Creating custom gibs

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By default, a model whose propdata allows it to break when its health reaches zero, will spawn a bunch of generic gibs according to its base_type material. Whilst this saves a bit of work, it not nearly as satisfying as using a set of custom gibs that actually look like parts of your breakable model.

Modeling

• Use the original model as a reference, and place gibs over it.
• Export each gib separately

Compiling

Each gib

   $scale 1.0
   $modelname trashcan\trashcan_piece_a.mdl
   $keyvalues { "prop_data" { "base" "Wooden.Small" "health" "0" } }
   //Health 0 makes it invulnerable. Not having this or setting it to another value allows the gib to be busted into more gibs. Small wood bits, in this case. 
   $body studio "trashcan_piece_a"
   $cdmaterials models\trashcan
   $staticprop
   $surfaceprop "wood"
   //Important! Make sure the $surfaceprop type matches the "base" in $keyvalues, or you get nothing.
   $sequence idle "trashcan_piece_a" loop fps 15
   $origin -24.043 -24.066 2.166 0
   // values are X Y Z rotationZ, without they will spawn in one large heap if their origins are the same. If the objects are exported at non-origin values they would spawn there, unless this is called.
   $collisionmodel "trashcan_piece_a_collision.SMD"
   {
   $automass
   }

Breakable model

• Add $collisiontext section to the .QC file

   $scale 1.0
   $modelname trashcan\trashcan_breakable.mdl
   $body "Body" "trashcan.smd"
   $cdmaterials models\trashcan
   $surfaceprop "wood"
   //Important! Make sure the $surfaceprop type matches the "base" in $keyvalues, or you get nothing.
   $sequence idle "trashcan" loop fps 15
   $keyvalues { "prop_data" { "base" "Wooden.Medium" "health" "10"} }
   //Health is the damage required to break the item, 0 will make it invincible.
   $collisiontext
   {
   break
       {
           "model" "trashcan/trashcan_piece_a.mdl" "fadetime" "15"
       }
   break
       {
           "model" "trashcan/trashcan_piece_b.mdl" "fadetime" "15"
       }
   }
   $collisionmodel "trashcan_collision.SMD"  {
   $concave
   $mass 100.000
   }

• break options
  • model
  • ragdoll
  • offset
  • health
  • fadetime
  • fademindist
  • fademaxdist
  • debris
  • burst
  • placementbone
  • placementattachment
  • motiondisabled (new with l4d2?)

-used to spawn the non-moving chips of glass around the edges of the window panes in dead-center's hotel after they were broken

• break { "model" "props_windows\hotel_glass_frame002.mdl" "health" "0" "fadetime" "0" "motiondisabled" "1" "multiplayer_break" "both"}

See also

• Physics and Ragdolls
• Physics Entities on Server & Client
• Modeling props with Blender