ScicoPax wrote:
Hey, I had the same problem.
You have to put in the console:

buildcubemaps mat_reloadtextures mat_reloadallmaterials
I discovered it by myself messing around with the console.

Didn't do anything...

Vordwann wrote:
Also, for people who cannot run on higher settings (not me), you need to make a cubemap at the center of any water and make the face it affects the face with the water texture.

I'm not sure what display settings have to do with this. You are supposed to do this for all water surfaces.

SteamPunk Atlas FTW!

iWork925 wrote:
Just noticed that without cubemaps, Atlas's metal parts (which I assume are reflective) get this weird kinda brass looking effect.

SteamPunk Atlas FTW!

Best place to look... is the portal gun... the white surface should reflect any nearby light and the bumpmapping should be obvious when using cubemaps correctly.

Once you build your cube maps via console, are they permanently embedded into your .bsp file until they are rebuilt again?

raulness wrote:
Since we're all asking about cubemaps, I've got a small question I've always wondered about them.

Once you build your cube maps via console, are they permanently embedded into your .bsp file until they are rebuilt again?

afaik, yes.
... but, I noticed that they get lost, when you rename the map file.

KenJeKenny!? wrote:
Aren't the cubemaps automaticly build when you compile on full + hdr? (you still have to place them in hammer offcourse)

No. Cubemaps are built from the engine, because in essence a cubemap is a set of photos taken from the position of the env_cubemap. This can't be done during the editing/compilation process, because it requires the map to be loaded and running in the engine.

WinstonSmith wrote:
No. Cubemaps are built from the engine, because in essence a cubemap is a set of photos taken from the position of the env_cubemap. This can't be done during the editing/compilation process, because it requires the map to be loaded and running in the engine.

Just to be sure i always build my cubemaps after compiling a release.

But i was wondering... because i read on the VDC that you should build them in both HDR and LDR (Source)

I just always executed a simple buildcubemaps command which never gave me any trouble...

I'm a complete newb though

Any chance one of you guys who know what you're doing just knock up a small demo room, that you can visibly see the different if you remove/add a env_cubemap?

I've tried it, but it just seems to do nothing.

If I dont have any env_cubemap, water seems to reflect roofs, walls, bridges etc all fine. And if I add a env_cubemap, it just does nothing different as far as I can see.

(Yes, I've done the buildcubemaps also)

One thing I noticed, after doing buildcubemaps, is I get this error in the console:
Can't load skybox file sky_black_nofog to build the default cubemap!

Thanks,

Rob.