I have a map that's pretty far along(at least half done) and today I added the last of the basic outline of the map...and then tried to make a sky box that fit it like a glove. But now I'm getting leak errors. I look at the pointfiles, but they make no sense to me...it looks like someone scribbling on my map. :D

Any suggestions on how to find it?
Or better yet, is there a program that assesses pointfiles and locates it for you by coords? :p

You can load the pointfile in hammer and have a graphical look of.
Simply try to find where you doted line enters your map.

Sometimes when Im unable to find that place I make a giant brush over half the map to narrow the problem to down and force the engine to make a new pointfile.

the old method of red box around world and patience ... maybe you can find

Ugh now I'm getting EXCEEDED MAP_MAX_CLIPNODES so I can't try the box around the world thing...
I know what those are, but how do I go about reducing them?

Is my map too complex?

Either you have a huge map or bad map....

http://www.slackiller.com/tommy14/errors.htm#clipnode

Not to diss Hartmans idea but loading the pointfile in Hammer is the easiest solution...

I don't know how everyone gets these leak errors, I just build a square skybox and fill all the empty spaces up with skybrushes and I NEVER get any errors :)

Originally posted by Quakah
I don't know how everyone gets these leak errors, I just build a square skybox and fill all the empty spaces up with skybrushes and I NEVER get any errors :)

do u mean, u create a box around the whole map, cos that is bad.

the best thing is prevention

compile regularly and sometimes keeping several versions of ur maps is good.

Originally posted by Quakah
I don't know how everyone gets these leak errors, I just build a square skybox and fill all the empty spaces up with skybrushes and I NEVER get any errors :)

An even better way to not get any error is not compiling it...

Originally posted by TheNomad
do u mean, u create a box around the whole map, cos that is bad.

the best thing is prevention

compile regularly and sometimes keeping several versions of ur maps is good.

why is that bad? it works though

to get rid of leaks yes, but it will make ur r_speeds go thru the roof and use un-necisary poligons

Not to mention that your compile times will sky rocket and your map use up alot more resources, like clipnoes, then required.

R_speeds? I put visblocks where nesecarry, if I lower or raise my skybox, r_speeds are always the same

I still can't make any sense out of the pointfile. How do you find a leak from a line randomly scribbled on your map?

I'd attach a pic of what mine looks like but it's too big too attach.
:(

Thats the hard part! The line start outside the map and describes the way vis calculated to find your leak, I usually just looks for a spot where it looks like its crossing a wall. Otherwise you have to start following it, which can be tricky.

Also, its very much possible that you have several leaks, so once you have fixed one get a new one. Thats why you should compile often while building the basic map.

Well I have been compiling often, but before I had it set up as one giant sky box around all the map, and now I have it as a fairly complex one that hugs the map. There is no bottom to the skybox though, because everything underground is sealed completely from the 'outside' of the map and the sky box extends to the ground above ground. Am I getting leak errors because the sky box HAS to completely encompass the map?

Also, is it bad to put any type of brushes (regular, clip, null, etc) outside the sky box?

then you must have patience... what can be done? You wont throw it away, will you?
Get the suspicious areas, activate snap to grid and move all those damn vertices to another place them bring them back.