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LtForce
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Post by LtForce »

And another problem: when I'm putting a texture on template and press enter my template autamaticly becomes cut, not solid as it should be
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AndyCR
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Post by AndyCR »

that is a known bug (known to me at least) - just hit the cube template again, and reset your settings like solid, etc.
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LtForce
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Post by LtForce »

And do that ever time? :cry:
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AndyCR
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Post by AndyCR »

Every time after you use a cut brush, yes. Of course, it's best not to use cut brushes at all, but...
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steven8
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Post by steven8 »

Everytime you make a new brush, be sure to use the dialog on the right. Click Customize template and select solid, hollow, cut, etc. You can set the sizes here if you know just what they are going to be, or you can resize them after, but them click Add To World. Your brush will be the type you want everytime. The editor merely defaults to the last brush you used. I use cutbrushes without any issues. Use this to add your brushes to the world all the time. You can set the texture before clicking Add To World as well, or you can apply it afterwards. I made this standard practice after creating an unwanted cutbrush meself. :wink:

I've attached a few images to show some cutbrshes at work. The room with the stairs and water is unique. The opening in the floor leads to an under water passage that comes up in the room where the arches are at. The model for the water was made with 5 brushes and passes through 4 cutbrushes with no ill-effects.

I have to be honest here and tell you that this level was made with RF069, which I downloaded from Hike1's list of files. It is the last version I am very familiar with, and I wanted to get things done right now for my boys to play with. it's called The Dungeon.
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steven8
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Post by steven8 »

I couldn't add another attachment, so I had to re-post. Here is a shot of the editor showing the cutbrushes in my level. The one thing I found with using the arch as a cutbrush, was after placing it, I then re-sized the little hallway on the other side of it, and the engine got confused. It didn't 'cut' one segment of the wall to be cut. it left a pie-shaped wedge in the opening. I just deleted the original cutbrush and made a new one. No problem. The lesson is, make sure of how you want things, place your cutbrushes and then leave it alone - or else you'll have to remake the cutbrush. :D
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AndyCR
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Post by AndyCR »

steven8 the 2nd wrote:Everytime you make a new brush, be sure to use the dialog on the right. Click Customize template and select solid, hollow, cut, etc. You can set the sizes here if you know just what they are going to be, or you can resize them after, but them click Add To World. Your brush will be the type you want everytime. The editor merely defaults to the last brush you used.
Actually, if you use a cut brush, it will thenafter create a cut brush nomatter what type you select in customize; at least it always has for me.
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steven8
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Post by steven8 »

Well hush my mouth and call me corn-pone, if it didn't just do that to me!! I stand (err, sit actually.) corrected. :D I found the way around it, though. Before customizing your brush, click Defaults, then it won't make it a cutbrush like the last one. Maybe that Defaults button was a way around that issue?
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LtForce
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Post by LtForce »

Yeah I use cut brushes with no problems too
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Spyrewolf
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Post by Spyrewolf »

just a note on cut brushes...
what you see with cut brushes isn't the problem.....

it's what you dont see, if you use the wire frame driver you can see the cut brush dramatically increases the amount of poly's,

the cut brush segements poly's in the way it see's fit, and not always the way the level designers thinks,

the best way to do it is download a program with vetex editing and create the shapes with better level design techniques, for example i've found a carve in WorldCraft[hammer editor] 1.3 to be more effective segmenting with the poly's Worldcraft also gives you the option to delete out the the carved segements and re-adust with better control,

the other major problem with cut's is they're incredibly frame hungry, i use to beleive they were fine to untill section of my game dropped to 7fps, once i deleted them all and recreated the geometry my frames jumped to 20-30fps im not saying avoid them altogether, but i am saying use them sparingly

just remember that frame rate is trumps, you may have the most beautiful scene in RF history, but if no-one can run it it may as well be the ugliest.

just my input :D
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steven8
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Post by steven8 »

In a level as simple as mine, the whole thing could be done in RFEditPro. Actually, I'd say most things could be. That is, for the base geometry for the level. Furniture and so forth should be created and use as staticmeshes. Vertex editing is needed for terrain or perhaps crumbling buildings, where a cutbrush is overkill and cumbersome. The small level I posted runs between 26 and 50 FPS, on a 1.2 ghz amd athlon and 768 mbs sd ram, with a geforce fx 5200 agp w/128 mb's ddr.

I wasn't trying to be the black hat in any shape or form by saying positive things about cutbrushes. Cutbrushes are a means to an end. A quick and simple way, but maybe not the best way. FPS is king, and RF is a great place to cut your teeth on the ins and outs of how to do it, so that years from now, when these young fellows will be saying, "I started out making levels in the old Genesis Engine using Reality Factory."

I'm going to rebuild my level without cutbrushes and see how the FPS changes. Naturally the fps drops to 26 in the area where you swin through to the other room, of course, not only is that where the largest cutbrush concentration is, there is also a foglight to get the underwater atmosphere, and it is also where the tightest concentration of polys is as well. I'll post the differences.
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Spyrewolf
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Post by Spyrewolf »

yeah the cutbrushes still can be used "sparingly", i had about 10-15 of them and when i was starting out, it was a quick and simple thing to do, .....(lazy level designing :? ) however its not a good habit to get into,

i'd like to see the comparisons that you getas well, :)
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steven8
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Post by steven8 »

I just haven't had time to rebuild it yet. I've been adding some new stuff to the existing level. As of 0730 this morning, I will be gone for the whole holiday weekend. I won't be working on anything until, like next Tuesday.

Talk at ya then!!
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LtForce
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Post by LtForce »

Now I have an odd question: what do chickens eat? I'm making henhouse and maybe anyone has any suggestions how does it look?
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steven8
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Post by steven8 »

They eat corn, cornmeal, beans. They like to eat bugs/little bugs. My partner here at work tells me you throw an old apple core in the pen and it attracts ants and bugs. The chicken eats the bugs!! He says it's very good for them. Protein. :D Generally, a chicken coop is made of a wooden frame with chicken wire sides.

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