Can't load skybox file

[JamesL]

I have been seeing this error in various compile logs posted up on this site over the last few days and have encountered the same thing when I swapped the sky I was using for a map from militia_hdr to sky_lostcoast_hdr.

(note, the error below is the same as mine but copy/pasted from a thread started by _cyruss_)

Code: Select all

No such variable "$hdrbasetexture" for material "skybox/sky_day01_01rt"
Can't load skybox file skybox/sky_day01_01 to build the default cubemap! 

Anyone know why this error is appearing when the sky name is blatently correct?

[zombie@computer]

You need to edit all vmt's you want to use (lol). Be prepared for a little work

Use a program (eg gcfscape) to extract the vmt's from the gcf files

(they are in 'materials/skybox' in 'source materials.gcf' )
There are six of them ( %skyname%%ext%.vmt )

%skyname% is the name of your skybox, eg. sky_day03_03
%ext% is the extension, eg. ft,bk,lf,rt,dn,up)


so make each one read:

Code: Select all

"UnlitGeneric"
{
   // Original shader: BaseTexture
   "$hdrbasetexture" "skybox/%skyname%_hdr%ext%"
   "$basetexture" "skybox/%skyname%%ext%"
   "$nofog" "1"
   "$ignorez" "1"
}


Offcourse youll need to make hdr skyboxes...This is very stupid, as most mods dont support hdr, and still valve expects you to have hdr skyboxes
I guess if you CBA to make HDR skyboxes, you can link $hdrbasetexture to your normal texture...I dont know if that will cause errors though. I just tested it by linking to a HDR skybox from lostcoast and it seemed to work (atleast there were no errors)

Save the files in your moddir (materials/skybox) and it should work. Note that you may need to ship the vmt's with your map, im not sure about that though

[JamesL]

Cheers. Valve aren't making this easy for us are they ...

I'll give it a go over the weekend if I can manage to drag myself away from Oblivion.

[jaegrass]

Hey zombie. Long time no see. Glad to see you are still around bud! I just started in with the new hammer and seem to be learning it all over again. LOL I'm getting the skybox error too and have followed what you wrote up but continue to get the error. I was wondering how hammer knows to look in the mymod/materials/skybox folder for the updated files. It still seems to be looking at the original .vmt's under the .gcf file I extracted the 6 from. Any ideas? Another thing that happens to my map (and it could be originated from this same issue) is the whole map will go black about 30 seconds after loading up. I can alt-tab out then back in and it's fine. Wierd stuff. Anyway, I am working on some dm maps and an HL2 linear which has the problem. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

-Q-

[zombie@computer]

Hey zombie. Long time no see. Glad to see you are still around bud! I just started in with the new hammer and seem to be learning it all over again. LOL I'm getting the skybox error too and have followed what you wrote up but continue to get the error. I was wondering how hammer knows to look in the mymod/materials/skybox folder for the updated files. It still seems to be looking at the original .vmt's under the .gcf file I extracted the 6 from. Any ideas? Another thing that happens to my map (and it could be originated from this same issue) is the whole map will go black about 30 seconds after loading up. I can alt-tab out then back in and it's fine. Wierd stuff. Anyway, I am working on some dm maps and an HL2 linear which has the problem. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

-Q-

make sure they are in the same directory and have the same name. the mod directory always comes before the gcf directories

[jaegrass]

Thx bud. All 6 files are named the same except for the directional indicaters: rt, lf, ft, bk, up, dn. They all have the .vmt extensions and I even put the associated .vtf files in the same directory. Here is what the updated files look like in case you were wondering.

"UnlitGeneric"
{
// Original shader: BaseTexture
"$hdrbasetexture" "skybox/sky_day01_01_hdrbk"
"$basetexture" "skybox/sky_day01_01bk"
"$nofog" "1"
"$ignorez" "1"
}

is the hdrbk in the right sequence for the hdrbasetexture line? Ok, back to work. Thx again!

-Q-

[zombie@computer]

did you make the hdr skybox and named/placed it correctly?

[jaegrass]

Make a hdr skybox as in use screenshots and 'make' a material skybox using photoshop or other graphics software or do you mean in hammer? No I haven't created anything myself but the sky material being used for the skybox is sky_day01_01 according to the map properties and the texture on the sky face in the map is tools/skybox. I feel like such a noob right now. LOL Please let me know if that's what it needs zombie. If I get this figured out I'm going to create a tut with much detail and pics to help other new mappers with this issue. Thx again!

-Q-

[zombie@computer]

i meant did you have skybox/sky_day01_01_hdrbk ?

[jaegrass]

Oh sorry. No I don't. I suppose that would help if I intend to use it huh? Do I have to make it or does it exist already?

-Q-

[zombie@computer]

Oh sorry. No I don't. I suppose that would help if I intend to use it huh? Do I have to make it or does it exist already?

-Q-

did you make the hdr skybox and named/placed it correctly?

...

I guess if you CBA to make HDR skyboxes, you can link $hdrbasetexture to your normal texture...I dont know if that will cause errors though. I just tested it by linking to a HDR skybox from lostcoast and it seemed to work (atleast there were no errors)

guess

[Grantax]

Please explain so we (the n00bs) can understand it too.
What does CBA meaN?

[zombie@computer]

Please explain so we (the n00bs) can understand it too.
What does CBA meaN?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBA take your pick

[Grantax]

I guess if you Council for British Archaeology to make Hot-dry-rock skyboxes, you can link $hdrbasetexture to your normal texture...

Please explain, I still don't understand what to do..

[jaegrass]

Grantax,

CBA = Can't Be Asked or in other words, Can't be bothered.
HDR = High Dynamic Range as opposed to Low Dynamic Range for imaging.
$hdrbasetexture = a line in the .vmt file which states what the hdr base texture is.

So, Zombies explanation would be something like this:

"I guess if you can't be bothered to make hygh dynamic range skyboxes, you can link $hdrbasetexture to your normal texture..." Meaning you can add the $hdrbasetexture to the .vmt file so the game knows what that hdr texture is even though it is not an hdr texture, i think.

Zombie, please correct me if I am wrong.

Hope this helps some Grantax.

-Q-