making envoirment?

[dudethedreamer]

should my building say a 5 floor building be 1 big mesh or should each wall be its own mesh standing next to each other, or should it be one big mesh but with segmented/element parts within for its own wall? would it matter or is it just a method? in hammer it appears the building might be a bunch of mesh put together?

right now im modeling a building as 1 big mesh but with each wall segmented/element

 

[UltraProAnti]

are you doing this in hammer or softimage?

 

[dudethedreamer]

im trying both, dont know which to use, i just dont like hammers gui and controls (for now) so im going with softimage

i was wondering is a map just 1 big gigantic mesh with a bunch of brushes?

 

[Dodo]

What I would do is make a big nodraw block and do the outside wall and windows with func_detaisl. All the small detail like antennas and even entire balconies as prop_statics or prop_details.

-dodo

 

[myth]

unlike hl1 in hl2 u can add detailed props viz doors,windows,bottle,can.. without making them from scratch using hammer. bye this u can save lots of frame rates.

 

[dudethedreamer]

hmm from all of these input i assume the walls are to be segmented but i guess i should find a toturial on building buidlings on the technical part. thanks for the advice guys

Dodo what you mention is not even where im at yet, i just want to build my content technically correct and not actualy script yet but that is still helpful for the future

myth, can you tell me why creating my own content would give my game lower frame rates? what exactly do you mean by this? cause my game will replace all content it will be a total conversion

 

[Lamer]

Its not smart to model an entire building. Model doors, windows,... and create the walls and the basic brushwork in hammer that way things are more adjustable and FPS in better.

If you have an entire enterable building as a model the engine will draw all of it at once, including the interior. Unless of course the building you are making is for a skybox.

 

[dudethedreamer]

do i understand you correctly?

your saying model the doors and window (props or something like that) and compile each item to its own model file, then go to hammer and make a map: the envoirment (land) and the building both of which should be made within hammer, then insert everything else (the models i made outside of hammer) as enities?

then you talked about the building being 1 fat mesh, are you saying that if a character with detachable mesh parts was being render to screen only the mesh parts that are within view will be rendered and not the other parts? so if im correct, that means i cant make a huge landscape like a big farm landscape with hills, id have to break them in sections. because making 1 gigantic mesh and rendering it ingame is asking for trouble? but if so would SOURCE know how to blend the textures as if it was 1 big mesh?

sry if my explanation is not in better form but im not good at that
thanks for the input