I have some questions regarding this subject, they all cover similar thing:

1) How to make passable vis-blocking wall

2) Can I make 1-face-thick vis-blocker ?

3) This one is neat :D. Is there any way of making vis-blocking passable transparent wall? This sound a bit ridiculous but this could block more distant visible leafs and draw some closer ones. SKY works this way, you can see few closest vis-leafs around the corner but not more. But I need thing that won't break world brushes.

No, i dont think so, because the purpose of vis-blocking is to make it so that the player can not see past an area, so it doesnt have to render behind it. However, I know you can make a 1 face thick wall, apply null texture (or {invisible), make it a func_wall, and set the options to what you want,(but i think it has to be solid, let me check)

All vis blockers must be regular brushes no entities will block vis

If you want an invisable vis blocker put the null texture on all faces but you will still not be able to pass through the brush

1)

Translucent (@ or TRANSLUCENT), this is a rarely used texture not listed in the sdk. It is a regular texture always without any clip, so you can walk thru a brush covered with it! If a brush covered with TRANSLUCENT is not an entity, then it blocks VIS! Good uses are for walkthru bead doors, curtains, curtain of falling dust, a cloud, or very tall elephant grass.
problems = must be very thin, or may lead to hall-of-mirrors problems, somewhat experimental and TRANSLUCENT may not work with all mods.

From tommy14's webby .... go tommy :D

dod_dog1 used it.


3) Sky doesn't actully do this. Faces are drawn because HL engine thinks you can see them. Nothing to do with Sky.

Thanks.
Originally posted by haircut


3) Sky doesn't actully do this. Faces are drawn because HL engine thinks you can see them. Nothing to do with Sky.
Yeah, I know, but I was writing about sky 'as-is-seen-in-game', cause engine draws whole leaf, so if your leaf sees at least 1 pixel of 3d volume of the other, full leaf is drawn, which looks like little 'peeking' around a corner (made of sky texture). So with little optimizing you can cheat s little and make clever visblocking with sky brushes. But this question is related to 2) cause I wondered if I can make such thing (2+3) to do neat visblocking of hill surface with path going thru it. Hill section divides two open areas. I want to block rendering of the other. Path goes thru open place (it looks like it in game). If I could make thing I've asked I could make nicer hill without path cut too deeply into it.

ad. 2)
Dammit, I see on Tommy's site that there were proposition of VIS one-way blocking texture, this would what I need. Sadly that it wasn't implemented. :(

use the NULL texture supported by Zoners Half-Life Tools. Any surface with the NULL texture applied onto it, are not rendered ingame, ever. Covering an entire brush with NULL texture removes the polygons, but not the clipping (I use NULL instead of {blue on solid entities, better r_speed result). The best way is to apply the NULL texture on all surfaces the player will never or should not see. Also use the HINT texture to, how do I say this... "help" VIS to calculate visible areas (the entire brush needs to be covered with HINT).

That's my little advice for better r_speeds and VIS.