Talk:Troubleshooting Level Design

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Merge

It seems like these entries could be merged into the Level Design FAQ. Many of these are already present in the FAQ. --JeffLane 21:37, 9 Mar 2006 (PST)

CrabbyData agrees... --CrabbyData 06:35, 17 Apr 2006 (PDT)

FViral disagrees. This article covers more troubleshooting and problems with Source level design, the FAQ is more tailored towards beginning users and covers the major concepts and settings of the Hammer editor. --FViral 07:28, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

prop_physics are black with incorrect shadows

All the prop_physics is my level are completely black. If I bump into or move them they instantly fade to the correct brightness. I do NOT have a 3d skybox, but have set up a light_environment. Additionally all my cubemaps are built and I am running the following screenshot on HL2DM.

screenshot

As you can see the interrior is lit fairly well with standard point lights and the world brush the props are on is a fully renderable texture.

Any assistance is appreciated; and I never put my name on homework. --FViral 19:00, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

Please leave your signature behind if you post anything, and this doesn't belong in the Talk page... Second of all, this is already answered on the main page: Troubleshooting Level Design --CrabbyData 07:44, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

From the Troubleshooting Level Design page:

"Models are black: This can be caused if you have a 3D skybox in the map, and don't have a light_environment in both the level itself, and the skybox."

From FViral's post:

"All the prop_physics is my level are completely black. ... I do NOT have a 3d skybox"

I'm gonna guess that he already read the page successfully. :)

FViral, please post this on the Help Desk instead of here, thanks. You can sign posts by typing ~~~~, as CrabbyData should have told you. I have only previously encountered black models when alt-tabbing in and out of the game; are you doing this?

--Giles 08:21, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

He could also have typed just his name... I don't deliver my homework at my teacher without my name, do I?

The second thing he could have done is to have it illegal, since most of the times those illegal games don't contain models, textures and/or important files... But I don't think that's the case... Try to reinstall HL2DM, simply by renaming the HL2DM folder in your SteamApps/username -directory to something else. Then startup Steam and run HL2DM. --CrabbyData 11:24, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

Try checking your map for leaks. Use the Load Pointfile command and see what it brings up. --TomEdwards 15:27, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

No leaks, installation or memory errors. Everything checks out normally, even prop_static entities loaded into the scene are lit correctly. Reinstalling DirectX and the Source SDK to be sure. --FViral 18:58, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

Turn off SmartEdit and check that the color keyvalue of your props are not set to 0 0 0—ts2do 19:14, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

There are no preset color keyvalues. Even when there are it dosn't make a difference. Posted two new screenshots(1 | 2) for kicks and giggles. --FViral 20:04, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

Like I typed before; did you try the renaming of your hl2dm-directory in SteamApps/username? That worked for me when HL2DM didn't want to boot up... Maybe this will also cure your problem. --CrabbyData 22:41, 28 Jun 2006 (PDT)

"No leaks, installation or memory errors.", completely uninstalled steam from my system, rebooted and then reinstalled. --FViral 03:25, 29 Jun 2006 (PDT)

And still the same problem? mmm... that sucks :( I use this for hammer, but maybe you could try it for HL2DM... Make a shortcut on the desktop and typ "-dxlevel 80" (or set this in the startup options in HL2DM, under Steam). This fixed the model displacement at my Hammer... It's just a try, maybe it helps, but I doubt it will... --CrabbyData 07:21, 29 Jun 2006 (PDT)

No change. It would appear that point lights using min and max cast distances don't light prop_static models correctly upon compile. Once the user moves the prop to a new light patch the model updates and is lit correctly. However, when the model is moved back into it's original position it darkens again which invalidates the above; "-dxlevel 80" with no result. --FViral 08:16, 29 Jun 2006 (PDT)

The lighting in this scene does not look correct at all. You can see this when looking at where the almost black ceiling meets the top of the walls. If it was lit correctly, the radiosity bounces would cause them to have similar light values. This could be caused by a leak in the level (which forces direct lighting), or perhaps a dynamic light (is the light named?), or the brush geometry tied to an entity. Posting a compile log might provide some clues. --JeffLane 10:45, 29 Jun 2006 (PDT)

So not a leak.compilelog.txt --FViral 12:48, 29 Jun 2006 (PDT)

Since that shows it's not a leak, how about Jeff's other questions? Is any of the surrounding brushwork tied to an entity? Is the light that's lighting that area a dynamic one or a static one (have you given it a name or parented it to another entity)?

A few more of my own (more obvious) questions: Does this happen in any other Source games/are your drivers up to date? Does this happen if you start building a new map and try to set up the same situation again? Have you tried removing (hiding using VisGroups) the existing lights in the level and putting new ones in instead? --Giles 16:14, 29 Jun 2006 (PDT)

Floor, walls and ceiling are worldbrush. Protrusions in the wall are func_detail. Light is static, no name. Can't recreate or mimic the problem. Everything is up to date...look if it was something as simple as a leak, acute lighting incompetence, or faulty drivers I would have fixed it already. I've checked and rechecked all the obvious causes, nothing makes sense. --FViral 17:41, 29 Jun 2006 (PDT)

Try posting it to http://upload2.net/ —ts2do 17:56, 29 Jun 2006 (PDT)

certain models do not show up / flicker depending on view angle

I'm having a big problem. Whenever I start to get back into mapping with Hammer, the same thing always happens: Certain models just do not show up, or only show up when I approach them /look at them from certain angles.

Here are some screens: (Excuse the fullbright)

Looking at the dump truck Looking at the dump truck from a SLIGHTLY different angle (to the right)

There should be a door here, and in that room there should be a locker

I don't get it. This has happened to me with other mods (HL2, CS: S, etc.) as well, and it's driving me crazy. Whenever I get ideas, they're torn apart by this weird bug / error / whatever.--Mexicoslothrop 01:35, 17 Mar 2008 (PDT)

Water is invisible from above, but looks correct from below

I have this problem, but despite doing everything the page has told me, the problem persists.

I have exported with Vvis and Vrad set to normal.

I have checked for leaks.

I have a light_environment in both the actual level and the 3d skybox.

Building the cubemaps does not make any difference.

I'd appreciate some help. --yoyodaman234 02:12, 22 July 2013 (PDT)

--EDIT--

Fixed it. Turns out I had a skybox camera in the actual level as well as the skybox.

game runs old version of map

Every time I run my map, tf2 runs an old version of it. I think the version it's running is the state my map was in before i edited anything this last hammer session. Apparently, this error has never been documented on the wiki... Rardaede (talk) 01:15, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

This might be a bit late, but I had a problem like that too. It was caused by a giant brush that touched the edges of the grid. When I deleted the brush, the map worked fine. 56KPK (talk) 22:55, 25 September 2020 (UTC)