Cubemap Placement

[Tutorial]

category
General Half-Life 2/Entities

description
A quick trick on how to move all the cubemaps up to eye-level (the optimum place) in one easy way.

keywords
cubemap, env_cubemap, placement.

If you're not sure what a cube map is, check out Blink's Cubemap Tut. Im just going to describe the method I use to place them.

1) Build your map
For this example, im using a box with a 2d sky and part of a roof, so there will be some nice difference in brightness around the map.


2) Placing the 'env_cubemap's
Select the Entity Tool and in the 3d view, click on the ground where you want your cubemaps. One will be created everytime you click, on the face you click on, but it will be right up against the ground, soooo . . . .



3) Moving the 'env_cubemap's
Select all the 'env_cubemap's you've just placed, and go to Tools > Transform (Ctrl + M). Set the transform type to 'Move', and set Z to '56'.
Click ok, and your 'env_cubemap's will be moved into the air, at the perfect height



All done! Now just compile and run buildcubemaps as usual.

Serever

[YokaI]

1.. erm.. question..

uhh does a cube map need to be placed frequently? like, how often should you do a cumbmap in a non gigantic square? like with indoor and such//

[skidz]

they should be by reflective surfaces and every so often on other places. It all depends on how you want the scope to look ingame as well because you get the jump from cube map to cube map while running which imo looks pretty bad

[slayera]

If you do have to many cubemaps in one area the compiler will let you know about it, that is how you know you have too many.

[Serever]

read blinks tut for an idea of where to place them and how often

[Ali]

i make it easy for my self and only place one cube map in the middle of my map.

[zombie@computer]

you can also just place zero, since it will then be defaulted with the skybox

[Serever]

i spose if you wanted to be a cheap bastard, you coul put one in a place with little light, so you dont get that glowy effect at all.

[Someth|ng W|cked]

Don't forget that you can select which faces use each env_cubemap for even more fine tuning

[Caste]

one question
I noticed that you look like you're using CSS (because of the CT player model), is the height (56) the same for Hl2?

[Murkrow]

one question
I noticed that you look like you're using CSS (because of the CT player model), is the height (56) the same for Hl2?

yes.

16-72 is limit.

[zombie@computer]

no, CSS height is lower than HL2 eyeheight. i believe its 64 for hl2

[smeerkat]

I made a room where the floor surface was tied to a cubemap. Worked fine. Added a small crate (48 x 48 x48) in another room with the dev crate texture, and all of a sudden the floor has a pink-and-black reflective texture on it.

What happened?

[Spartan]

Is the cubemap atleast 16 away from all brushes?

[smeerkat]

I'll check right now.


edit: it was working before. This time, I moved the cubemap even further away, and it works now.