Sparklies firework on .ase models (in svn build)

[sev]

Since I use the Current svn build for testing I get a sparklies firework in Cleft Village (in Beta 1 as well as in newer test versions), which never happened in 2.4.2.
The interesting thing is that they also appear at places where there is no triangle or texture border.




The map has been compiled with the patched q3map2 (NetRadiant).
They appear on textures that are not connected with shaders, esp. not "cull none".
It also happens with the standard config.cfg
Maps with patches (like bluesky) are not affected.

Does anyone know how to fix this (or what causes it)?

[SavageX]

There has been changes in the way deluxemaps are processed in SVN (to make sure deluxemaps don't decrease average brightness too much). How old is your NetRadiant build (q3map2 did receive an update to generate proper deluxemaps for the new deluxemapping)?

[sev]

Ok, I compiled the latest revision of NetRadiant (and with it the map), but it didn't seem to help...

I will experiment some more, because it only seem to affect cylinders (and only the ones bend "outwards"), but not all, for whatever reason. So it seems there is something wrong with the models.

[divVerent]

Well... you can always try doing this:

- Remove "cull none" from their shader. That is the one thing that triggers the bug.
- To make it visible from both sides, make two brushes, one for each side you want to see it from. In case of the cylinders, you probably won't need this.
- Make sure that stuff that should not pass light has _castshadows set to 1 as entity key, and that its shaders do not specify "surfaceparm trans".
- Always compile with -patchshadows. Why isn't that default?

[sev]

They appear on textures that are not connected with shaders, esp. not "cull none".

- Remove "cull none" from their shader. That is the one thing that triggers the bug.

I was able to fix it, at least I hope so .
This only seems to affect cylinders in ase models, and the problem does not seem to be single sparklies, but "cracks" that cover the whole length of the cylinder (and also occur in other maps, like arboria_v2r3).



The main cause is the key "spawnflags" "4" (and every value that includes 4, i.e. 6).
And in one model, no matter what spawnflags I used, the problem also occurred when I exceeded a certain number of triangles.

[divVerent]

Try using spawnflags "5". "1" adds shadow casting to the map, with "4" together it may cast shadows on itself and prevent this bug. If you confirm that this helps, I'll add it to the entities docs.

[sev]

So there is a function for "1", I wondered about this.
Sadly, spawnflags "5" doesn't help.
But I fixed the map anyway, I simply don't use spawnflags 4, or only on models without cylinders.

[tZork]

maybe its texture compression messing things up?

[divVerent]

next try is spawnflags "5" AND _castshadows "1" AND _receiveshadows 1... to make sure

[sev]

next try is spawnflags "5" AND _castshadows "1" AND _receiveshadows 1... to make sure

Sadly doesn't work either.
But it shouldn't be too much of a problem anyway, I only have seen it in very few maps, and I fixed it in mine.