ok so i'm thinking this might be a dumb question, but i was wondering about the grass.

so i want some grass to show up in my map, now i'm having troubles with the detail.vbsp and when i compile it gives me an error for my grass models.

so i'm wondering if placing the models in manually would make any difference performance wise than trying to fix the error in the compile.

i dont have that much grass to place, but i'm not sure if it might slow the map down a bit more than if i got it in with compiling the models in the detail.vbsp

All deco layers used on materials (Detail props) need to use an unlitgeneric material or they will render as the error model

ok, could you maybe expand on that? also is there any performance differeance, or is there none at all? i'm not quite sure i know what you mean with the "generic material"

Detail sprites (in DoD:S details shapes, so 3 sprites in a tri shape) render faster than real props, but how far they render and if at all, is decided by the client. Just decoration, nothing to hide in.
You can give models a try (prop_detail --> also client controlled), but any larger areas will result in a big performance hit. If you use prop_statics, set proper fade distances.

hmm well i kinda would like something for ppl to hide behind, i have a trench thats suppose to have grass around it, and it helps hide the players, but if its only visible from a certain distance i'm not sure if that'll work. well i'll give some things a try, thanks

if you guys think of anything let me know

Then use prop_statics and far fade distances. As long as it's just along a trench and not covering whole fields, it should be ok. Go for it and see if it works.

alright thx, i'll give it a try when i'm done i'll put some screens up, see what you guys think

Actually, for foliage its best to use prop_dynamic because it will cast adynamic shadow which looks nice, you don't want tp do this if you have a huge amount of them onscree at once though but then again, you dont want a large amount of them onscreen period