I could have sworn someone said that they set small stuff to func_detail so that it gets rendered last, but I couldn't find this entity, so I must be remembering wrong. I just looked at my map with gl_wireframe 2 on..crap! I am rendering a lot more than needed. I'm working on fixing that, but I also noticed a lot of big walls chopped up into small chunks and I'd like to try and fix that. suggestions? anybody know what the hell I'm talking about with this func_detail thing?

it's a brush based entity, so u select a bunch of brushes and hit cntrl+T (tie to entity). You should see it straight away in the list.

Are you talking about HL1 mapping or HL2/Source mapping?

HL1 = func_wall
http://collective.valve-erc.com/index.php?ent=func_wall
(Apply NULL to unseen faces as the unseen faces of a func_wall are rendered.)

HL2 = func_detail
http://www.hl2world.com/wiki/index.php/Func_detail

func_wall in HL2 is leagacy support. hl2world suggest using func_brush instead.
http://www.hl2world.com/wiki/index.php/Func_wall
http://www.hl2world.com/wiki/index.php/Func_brush

Looking at func_detail though, it's more suited to what you are trying to do.

brushes split other brushes for example; if you run a steam pipe into a concrete wall you fracture the wall all over - that kind of splitting? Here's a little tutorial on reducing splitting due to that type of effect - note that they either separate the objects by a 1 unit gap (the top of the pillar) or they put a collar on made of a func_wall (as the func wall will not split the brush face it touches).

http://collective.valve-erc.com/index.php?go=polygon_reduction_1

yes, I am talking about hl1 mapping. epine, that actually answers another question I had, but I am talking about portal creation (I think). as I understand it, portals are created off of the axis of brush faces. as long as the large on x/y axis brushes are done first, it is done efficiently. in my map, I have a crate sitting at an angle in the middle of a large floor. it appears it is creating the portal off of the crate before the sides of the floor, since in wireframe 2 it looks like one of the edges of the crate portal is going off 1/2 way across the map. I'm not explaining this very well I know. I'm still looking for the tutorial that explained it to me :roll: .

Originally posted by josh_u[RR]
yes, I am talking about hl1 mapping. epine, that actually answers another question I had, but I am talking about portal creation (I think). as I understand it, portals are created off of the axis of brush faces. as long as the large on x/y axis brushes are done first, it is done efficiently. in my map, I have a crate sitting at an angle in the middle of a large floor. it appears it is creating the portal off of the crate before the sides of the floor, since in wireframe 2 it looks like one of the edges of the crate portal is going off 1/2 way across the map. I'm not explaining this very well I know. I'm still looking for the tutorial that explained it to me :roll: .

I'm not sure why it draws the lines it does sometimes, I think the vis calculations are pretty long affairs - is the crate a brush though? If you want to eliminate it creating a split in the ground you can turn it into an entity (func_wall works) - that may eliminate the split in the ground. If the shadow of the box (if there was one) is important you can set the light flags to treat it as opaque, I don't believe that it is in the vis calculation, but it will at least throw a shadow that way. Any crates, beams and so on should (probably) be an entity to prevent splitting of faces, particularly if they will be lying around on the ground.