with $translucent

Godrays (also disk) all time fully rendering through textures with material shader parameter $translucent, because of this you will see unexpected results like in the picture. Disable Godrays when you need or use $alphatest if it'll give resualts similar to $translucent. You also can try use some other tricks to escape this problem.

• 

  Bug example in bm_c1a3c.
  

• 

  Sign from other side.
  

• 

  $translucent.
  

• 

  $alphatest.
  

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Godrays incorrect work with point_viewcontrol

Godrays change position in sky when player move, this affects to what show point_viewcontrol when it's enabled. If you want to see in your background level Godrays - place player on needed position. If your point_viewcontrol moves - attach player to it.

• 

  Showcase of problem in background level of Black Mesa: Black Ops - Restored.
  

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Godrays render through 3D Skybox objects

Unlike env_sun Godrays (also disk) render through any object pasted in 3D Skybox environment. Keep in mind this before you will create 3D Skybox.

• 

  Clear example (the missiles is 3D Skybox objects).
  

• 

  In bs_c3m2b level from Black Mesa: Blue Shift.
  

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Godrays incorrect work with cloak

Cloak is a material shader parameter for VertexLitGeneric shader, female assassins use it to make them transparent when they need it. Godrays all time fully render through them.

• 

  bm_c2a3c, the sun's rays are not cut off despite the fact that she is completely untransparent right now.
  

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Godrays draw through water

Deferred lighting don't fully draw through water, unlike Godrays.

• 

  Black Mesa: Blue Shift - bs_c3m0c.
  

Godrays can't be displayed in monitors and reflections

Godrays is post process effect that depends on player screen. That means that they can't water reflections or monitors can't show it.

• 

  An example.
  

• 

  An example.
  

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Godrays incorrect work with $alphatestreference and $allowalphatocoverage

$alphatestreference is a material shader parameter that specifies the threshold alpha channel value at which the surface should be transparent instead of opaque, default "0.5". $allowalphatocoverage creates translucent steps based on alpha values. For examples used this texture with this alpha channel.

• 

  Diffuse texture.
  

• 

  Alpha channel.
  

Godrays process invisable parts, you can't escape this problem, only minimize effect with $alphatestreference 0.1 or if paint alpha correct channel.

• 

  An example.
  

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Godrays does not process surface models

If player underwater - godrays will not process surface models, only inwater models. Doesn't work with func_water_analog and func_water.

• 

  Player not underwater.
  

• 

  Player underwater.
  

See also

• newLight_Point - point deferred light entity.
• NewLights_Spawner - spawner of deferred point lights.
• env_lensflare - cinematic dynamic lens flare.
• newLight_Spot - spot deferred light entity.
• newLights_settings - entity that changes deferred light settings.
• godrays_settings - entity that changes godrays settings.
• env_cascade_light - deferred cascade sun light entity.
• New Lights Editor - in game deferred lights editor.
• Effect flags - effects flags, some of them are dynamic light effects.
• BlackMesa XenEngine: Part 4 – Lighting & Shadows - page from Chetan (lead programmer for Black Mesa) about new lights.
• BlackMesa XenEngine: Part2 – How a Frame is Rendered - page from Chetan (lead programmer for Black Mesa) about how a frame is rendered.
• BlackMesa XenEngine: Part1 – Heavily Modified Source Engine page from Chetan (lead programmer for Black Mesa) about Xengine.