When several brushes lie on the same surface, I get a smooth surface where I can't tell one brush from the other. But when when some of those brushes are actually patch caps, I get some very visible borders. The shadings just don't look right.
For example, I have a circular hole in a floor. The brushes create a square hole, and the patch caps "round out the corners". But the patch caps are very visible. WHat should have been a circular hole in the floor is instead a square plate with a circular hole in it.

Is there a way to fix this so the transitions are smooth and non-obvious?

It would be of benefit if the compile switches used were listed; the situation as it stands seems remarkably similar to a standard vis/lighting crack common with patch mesh.

TVR wrote:It would be of benefit if the compile switches used were listed; the situation as it stands seems remarkably similar to a standard vis/lighting crack common with patch mesh.

VIS:
-fast

LIGHT:
-deluxemap
-fast
-patchshadows
-bounce 8
-samples 8

-patchmeta fixes patch holes.
But you'll get z-fighting on patches when realtime lights is nearby.

morfar wrote:-patchmeta fixes patch holes.
But you'll get z-fighting on patches when realtime lights is nearby.

I'm using -patchmeta in the BSP phase. The problem isn't nonsolid or unshaded patches, but patches with wrong shading at the edges.

ok, I didn't read the first post.

Wrong shading as in, an incorrect lightmap? Or are you unable to correctly position the texture of the patch so it is a smooth transition?

i generaly avoid trying to match patches with brushes. in thise case i would proly try to make the walls themselfs from patches too, and just have a caulkd visblocker inside.

tZork wrote:i generaly avoid trying to match patches with brushes. in thise case i would proly try to make the walls themselfs from patches too, and just have a caulkd visblocker inside.

Well, the patches don't match with each other either. This would just give me a different kind of uneven transition. B/

The visibility -fast switch should be relegated to rough, test compilations solely to satisfy the prerequisite of the light calculation phase.

Removal of said switch is probable to resolve such issue.

TVR wrote:The visibility -fast switch should be relegated to rough, test compilations solely to satisfy the prerequisite of the light calculation phase.

Removal of said switch is probable to resolve such issue.

The word "logorrhea" comes to mind. ¬_¬

Maybe a screenshot could help if the problem is still there.

Strahlemann wrote:Maybe a screenshot could help if the problem is still there.

Sure, why not?

The screenshot is from a test map:



The transition is the line between the two arrows. The brush is on the right side, the patch on the left.

The map was compiled with the following switches:

BSP:
-meta
-patchmeta
VIS:
(none)
LIGHT:
-deluxemap
-patchshadows
-bouncec 8
-samples 8

this topic seems to adress a similar problem: http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/arch ... t-167.html
(The solution where you extend your patch by 2 columns may work best, but as you're using a cap there this won't really work i guess :/ )

What if you don't use -patchmeta ?

Post your *.map if nothing helps

btw.: you can safely use the -fast switch in the light-stage. Greatly speeds up calculations and you won't really be able to tell the difference.

Strahlemann wrote:this topic seems to adress a similar problem: http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/arch ... t-167.html
(The solution where you extend your patch by 2 columns may work best, but as you're using a cap there this won't really work i guess :/ )

What if you don't use -patchmeta ?

The the patches won't be solid and won't cast shadows.

Post your *.map if nothing helps

Sure. Here:

http://folk.uio.no/clund/nexuiz/test.pk3

Clueless Newbie wrote:The the patches won't be solid and won't cast shadows.

That's why there's a -patchshadows switch. It enables the casting of shadows by patch meshes.
So if your compile settings have -patchmeta enabled in the BSP phase (which will convert your patches to solid brushes), you won't need the -patchshadows switch as there are no more patches in your bsp file which could cast shadows.

Or you don't use the -patchmeta switch, but the -patchshadows switch
I hope that helps with the problem. I'll give it a try as soon as i'm back home today.

Just tested your testmap.
Looks perfect over here.


Maybe you just need to install the latest graphics-drivers.
You still can try -patchshadows without -patchmeta.

Strahlemann wrote:Just tested your testmap.
Looks perfect over here.

Is that from the .pk3 I uploaded?

Maybe you just need to install the latest graphics-drivers.
You still can try -patchshadows without -patchmeta.

I'm on a mac. Graphic drivers are one of the few things I'm not that happy about.. ;/

But if it looks good on your comp, whatever that is, then it's ok.

Yep that's your unmodified pk3. so i guess it's due to the graphics drivers

It can be caused by texture compression, with my ati card I have some artifacts when using it.

Ronan wrote:It can be caused by texture compression, with my ati card I have some artifacts when using it.

That's it!

I turned off the compression and now the transitions are hardly visible.

Thanks for the tip.