Sky settings

I have been changing the settings in the coagulation sky shader in hopes of getting a late after noon lighting effect. I don't know if it posible to do this. I don't know what radiosity settings to try. And I don't understand how to get the lens flare to move position in the sky properly or what settings control its intensity. I also want objects in my environment to cast shadows. My thinking was that they were not because the lens flare was not in the right position. Another thought was that the ground material that the shadow would be cast on was reflecting the light improperly but I don't have a clue. (I also wish that the words sky and fog would work in the search)

To change the position of the flare you can change the direction of the lights in your sky tag.
For a good late afternoon radiosity color i'd use something orange, you can change the color in the sky tag as well.
You could try higher lightmap settings to see if your shadows are casted, checkerboard or direct-only don't produce shadows.

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Originally Posted by Vicky

To change the position of the flare you can change the direction of the lights in your sky tag.
For a good late afternoon radiosity color i'd use something orange, you can change the color in the sky tag as well.
You could try higher lightmap settings to see if your shadows are casted, checkerboard or direct-only don't produce shadows.

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Dose the position of the lens flare directly affect how the shadows will be cast?

Yes

We were given no lens flares. The sun's direction is a part of the sky tag, though.

Ascension has a lens flare.

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Originally Posted by Vicky

Ascension has a lens flare.

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Thats the one I am going to use I guess now I just have to wait a day for it to render the light. and I did change the position of the lens flare and it works. I just wish we had sky tags. It would make this a lot easier

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Originally Posted by Vicky

Ascension has a lens flare.

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http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/9...ionmarkkj4.jpg

And where is this non-existant lens flare you are speaking of?

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Originally Posted by fletcher77

I just wish we had sky tags.

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We do, just look. We don't have all of the sky tags, though.

We have sky-tags, you edited one urself :) guess it's a type-O.
@et_cg: do a search for *.lens_flare

A lens flare in Halo 2 is the simulation of a camera lens looking toward the sun, or bright sources of light.

If you look at the picture, and the post I replied to, you would note that there is absolutely no lens flare associated with the Ascension sky tag. Please note what you say, and respond accordingly.

EDIT: I'm responding to your edit, by the way... Yes, the "ascension lens flare was included," I'm sorry about that. But in accordance to being related to the tag itself, or in the final build of the game, I don't recall seeing a lens flare. Ascension is very cloudly.

Well it works, so if u want 1 u got 1. You don't need it for light, radiosity or something but it does give a nice effect.

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Originally Posted by Vicky

Well it works, so if u want 1 u got 1. You don't need it for light, radiosity or something but it does give a nice effect.

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I thought you said that the lens flare would help with the casting of shadows? I have not rendered it so I don't no

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Originally Posted by fletcher77

I thought you said that the lens flare would help with the casting of shadows? I have not rendered it so I don't no

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Lens flares are mainly for the visual effect. You'll want to look for light properties and its color for the right settings. I'll get a picture up:

{EDIT}

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7...tedareahs9.jpg

Take a peak at the highlighted area... you just choose the values there for it's direction.

And down lower;

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5...sityaresg3.jpg

Make sure that the little black box matches the color you want to be casted on your level. If you don't want to enter values, just hit the box and use the color chooser.

As for settings, make sure it applys to what you want (ie, Affects Exteriors)

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Originally Posted by et_cg

Lens flares are mainly for the visual effect. You'll want to look for light properties and its color for the right settings. I'll get a picture up:

{EDIT}

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7...tedareahs9.jpg

Take a peak at the highlighted area... you just choose the values there for it's direction.

And down lower;

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5...sityaresg3.jpg

Make sure that the little black box matches the color you want to be casted on your level. If you don't want to enter values, just hit the box and use the color chooser.

As for settings, make sure it applys to what you want (ie, Affects Exteriors)

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Do you have to recompile the light every time you make a change to the radiosity, and how do the differently flag in the radiosity affect the worlds shadows along with the power, test distance and diameter settings. I have tried experimenting but I have not had any luck figuring out what dose what.

Its sun_ascension.lens_flare
Its in skies/multi/ascension

And if you add it in to the ascension skies and look directly at the sun it will blind you with its brightness.

Unfortunatly you cant edit .lens_flare tags with H2gurilla and thare is only the one tag.

But just to help you understand how to light your map better try this. Light your map with a bright sky and then in h2gurilla change the skies tag to another sky. Your bsp will keep the curent lightmaps from the other sky.

So lets say you want a bright bsp with a night sky all you would do is run lighting with lets say coag sky and then change the sky with H2gurilla to one of your darker skies.

Wala bright bsp with a dark sky
The skies determen how the map will be lit if you redo lightmaps after applying diffrent skies you will get diffrent lightmap results.
Hope that help's

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So lets say you want a bright bsp with a night sky all you would do is run lighting with lets say coag sky and then change the sky with H2gurilla to one of your darker skies.

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Gotta disagree with that, the lightmaps are made for a single structure, there's checksumming involved. Once you change your structure/level the lightmaps aren't valid anymore and they will be reverted to no lightmapping.

@fletcher, i think the main things you want to alter are the direction, color and strength... diameter etc are good by default.

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Originally Posted by Vicky

Gotta disagree with that, the lightmaps are made for a single structure, there's checksumming involved. Once you change your structure/level the lightmaps aren't valid anymore and they will be reverted to no lightmapping.

@fletcher, i think the main things you want to alter are the direction, color and strength... diameter etc are good by default.

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Your right after 6 hours I got to see it and it was just what I wanted then I went to change one texture and recompile and the light had to be redone.
It sucks that it has to take that long to compile the light but thanks I think I got what I wanted.

I've relighted one of my maps about 386 times by now.. it's tricky... lol, was that the reason we had to wait so long for h2v??? Anywho, good luck with the lighting... pc's will be running at night these days...

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Originally Posted by Vicky

Gotta disagree with that, the lightmaps are made for a single structure, there's checksumming involved. Once you change your structure/level the lightmaps aren't valid anymore and they will be reverted to no lightmapping.

@fletcher, i think the main things you want to alter are the direction, color and strength... diameter etc are good by default.

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reverted to no lightmaping huh? mymaps just revert to the lightmap made with the other sky

Who sead anythang about changeing the structure/level?
or adding more textures !

Sky is not part of your structure, when i change something on a level, compile it then my lightmaps are gone, well not gone but they don't show up anymore.

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Originally Posted by Vicky

Sky is not part of your structure, when i change something on a level, compile it then my lightmaps are gone, well not gone but they don't show up anymore.

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That might be becuse you did another comile and light. When you realy just neaded to recomile.
I think!

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Originally Posted by JackRabbit72380

That might be becuse you did another comile and light. When you realy just neaded to recomile.
I think!

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happens when you just compile to me

Why whoud the just compile option be thare if it had no use ?

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Originally Posted by JackRabbit72380

Why whoud the just compile option be thare if it had no use ?

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It would suck if you had to run the light every time you just wanted to check your map for other problems.

If you compile and light, and choose another sky tag, to change the model for example, you would not have to relight or recompile. Or anything of that manner.

As for when you edit a shader, or edit geometry in 3ds max, you do need to recompile and relight.

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Originally Posted by et_cg

As for when you edit a shader, or edit geometry in 3ds max, you do need to recompile and relight.

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You don't need to recompile and light if you are editing a shader. Actually, you don't even need to recompile at all.

If you map is not changing, all you need to do is adjust the sky tag and use the "Light" command. Make adjustments and light again, etc.