http://wiki.thinkingwithportals.com/wiki/Indicator_strips

I wrote an article in my free time, showing how to create the ever so popular Indicator strips in Portal. This was my first wiki article that I typed up from scratch, ever, so I'm pretty proud of it.
That's not what matters though. I'm more interested in feedback from everyone else, so tell me what you think!

It might be worth pointing out that you don't have to place multiple overlays to create indicator strips longer than the width of the texture; instead, you can just modify the start/end UV coordinates directly in the overlay entity.

Korjagun wrote:
It might be worth pointing out that you don't have to place multiple overlays to create indicator strips longer than the width of the texture; instead, you can just modify the start/end UV coordinates directly in the overlay entity.

Now see, I didn't know that. I was actually quite confused as to how people did that. I'll experiment with that on the example map, and then adjust the article accordingly. Thanks.

Edit:
Alright, article and example file are updated.

good work, i may use this as all my current maps lack strips.

For some reason I'm having trouble getting the texture to actually show up, I end up just having a overlay box and cant not resize it bigger than 10 by 10, it just snaps back to that size when I try.

Are you using alt (or maybe it's shift?) to prevent the snapping to the grid?

I think you need to apply a texture to the Overlay before resizing it.

Hober wrote:
Are you using alt (or maybe it's shift?) to prevent the snapping to the grid?

Nope, btw its not shift as shift duplicates. I've tried using alt (since you said) and no luck.

msleeper wrote:
I think you need to apply a texture to the Overlay before resizing it.

I tried applying the indicator lights one, and still doesn't show up. I feel like a retard lol overlays should be easy to do. Sure I'm new to hammer but bah.

This is the process I do to attempt to make an overlay.

Select the info_overlay entity
Click on the 3d view port where I would like it to appear.
I press alt + enter to go into entity properties
I change the texture to signage/indicator_lights/indicator_lights_floor
Change brush face to the one it is on.

Then I try to move it around and get texture to appear with no luck. If I copy and paste one from another map (Like CP4P thing it shows up but I dont want to do that, I'd rather start a new entity from scratch.

About creating strips overlays.

Resize using the corners of the overlay in the 2D view. Hammer will STRETCH the overlay if Texture Lock is enabled. Hammer will TILE the overlay if Texture Lock is diabled. No need to mess with the overlay properties, exept for the name and for the initial frame on spawn.

Omg. Just relised what Shift + O does (Special overlay tool)

I used to use hammer a little about 2 years ago and only just picked it back up. I had trouble then with overlays too =\ wow I feel like a retard >_<

Thanks for your help though

Hurricaaane wrote:
About creating strips overlays.

Resize using the corners of the overlay in the 2D view. Hammer will STRETCH the overlay if Texture Lock is enabled. Hammer will TILE the overlay if Texture Lock is diabled. No need to mess with the overlay properties, exept for the name and for the initial frame on spawn.

Didn't know that, thanks

Beerage wrote:
Omg. Just relised what Shift + O does (Special overlay tool)

That's on the toolbar by the way, below the decal tool.