I'm attempting to create some atmosphere for a map which I have, and I would really like to cast a silhouette of a model against a wall. I've tried different lights and I can't seem to get the right combination.

First, the model seems to disappear, I'm guessing since it can't be seen and isn't accessible. Second, when I move the model into view the shadow only casts below it.

Maybe Source doesn't support this and I just don't realize it.

Anyone have a solution?

Just so I'm straight on what you're trying to do: You want a shadow of a prop cast on a wall, but don't want the prop to be visible?

Not quite. I guess I should have been clearer. The prop's silhouette will be visible through glass. The prop, however, will be obscured by the walls surrounding this glass. The prop could be visible or invisible, I don't care; the player won't be able to see around the corner where the object rests. I just care about making a silhouette.

So you don't want a "hi I'm a physical object that's so backlit you can't see any detail" silhouette, but a "hi here's my shadow falling onto the plane of a translucent surface" type of silhouette?

I can think of ways to accomplish the former, but the latter would either take some really clever lighting tricks that I don't know, or a custom glass material.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understood the situation differently. Seems to me that he wants an object (which is blocked from view by level geometry) to cast a defined shadow on a wall, and for that shadow and that wall to be visible to the player through glass. My understanding was that the shadow would not be cast directly on the glass.

But I could be mistaken.

Would a spot light(light_spot) work? I made a map with a stoplight and it cast a shadow of some of the walls of my map. Im not sure if it works with objects..

my suggestion, fake it...

make a new texture for the surface in question, with the silhouette on the texture...

im not sure how hard this would be in hammer, but it would be easy in 3dsmax :s
(although there are better ways in 3dsmax, ie a shadowmap)

could it be possible to make a texture that is transparent in some places, and where its not transparent, it recieves no light? if so you could make it transparent on the edges, the center shaped like the object, basically having a brush that would be a solid black (or if you made the center a little transparent it would only darken) that you could place 1 unit above where you wanted, cast a light at it...

again ive never done anything like this in hammer, im only suggesting things that work in other applications

Now that I think about it, an overlay might work for that.

Or, if the problem is that static geometry casts shadows and props don't, then wouldn't making the prop into static geometry fix the problem? The silhouette doesn't have to move, does it?

I must suck at explaining myself. Paul is right.

It doesn't have to move, so how would I go about making a model into static geometry? This would probably be easier than going about making a custom texture and all.

Draw a map!

I've seen this done before; put a light behind the object to cast the shadow and either used the real object, or a shape that simulated the original shape (ie use vertex tool). If they can come around the corner and see this fakery, then place a trigger that removes right before they turn the corner. . . I think there is something called a func_look, etc too, that I believe basically triggers on the moment you look at a spot; real good for making a sequence of actions occur the moment its in your field of vision (or maybe for taking something away the moment its in your field of view). I never really got into it enough to get it all straight in my head.

I would use a light_dynamic for this. Have you tried it?

Build the shadow on the wall using a TOOLS BLOCKLIGHT texture, in front of a light source (a triggerable light source?)... Dunno if that's what you'd like to do. And so, increase the lightmap of the surface the shadow is being cast.

Wait a minute..
Whoops I think I didn't understand.