Contradiction when building cubemaps?
I'm finally getting into the finally parts of my map, and I tried to build cubemaps today. Only problem is, when I tried to build cubemaps, it crashed, saying it was unable to save them, or something to that effect. It seems the only folder it will build cubemaps in is the portal2_sixsense folder right now.
Normally, I would just compile it in that folder, but doing so would lead me to a a whole other problem.
When I try to create a map in that folder, instances do not load. Every time a put an instance in a map in that folder and compile, Hammer can't seem to find the instance map.
Currently, the only thing I can think of doing is moving ALL of my instances into that folder, but I don't even know if that will work when pakratting everything up.
If anyone could help, I'd really appreciate it.
I don't really know about sixense users, but we have to build cubemaps for a map placed into the portal2_dlc2/maps/ folder in order to make the command to work out. Try that.
We use to directly make our hammer editor to save a copy of the map into that folder after finishing compile as well.
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[spoiler]
[/spoiler]We use to directly make our hammer editor to save a copy of the map into that folder after finishing compile as well.
I tried the portal2_dlc2 folder first, but it did the same thing, where it just told me it couldn't save it. I put my entire instance folder in the sixsense folder, and all the instances show up, but now I'm just worried for what that means when I pakrat the map.
That is weird... Could it be anything unrelated to the buildcubemaps command itself, like a lack of writting permissions for Portal2 in your local folders?
About your custom instances, you don't have to pakrat them... You only need to pack your custom materials, models, etc., but if you only used the stock elements, you won't need to pack anything. Also, it wouldn't affect pakrat at all where you place your instances, it will just check in the path you specified that your portal2.exe file is into, in order to check for the non-stock stuff.
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[/spoiler]About your custom instances, you don't have to pakrat them... You only need to pack your custom materials, models, etc., but if you only used the stock elements, you won't need to pack anything. Also, it wouldn't affect pakrat at all where you place your instances, it will just check in the path you specified that your portal2.exe file is into, in order to check for the non-stock stuff.
Well, one of the instances is Skotty's Energy Ball launcher, which I believe uses custom models and textures. Would that whole thing need to be pakratted?
I don't think it would be permissions, I think it may be the fact that once I got the Razer Hydra and a new folder was created, it became the default folder like how the portal2_dlc2 one was.
The weird thing about the sixsense folder is that it is the only folder where the cubemaps work and instances won't. I did try and move all the instances to the sixsense folder, and all of a sudden they worked in Hammer. So does that mean the path is different for instances in the sixsense folder?
Not exactly. You only need to pakrat the models (the energy ball and the launcher and catcher) and their textures, and IIRC also the ball sounds, and pakrat will do most of that automatically for you if you use the Scan feature.
The weird thing about the sixsense folder is that it is the only folder where the cubemaps work and instances won't. I did try and move all the instances to the sixsense folder, and all of a sudden they worked in Hammer. So does that mean the path is different for instances in the sixsense folder?
K, I see now. Can I know where exactly is the sixsense folder located and what folders are inside of it? Anyways, I still think that your instances should be under your /sdk_content/maps/instances/ folder and your BSP map under your /sixsense/ folder to be able to build cubemaps...
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[/spoiler]Not exactly. You only need to pakrat the models (the energy ball and the launcher and catcher) and their textures, and IIRC also the ball sounds, and pakrat will do most of that automatically for you if you use the Scan feature.
I don't think it would be permissions, I think it may be the fact that once I got the Razer Hydra and a new folder was created, it became the default folder like how the portal2_dlc2 one was
The weird thing about the sixsense folder is that it is the only folder where the cubemaps work and instances won't. I did try and move all the instances to the sixsense folder, and all of a sudden they worked in Hammer. So does that mean the path is different for instances in the sixsense folder?
K, I see now. Can I know where exactly is the sixsense folder located and what folders are inside of it? Anyways, I still think that your instances should be under your /sdk_content/maps/instances/ folder and your BSP map under your /sixsense/ folder to be able to build cubemaps...
Alright. I've had a lot of trouble in the past with getting Pakrat to scan correctly though. Several times I've had it say that there is nothing to add, and a lot of sound files go unpacked, so I've been a it worried about using the scan feature as the main source.
The sixsense maps are located in C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommonportal 2portal2_sixense jus tlike the portal2_dlc2 one is. In there, there is:
(folders)
bin
cfg
maps
materials
media
models
puzzles
relists
resource
SAVE
scripts
(files)
demoheader.tmp
gameinfo.txt
gearplayground.dem (demo file for source recorder)
modelsounds.cache
pak01_000.vpk
pak01_dir.vpk
stats.txt
voice_ban.dt
workshop_log.txt
I placed the instances inside the maps folder recently to get them to work, because for some reason it wasn't pulling it from the sdk_content folder.
Ok. About pakrat, all you need to do in order to make it to pack your custom stuff correctly is to tell it your game directory. That can be done right after pressing the Scan button, entering the whole path to your game dir in the upper box. I recommend you to also put the path in File > Preferences.
Now, due to you have a gameinfo.txt file into your sixsense folder, try using that folder as your game dir (not sure if that will work though). You might need to edit that gameinfo.txt to add more search paths... Hmmmm, can you post the content there's inside?
About instances, I'm pretty sure that you should be able to locate them being in whatever folder. However, you must think that they are already using models that they need to locate properly. I don't know where you placed those models, probably under the sixsense folder, and that can be the reason to your issue. Put your instances in your sdk_content/maps/instances/ folder, and the custom models under /portal 2/portal2/models/ folder.
Anyways, your VMF maps are inside your sdk folder, right?
useful tools and stuff here on TWP [spoiler]
[/spoiler]Now, due to you have a gameinfo.txt file into your sixsense folder, try using that folder as your game dir (not sure if that will work though). You might need to edit that gameinfo.txt to add more search paths... Hmmmm, can you post the content there's inside?
About instances, I'm pretty sure that you should be able to locate them being in whatever folder. However, you must think that they are already using models that they need to locate properly. I don't know where you placed those models, probably under the sixsense folder, and that can be the reason to your issue. Put your instances in your sdk_content/maps/instances/ folder, and the custom models under /portal 2/portal2/models/ folder.
Anyways, your VMF maps are inside your sdk folder, right?
Right, I'll try that. Pakrat has given me a lot of trouble in the past though. I didn't find anything last map I did even though the path seemed right. What would correct the path be of the game directory?
gameinfo.txt is this:
- Code: Select all
"GameInfo"
{
game "PORTAL 2 Sixense MotionPack"
title "PORTAL 2 Sixense MotionPack"
GameData "portal2_sixense.fgd"
gamelogo 1SupportsDX8 0
SupportsXbox360 1FileSystem
{
SteamAppId 620 // This will mount all the GCFs we need (240=CS:S, 220=HL2).
ToolsAppId 211 // Tools will load this (ie: source SDK caches) to get things like materialsdebug, materialseditor, etc.
//
// The code that loads this file automatically does a few things here:
//
// 1. For each "Game" search path, it adds a "GameBin" path, in <dir>bin
// 2. For each "Game" search path, it adds another "Game" path in front of it with _<langage> at the end.
// For example: c:hl2cstrike on a french machine would get a c:hl2cstrike_french path added to it.
// 3. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "MOD".
// 4. For the first "Game" search path, it adds a search path called "DEFAULT_WRITE_PATH".
////
// Search paths are relative to the base directory, which is where hl2.exe is found.
//
// |gameinfo_path| points at the directory where gameinfo.txt is.
// We always want to mount that directory relative to gameinfo.txt, so
// people can mount stuff in c:mymod, and the main game resources are in
// someplace like c:program filesvalvesteamsteamappshalf-life 2.
//SearchPaths
{
Game |gameinfo_path|.
Game portal2
Game ..game_sixense_devportal2_sixense
}
}
}
The models, which I'm looking at now, and I may not actually be using, are in this directory: C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommonportal 2portal2modelsprops and instances are under
C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommonportal 2sdk_contentmapsinstances. I just made a copy of them so that they would work in the sixsense folder.
Also, I do have some VMF files inside the sdkcontent folder, but the one I'm working on right now is in the sixsense folder because cubemaps wouldn't build when placed anywhere else.
Thanks for the help and quick replies, by the way.
Let's clarify some concepts:
- you build cubemaps for an already compiled map, a .BSP file, having previously placed some env_cubemap entities in your map's chambers.
- .VMF files are the raw maps, those you edit and make.
So, why would you need to have a .VMF file inside your sixsense folder in order to build cubemaps? >.< You only build cubemaps for a compiled map, have you compiled your map yet? have you got a .BSP file to build cubemaps for?
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