Contradiction when building cubemaps?
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?
Of course! Is it even possible to build cubemaps if you haven't run the map? How else would you get to the console?
There was both a .vmf and a .bsp for the map when it was in the sdk_content folder, in the portal2 folder, and the portal2_dlc2 folder before. But NONE of those saved the cubemaps and instead crashed to desktop with a message about not being able to save the cubemaps. Once I put the file in the sixsense folder, it build the cubemaps exactly how it was supposed to build.
Ok, man, sorry, but your reply confused me :p
Let's focus. You are already building cubemaps correctly if the map is into your sixsense folder, so that is achieved, right? This is my advice then:
- Keep your VMF maps always into the sdk_content/maps/ folder
- Keep your VMF instances always into the sdk_content/maps/instances folder
- Open your hammer editor and go to Tools > Options > Build Programs tab. At the bottom of that tab, you'll find the "Place compiled maps in this directory before running the game" box. Fill it up like the following pic:
Please try that and confirm if both your instances and the buildcubemaps command work out.
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[spoiler]
[/spoiler]Let's focus. You are already building cubemaps correctly if the map is into your sixsense folder, so that is achieved, right? This is my advice then:
- Keep your VMF maps always into the sdk_content/maps/ folder
- Keep your VMF instances always into the sdk_content/maps/instances folder
- Open your hammer editor and go to Tools > Options > Build Programs tab. At the bottom of that tab, you'll find the "Place compiled maps in this directory before running the game" box. Fill it up like the following pic:
Please try that and confirm if both your instances and the buildcubemaps command work out.
I just tried this and Portal 2 does not start up after it finished compiling. When I tried to load up the map manually using console commands, it can't find the map, but the map is still there, I checked it in the folders.
[/spoiler]
[/spoiler]That will only happen if you choose to do it in the compile window:
Normal Compile
Expert Compile
That doesn't make sense, since you confirmed you could run the map before and to build cubemaps from the sixsense folder. Something is missing here.
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[/spoiler]That will only happen if you choose to do it in the compile window:
Normal Compile
Expert Compile
That doesn't make sense, since you confirmed you could run the map before and to build cubemaps from the sixsense folder. Something is missing here.
I didn't have the "don't run map after compiling checked,, I double-checked that after it didn't work the first time.
Also, let me get this right: You want me to put the map in the sdk_content/maps/ folder, run it from there after changing "Place compiled maps in this directory before running the game" to the sixsense folder?
None of this is making sense to me either...
The vmfs go in sdk_content, then you run the bsp from portal2_sixsense.
[spoiler]- BEE2 Addons | (BEE2)
- Hammer Addons
Maps:
- Crushed Gel
- Gel is Not Always Helpful[/spoiler]
Are you meaning .BSP or .VMF? I want you to put the compiled map, the .BSP, under the "sdk_content/maps/" folder in order to build the cubemaps. All the .VMF are intended to be under the SDK folders though... see?
I hope that is clear.
None of this is making sense to me either...
Man, let's agree about this:
1. The Hammer Editor allows you to decide where to put a copy (the "original and first .BSP file" will be always placed into the sdk_content_/maps/ folder right after compile, cause the .VMF to be compiled up was here when we built cubemaps) of the resulting .BSP map after compiling. That is just a Hammer feature, a thing you can take advantage from... and it's simply specified in the route I told you about before:
Therefore, you don't need to put any file into any folder. Say your desired folder path into that box in the Options menu and you'll have a copy of the .BSP map in the specified folder after compile ready. However, if you don't want to edit your Hammer Editor Options, you do need to place a copy of your compiled .BSP map into the portal2_sixsense/maps/ folder if you want to build cuebmaps properly (as you confirmed before).
2. You just can't "run it from there". It is the game code that states a priority to load from when you run a command like 'map <map_name>'. For the rest of us, that is the portal2_dlc2/maps/ folder, but it seems that for you it's the portal2_sixsense/maps/ folder, good, that .BSP map file (and not any other one placed-saved-copied into any other folder) will be the one that your game will load/run to play with and will build the cubemaps for.
3. Since the copy of your .BSP map will be into the "portal2_sixsense/maps/" folder, the command buildcubemaps must work out and must store the resulted info into that specific .BSP file, so don't forget to locate the file into that path when publishing to your workshop.
4. Same for Pakrat. That file in that path is the one you must load into pakrat to store the custom content into. Remember those tips I told you before about setting your paths in pakrat for it to correctly perform the Scan and Auto features.
5. At least, I hope that you know how to properly build cubemaps. I'm tired or typing now (:p), so read this other thread.
I really hope I'm not sounding conceited, it's just that some of your comments made me think that you can be mixing concepts 
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[/spoiler]Well, I'll try and fix this, but right now, I'm just trying to figure out where everything goes.
Right now, I have the .bsp and .vmf in the portal2_sixsense/maps folder.
But wait, I couldn't build cubemaps when the .bsp was in that folder. Even if I put the .vmf in there with it.
So basically, this puts a copy of the compiled map in the sdk_content folder after the cubemaps were built in the sixsense folder where they work?
Well, it seems the buildcubemaps command works. I built the cubemaps and they seem to work in-game.
http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/27341552309527148/1E16398537F4CDDE430E55A9903F45DEB65D2A81/
but what do you mean by "don't forget to locate the file into that path when publishing to your workshop?" Where do I need to specify the path when uploading to the workshop?
So if the .bsp and .vmf are in the path "C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommonportal 2portal2_sixensemaps" that's the path I set for pakrat to use the Scan and Auto feature?
I thought I knew how, but considering the cubemaps aren't saving in the pakratted file, I may not. Steampipe changed so much.
Well, considering I manually added the textures and custom content, I pakratted the map in question up and everything seems to work fine, even the instances after I copied the instance folder to the sixsense folder. Everything seems to work! Except for the cubemaps! I moved the .BSP to the C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommonportal 2sdk_contentmaps and loaded up the map and the cubemaps weren't there. Not sure what happened to them. They worked fine when the .bsp was in the sixsense folder. I thought the .bsp had the cubemaps compiled into it?
I tried following this tutorial: http://youtu.be/RPFmYqwxhMY?t=8m37s and all that happened was the textures turned into frameworks and the sound files completely broke.
This is the map, if it helps. http://www.mediafire.com/download/b357ib7l9n7tbt4/sp_gear_mappack_playground.bsp
I am realllllly sorry if I'm causing you frustration, by the way, and thanks so much for helping me still.
[/spoiler]Again, the .VMF does nothing there, keep ALL your .VMF under the sdk folder.
>.< Please understand that the .VMFs has NOTHING to do with either building cubemaps or the entire game, NOTHING. The game only understand .BSP files! Get them out of there at once! 
Man, please say again where exactly are you putting your .BSP map file to build cubemaps, because I don't think I know it anymore! wasn't it your portal2_sixsense/maps/ folder?
Listen, Hammer will output a .BSP file exactly into the same folder where the .VMF file that you are seeing into Hammer is located (usually under sdk_content/maps/ folder), ok? APART FROM THAT, Hammer can also put a copy of the same .BSP where you say into that box in the Options menu I told you before... Note that I'm not talking about cubermaps now here anywhere, ok?
The idea behind this is to let you run the map in P2 after you compiled it (you can't run it if your only .BSP file is in the sdk folder... it should be under any /maps/ folder so the game can find it), so that is the reason why by default it puts a copy of the .BSP file in portal2/maps/ folder, ok? Now, almost all of us changed that path already because the DLC2 update destroyed the possibility of building cubemaps from there... and we set it to portal2/portal2_dlc2/maps/ folder, ok?
But in your case, use the folder that lets you build cubemaps! (which I think it's your portal2_sixsense/maps/ folder)
I mean that when you are publising to the workshop, you must browse your .BSP map file, right? OK, so you would normally want to upload the .BSP file WITH the cubemaps inside, right? Well, that .BSP file should be the one inside your portal2_sixsense/maps/ folder, am I right?
About the rest of your post, sorry man, but I still read a lot of mix-up between concepts there, so PLEASE read what I just posted above carefully.... and then the following:
1. You make your maps into hammer and save .VMF files. These are only understood by Hammer, NOT THE GAME.
2. If you want the game to understand what you created in Hammer, you must compile (turn a .VMF to a .BSP). So, the compile process outputs a .BSP.
3. You must run the game and load your map (.BSP file) to build the cubemaps. Don't dare to change the map name after you built cubemaps because in that case you will break them, and should build them again! And just in cases, let me tell you how to do it properly; after you are seeing your map in Portal2, open the developer console and type:
buildcubemaps (wait up until it's done building them and storing them into your .BSP file)
mat_hdr_level 0 (with this, you turn to LDR... by default, the game runs on HDR!)
buildcubemaps (now your are building cubemaps for LDR)
mat_hdr_level 2 (with this, you make the game to return to HDR)
After this, your reflections should be there.
4. THEN use pakrat to embed your custom stuff. PAKRAT READS .BSP FILES ONLY, SO AGAIN, FORGET ABOUT .VMFs! As I told you, you save a lot of time (oh well, depending on the amount of custom stuff you must pack thus the time required) by using the SCAN feature. About this I suggested you to try as the GameDir path into the Scan Window the following one:
C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommonportal 2portal2_sixense
Why? because you have a Gameinfo.txt file in there and it might work out, but I don't know at all 
Try it and report back!
In the case pakrat doesn't find your custom stuff, then try the path we all use to put there as GameDir:
C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommonportal 2portal2
5. Instances, instances, instances.... Please understand this: instances are nothing but .VMF files. Therefore you can't pack them into a .BSP file... Keeep them always into your sdk_content/maps/instances/ folder, please. A completely different thing is the custom content that a given instance could be using, as is your case with the energy pellet instances, ok? So, you don't need (and you simply can't!) to pack that 'instances' folder from Skotty's stuff, ok?
What you should pack is the following folders: /models, /materials, and /sound.
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Now, this is the content of the .BSP map you posted (in Pakrat, go to "View > As a Tree" if you want to see it like this):
1. There are no cubemaps information in there!
2. There aren't any models packed! You need to pack Skotty's revised launcher and catcher models, and the combine ball model:
3. The sounds for the energy ball aren't pack either. You must grab them from:
Boy, I hope that I explained better this time!
Don't be, man. No problem. It seems to be my condition, I like helping ppl and sharing what I know. 
useful tools and stuff here on TWP [spoiler]
[/spoiler]2. If you want the game to understand what you created in Hammer, you must compile (turn a .VMF to a .BSP). So, the compile process outputs a .BSP.
Right! I got that as soon as I learned the .BSP is a compiled map.
buildcubemaps (wait up until it's done building them and storing them into your .BSP file)
mat_hdr_level 0 (with this, you turn to LDR... by default, the game runs on HDR!)
buildcubemaps (now your are building cubemaps for LDR)
mat_hdr_level 2 (with this, you make the game to return to HDR)
I do do it this way, and never change the name! It works fine as long as the .BSP is in the sixsense folder. As soon as I move it out of that folder though, the cubemaps don't work! It's like they are saving somewhere but not in the .BSP itself.
C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommonportal 2portal2_sixense
Why? because you have a Gameinfo.txt file in there and it might work out, but I don't know at all Try it and report back!
In the case pakrat doesn't find your custom stuff, then try the path we all use to put there as GameDir:
C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommonportal 2portal2
5. Instances, instances, instances.... Please understand this: instances are nothing but .VMF files. Therefore you can't pack them into a .BSP file... Keeep them always into your sdk_content/maps/instances/ folder, please. A completely different thing is the custom content that a given instance could be using, as is your case with the energy pellet instances, ok? So, you don't need (and you simply can't!) to pack that 'instances' folder from Skotty's stuff, ok?
I've used both game directives, and neither show anything after scanning. I've had to put everything in manually. 
Also, about the instances, I never pakrated them into the .BSP. But in order for them to show up and be recognized in Hammer Editor and compile, I had to move the whole instances folder to the sixsense folder, hence the "contradiction" I stated earlier.
I KNOW! That's my problem! They are saving somewhere, just not into the .BSP! That's my biggest issue as of right now.
3. The sounds for the energy ball aren't pack either. You must grab them from:
Oh! Forgot about those. Though my friend told me they seemed to work fine, I guess the sounds weren't in there. Also, since Skotty uses the actual energy ball launchers in the game, I just don't use the "clean" version, and it should be fine. Didn't know the energy ball had a model though, I thought it was just a sprite. Should probably add that to the map...
Thanks!