Quote from HMW on July 15, 2009, 3:09 pm

This can usually be fixed by lowering the light map size to 8 or 4, depending on the width of the recessed light slot. Also make sure that your map doesn't leak and that the recessed light texture is aligned with the wall. (Click on the "face" check box in the texture dialogue.)

By the way, I like the red light projecting on the wall. That kind of thing is great for diminishing the rigid, cubical look of a map.

Quote from WinstonSmith on July 15, 2009, 3:34 pm

Thank you so much, HMW--it worked! There are now more splotches (instead of just one per section of recessed lights), and they aren't so much splotches as they are tasteful accents now.
Also, thanks for the compliment on the lighting. The map is the first testchamber in a mod I'm making for Portal. I hadn't noticed the red light striping (and I think I might have accidentally taken it out--it was too bright on objects closer to its source), but I am trying to focus on lighting in the level. I'm using light_spots for accents, making use of shadows, etc.

Quote from reepblue on July 15, 2009, 3:40 pm

Quote:

ReepBlue's excellent Portal Warm Textures (get 'em here!)

NO WAI!!!

(Please fix my name to "reepblue". Thanks. )

EDIT: Also, I was 'thinking' of adding an example map on how to properly light the maps. If I do, I'll let you know.

Quote from WinstonSmith on July 15, 2009, 4:05 pm

Consider it done--thanks for the heads up on lighting the maps.

By the way, I re-added the red stripes; there was a blocklight brush I'd put in to dim lighting from a pit. However, I took it out, and I found out it didn't actually look all that bad.

Quote from HMW on July 16, 2009, 2:00 pm

Good work. I find that it's usually best to let VRAD do its thing and not try to tweak the lighting with block_lights, fill lights etc.

By the way, I looked at your screen shots on VDC. Looks nice, but I hope those invisible point lights are only temporary. The one on the "cube container" in the third screen is OK, since that is a plausible light source, but the white ones on the other screens look quite unrealistic.

A great way to light up a dark area is to have a bright light shine from an observation room. It will project the lines from the window frame onto the floor and walls which looks very nice, and this can be used to attract the player's eye to certain things in the room. Valve also does this a lot in the original levels.

Quote from WinstonSmith on July 16, 2009, 2:36 pm

Thanks for taking a look at my mod! I know some of the lighting is unnatural; right now I'm in the process of going through the first few levels, eliminating point lights and adding recessed lights, spotlights in observation rooms, etc. I'll be updating the screenshots pretty soon. The only reason the lighting is a bit unrealistic is because I'm learning as I go; now I can incorporate tips and such as I build the levels (a heck of a lot easier than modifying the levels later).

Quote from reepblue on July 16, 2009, 4:17 pm

If you use blue lights like the testchamb_a_05.vmf example map has and Portals color correction, Your map will look a lot better. . .

Quote from WinstonSmith on July 16, 2009, 4:25 pm

reepblue wrote:

If you use blue lights like the testchamb_a_05.vmf example map has and Portals color correction, Your map will look a lot better. . .

Blue lights as in...the point lights? Or the lights ringing the ceiling? If you're referring to the latter, I'm working on putting those in where needed right now.
And color_correction entities are already placed in all the maps. Am I doing something wrong with them?

Quote from Mek on July 17, 2009, 3:27 am

He meant that light entities in Hammer have a default color value of "white". There is an article on VDC regarding mapping for Portal with the recommended light color for light entities in Portal - it's a blueish one.