vis problem

[neillomax]

Just tried using visleafgroups to increase framerates. Only had three of them, each targeting each other, and it didn't help. I might add, that they went through buildings, and around buildings ( encasing ), also. Don't know if that would complicate the matter or not.

Any ideas on why not ? What may I be missing, and what might I do to help the situation ?

The idea behind these is, so one part of the map is not drawn while standing in another, correct ?

Another question...... just because it isn't drawn, does that mean it can't be seen ?

[Rookie One.pl]

Vis has impact on rendering and sound playback (sounds emitted by entities out of your PVS are not played) only, I believe, all tracing and stuff is done with the BSP data.

[Imagination]

Vis leafgroups are extremely helpful if used in the correct way, to place them without the understanding of their purpose is achieving nothing.
There are many a tutorial that explains this simple process and I advise that you make a simple map with 2 rooms seperated by a corridor and make 2 vis leafgroups with 1 targeting another (ctrl K if i remember correctly)-been along time since I mapped for mohaa.
You must understand the fundementals that whilst in one area you cannot see any part of another and if you can then you will suffer undesirable dissapearance of parts of your map.
In some of my previous maps I have had up to 60 vis leaf groups all targeting one another and it gets mighty confusing but used correctly will enhance the fps x2.
Play and experiment with vis as its ultimatley rewarding for your map.
good luck.

[neillomax]

The 2room thing works with no problem. As you approach the other room, it appears. But , in the map I'm working on, it doesn't. I'm using my own target data, ( no cntl k ), and it's working right, but when in game, framerates haven't increased, and nothing "appears" or "disappears" as you go from group to group, ( brush to brush ). I've tried close vis brushes, and far vis brushes targeting each other, and it still isn't working. Not going to give up on it, but it just seems whatever is inside a targeted vis leafgroup is still being drawn from whatever locaton you are at on the map. Going to take another look at the releaed files and hopefully I'll see something there.

[tltrude]

Vis leafgroups wont do any good, if your map has a vis leak into the void. Also, a vis brush can target more than one vis brush. If I remember right, it is like this.

Key: target
Value: vis2 vis7 vis8

Have a look at the m4l0.map (The Farm) that came with the editor. It has vis brushes, near the big farm house, that will give you ideas about how to use them -- and you can pull them apart.

[neillomax]

There probably is a leak in the void then. I tried doing vis 90 times on that map, and nothing would take. They all targeted what they were supposed to, but after compile, the same areas were being drawn anyway. I take it, by void, you mean outside the map ? Or would a leak cause a similar problem ?

[tltrude]

Yes, the void is everything outside your skybox. If you have a leak, you can go to file/pointfile, in the editor, and a red line will show you where it is -- follow it to where it ends in the void. That red line comes from a file with extention, ".lin" that the compiler makes.

A leak into the void will cause the vis compile to fail. The light compile uses vis data and, if that is missing, your map's light will be full bright and look flat -- no shadows. If you fix the leak, the compile will take a lot longer, but your map will look, and perform, much better!

[neillomax]

It was a leak causing the problem. I encased the map in caulk, hollowed it out, loaded the map up with vis leafgroups, recompiled and got fps improvements.

Now I have to add a new structure or two because the map is laid out too poorly to take full advantage of vis. ...... and it needs it.