Create .bsp models from within maps

Discuss the creation of various model formats for Quake engines, and related matters to modeling.
Cobalt
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by Cobalt »

Well I do have the .map source files for the ID maps.

But maybe as a start like you say, I can try to create a new bsp model with that telepad texture, which is called: cop3_4.



[quote="mankrip"Personally, I'd just open the BSP file in Quark and use it as a guide to manually create identical BSP models of the desired parts.
That's what I did to create the BSP sky models of the original ID1 maps for JoyMenu (which used those to make the skies non-solid, in a workaround for the "solid skies" bug of the original maps).[/quote]
Cobalt
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by Cobalt »

So at some point, were all the BSP models like health, ammo etc .map files?
r00k
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by r00k »

yes.
i thought they were in the group of .map files for the GPL pak of id maps... (?)

I have some alias .mdl clones somewhere someone made.
Cobalt
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by Cobalt »

Ok makes sense.

So why couldnt we just open e1m3.map in an editor, locate the (5) func_walls that create that big standing teleporter near the exit - delete the rest of the map so only that remains, and I guess remove the func_wall references so that only brush strokes remain - save as map file ? Then do a lit to light it?


r00k wrote:yes.
i thought they were in the group of .map files for the GPL pak of id maps... (?)

I have some alias .mdl clones somewhere someone made.
mankrip
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by mankrip »

Cobalt wrote:So why couldnt we just open e1m3.map in an editor, locate the (5) func_walls that create that big standing teleporter near the exit - delete the rest of the map so only that remains, and I guess remove the func_wall references so that only brush strokes remain - save as map file ? Then do a lit to light it?
You can. But the lighting won't be the same, because the rest of the map is gone. There will be no walls, ceilings or floors to cast shadows upon the teleporter.

And similarly, if you compile the map without the teleporter, the teleporter won't cast any shadows in the map.

Go ahead and try it.
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Cobalt
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by Cobalt »

Ok, you twisted my arm :)

I opened up a 25 health box's .map file just to see what it looks like:

http://pastie.org/9667793


So it has some lignt already placed into it.


So now I take my (5) models that compose the teleporter:

http://pastie.org/9667805


But I guess I have to chop down their brushes to be min/max type references like the health boxes, not absolute map values ?

Then I guess figure out how they placed light in the health box and replicate it.

Should that do it ?
mankrip
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by mankrip »

But I guess I have to chop down their brushes to be min/max type references like the health boxes, not absolute map values ?
If you want to spawn it at different locations, yes, that will help.

As for the lights, open the .map file in a map editor and place light entities around the brushes.

By the way, external brush models can't be VISed, so you don't need to run the VIS tool after compiling it.
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Cobalt
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by Cobalt »

Ok so I am thinking all the brush values can be combined together for the (5) seperate models , to form (1) single model, or is that incorrect?

Looks like brushes need to be (6) values to compromize a square / rectangle. Also the health , ammo and exploboxes are all square or rectangular, so I am guessiong BSP models have to be square or rectanglular?

In the end I guess I am asking do we just make these (5) models into seperate BSP models, then use QC to build them into the slipgate, or I was thinking all of these can be combined into one model? Wrong?

UPDATE: Also another strange thing is that none of my original .map files for entities open up in any map editor :/


mankrip wrote:
But I guess I have to chop down their brushes to be min/max type references like the health boxes, not absolute map values ?
If you want to spawn it at different locations, yes, that will help.
As for the lights, open the .map file in a map editor and place light entities around the brushes.
By the way, external brush models can't be VISed, so you don't need to run the VIS tool after compiling it.
frag.machine
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by frag.machine »

If you're really willing to fiddle with .map files you should take a look at the Unnoficial Quake Specs to better understand the file format.
I know FrikaC made a cgi-bin version of the quakec interpreter once and wrote part of his website in QuakeC :) (LordHavoc)
mankrip
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by mankrip »

Which editors are you using, exactly?

When editing maps as plain text, it is much, much harder to understand what's going on. It can be nearly impossible.

I personally use Worldcraft 1.6. It's old, but it's easy to learn. There are many tutorials around.

Try a few different editors, while following some tutorials for them. Any of them should help you learn faster.

I'm on my phone, otherwise I would try to find something.
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Cobalt
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by Cobalt »

Quark and Trenchbroom. Scarecrow said to try Worldcraft too, so I got it and installed the Quake accelerator which sets it up for Q and throws in the textures.

I stil cant figure out why the RAW text dont work, but Scarecrow said to save a box from Trenchbroom, then just paste in the brush data which I did, and now while the error is not in line 2, its in the first line of brushes, so I think my conversion from absmax's to absmins or whatever didnt work.

I loaded an ID map in Worldcraft just to play around - did a compile but none of the map textures went in, all checkerboards. What did I do wrong?

Also Im figuring load the e1m3 map and locate the teleporter structure and perhaps select the faces seperately, and save as (5) individidual maps, or can we
somehow select that whole structure itself, textures and all, then save as a . map ?


mankrip wrote:Which editors are you using, exactly?

When editing maps as plain text, it is much, much harder to understand what's going on. It can be nearly impossible.

I personally use Worldcraft 1.6. It's old, but it's easy to learn. There are many tutorials around.

Try a few different editors, while following some tutorials for them. Any of them should help you learn faster.

I'm on my phone, otherwise I would try to find something.
mankrip
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by mankrip »

Do you have a WAD file containing Quake's textures? If not, there should be a program named "MakeTex" in Worldcraft's folder. When you have the WAD file with the textures, go to Worldcraft's configuration window (from menu File->Configuration, iirc), find the tab where the WAD file should be set, click on the button to browse for the WAD file and add it to the list, and you're done.

Set Worldcraft's 3D view to "Textured mode". If the textures were correctly loaded, they will show up in there.
And the texture browser displays all available textures from the WAD file.

I don't know if the process is the same in the newer version of Worldcraft, but the manual/help file can help with that.

After setting the configuration correctly, open the map and select all brushes from the teleporter together. Right-click on the selection, and click on "Move to group" in the context menu. All of the teleporter's brushes will be "glued" together as if they were a single object. Make sure it's still selected, and copy it with Ctrl+C.
Go to the menu File->New, select "Quake" as the map type, and paste the object with Ctrl+V. Move it to the position '0 0 0' inside the editor, add a couple light entities around it, save the file with a new name, and build it.
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Cobalt
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by Cobalt »

I do see the textures of the map when doing that, but the items - ents are colored cubes.

When I browse to add .wad or pak, the drop down is only allowing the HL/other type textures be seen/ selected. Its not showing the option for the .wad / pak as I once saw it last night. Not sure what happened.

I did notice today that I had Worldcraft already installed to another drive different than what I installed to last night. Maybe there is a conflict, so I will try starting over?

mankrip wrote:Do you have a WAD file containing Quake's textures? If not, there should be a program named "MakeTex" in Worldcraft's folder. When you have the WAD file with the textures, go to Worldcraft's configuration window (from menu File->Configuration, iirc), find the tab where the WAD file should be set, click on the button to browse for the WAD file and add it to the list, and you're done.

Set Worldcraft's 3D view to "Textured mode". If the textures were correctly loaded, they will show up in there.
And the texture browser displays all available textures from the WAD file.

I don't know if the process is the same in the newer version of Worldcraft, but the manual/help file can help with that.

After setting the configuration correctly, open the map and select all brushes from the teleporter together. Right-click on the selection, and click on "Move to group" in the context menu. All of the teleporter's brushes will be "glued" together as if they were a single object. Make sure it's still selected, and copy it with Ctrl+C.
Go to the menu File->New, select "Quake" as the map type, and paste the object with Ctrl+V. Move it to the position '0 0 0' inside the editor, add a couple light entities around it, save the file with a new name, and build it.
Dr. Shadowborg
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by Dr. Shadowborg »

Cobalt wrote:I do see the textures of the map when doing that, but the items - ents are colored cubes.

When I browse to add .wad or pak, the drop down is only allowing the HL/other type textures be seen/ selected. Its not showing the option for the .wad / pak as I once saw it last night. Not sure what happened.

I did notice today that I had Worldcraft already installed to another drive different than what I installed to last night. Maybe there is a conflict, so I will try starting over?
Items and ents that aren't attached to things like func_door *should* look like colored cubes in Worldcraft 3.3. Also, WC33 only supports hlwads, thus you need a converter program and use a compiling util like tyrutils.

You should try jackhammer, has pretty much all the important features from WC33, but works much nicer, and supports Quake / Quake2.

http://jackhammer.hlfx.ru/en/main.html

IIRC, you can even have it display .mdls for the entities.

Note however, that I still recommend replacing the bsp compile utils that come with it with something decent like tyrutils / BJP.
Cobalt
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Re: Create .bsp models from within maps

Post by Cobalt »

Oh thanks!

Ok got Jackhammer....seems to have set up alot easier. There was a plugun option for Quake, and it let me browse to my pak files and it made a quake.wad out of them which I pointed to over in game options, and the Textures now show up and yea, also the monsters , items and wow, the weapons even rotate !

So far doing alot better with just this alone.

However still cannot figure out how to "group" those 5 models as Mankrip described..... :roll:
Dr. Shadowborg wrote: You should try jackhammer, has pretty much all the important features from WC33, but works much nicer, and supports Quake / Quake2.

http://jackhammer.hlfx.ru/en/main.html

IIRC, you can even have it display .mdls for the entities.

Note however, that I still recommend replacing the bsp compile utils that come with it with something decent like tyrutils / BJP.
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