Talk:Func monitor

I am haveing a hard time finding this entity. Would someone help me out?

func_monitor is brush based, Interlopers has a tutorial that may help: [1]

I think this is !FGD for cs source also -ts2do

It seems I can only use one camera on the map, am I doing something wrong? or is it a limitation?

It's a limitation that is well known and well grieved. (I added this bit of info to the article.) --Andreasen 06:57, 29 Aug 2006 (PDT)

Does this mean that you can't have a func_monitor showing camera A and another func_monitor showing camera B? --Darthkillyou 17:07, 16 Aug 2007 (PDT)

Indeed, it creats a visual loophole that re-renders the camera shot to an infinite factor. So in other words the game crashes.--Gear 17:35, 16 Aug 2007 (PDT)

Would it be possible to have the two cameras set up so they are not in the same PVS and make it work? --Headprogrammingczar

Does anyone know how to simulate a TV? You know, Changing channels when triggered? Maybye how to move/change cameras?--JeffMOD 14:21, 9 Apr 2008 (PDT)

You would need a long string of disabled (and one enabled) logic_relay entities to cycle through your different cameras. (Can't Valve make some sort of cycling logic entity for this kind of job?) --Darthkillyou 18:22, 17 Apr 2008 (PDT)

A logic_case or even a math_counter!--Gear 21:53, 17 Apr 2008 (PDT)

.... Actually, a great idea! Never thought of that before! ;-)

(Now for the problem of figuring out why Valve prefers the logic_relay approach in their maps) --Darthkillyou 17:23, 27 Apr 2008 (PDT)

It's easier for them to re-trigger something from any spot, plus the ent_data on them are smaller.--Gear 17:58, 27 Apr 2008 (PDT)

Thanks for the input. I'll see if I can get that to work. --JeffMOD 14:22, 23 May 2008 (PDT)

Some limitations of func_monitor:

• It does not render your player model, as even in Portal, apparently you don't have one. (If you are halfway through a portal, it WILL render the duplicate of you that pokes through the other side of the portal.)
• It really doesn't like env_cubemap entities - it attempts to render them, giving you a rather hideous looking black rectangle.
• It doesn't like other entities - such as reflective glass - that require cubemaps to work.

At this point, the only one of these that is posing a problem for me is the first, as I'm working on a puzzle that uses func_monitor and cameras as a clue to help the player figure out how to resolve the problem. - BlackWolfe 16:59, 1 Jul 2008 (PDT)

In the mod Zombie Master, I am able to have as many func_monitors as I want all rendering different live images. I don't know if this is custom code or what, I thought I'd just point it out. Spiritslayr 06:20, 1 Aug 2008 (PDT)

It's custom code, the main drawback being performance, though any decent level designer knows how to handle it. Solokiller 08:14, 1 Aug 2008 (PDT)

Enabling/Disabling

A question: This entity uses the Enable/Disable inputs, which says that it might disappear from view. DOES func_monitor disappear from view? ...because the only other entity that uses the Enable/Disable template is func_brush, and func_brush uses this only for disabling its visibility. (Not its solidity, unless that it specifically specified.) This means that if this entity does too, we can strike the "might", and if Enable/Disable ONLY affects the func_monitors visibility, we can strike the ambiguous "function" as well. --MossyBucket (formerly Andreasen) 13:09, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

I ran a little test with two func_monitor entities, one started as disabled and the other enabled. The disabled func_monitor was not visible nor solid. Same when I added buttons with a Toggle input. Both solidity and visibility are removed when disabled. --Mattshu 17:43, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

I didn't think you understood, so I ran some tests now as well (with twelve brushes in total), and func_monitor works exactly like the func_brush: Only when Solidity is set to Toggle, does its solidity toggle with its visibility. What Start Disabled, Enable and Disable is about, is not solidity, but foremost visibility. --MossyBucket (formerly Andreasen) 19:25, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

Right, that's what I determined. I just didn't word it properly. --Mattshu 19:29, 1 March 2011 (UTC)