Silly BSP/ Vis compile Question

[diego]

I'm about ready to test some PVS on my map. But I only want to worry about the front part for now. The rear part of the map I intend to block off while I script and debug the first half. I don't want to waste time calculating VIS data and portals for the part I'm blocking off.

I know that I could make all the rear buildings detail to keep them from being calculated. But then I would have to go back in and reset all the structual brushes. It's a very large map and that will be extremely time consuming. So here is my silly question:

If I make a structural brush large enough to completely enclose all the brushes in the rear of my map will the BSP/Vis process just calculate the portals based on the dimensions of the large brush and ignore all the stuff on the inside?

[tltrude]

Might work, but not sure. You could also make everything inside the big brush a prefab and then delete it all.

[panTera]

I have used that method before with a large caulk brush and it worked. Everything that's inside the brush will be discarded during the BSP stage.
(I'm not sure what happens with entities that are inside, at first it may seem they're also discarded but when you noclip inside the brush you'll see they're still there.)

But in fact it's an old trick and one of the easiest and safest ways to do it. I remember using the large brush method for games like quake1 and 2. This method is also very useful for finding leaks and other errors. Just plug suspicious parts of the map with large brushes to see when the leak goes away.)

[diego]

Thanks. I was hoping that would work. I considered the prefab thing already. But It took a long time to put together all the pieces of the map. I'm not inclined to start disasembling it.