Hey there. I've made a little map and I'm pretty close to done with as much as I care to do with it, but I'm having problems understanding how to set up portals. It's an indoor map, so the HEK tut wasn't that helpful to me. My map isn't box shaped.

Tool tells me: ### ERROR: portal does not define two closed spaces. (see yellow in error geometry)

I looked, tried many different things, and the way the portals are set now, isn't the way I originally made them. there were a few more planes and they were more evenly spaced. These are just portals, not exact portals. I followed the HEK tut as best possible with my map being different. Here are shots of the error geometry:







Any help pls? thx.

Sorry skillet i think you got it wrong..

ok, I'm feeling kind of dumb now. my guess is, in a map like this one, you don't generally use the normal portals like I've tried. Instead, you use exact portals if necessary. Can someone confirm this?

I don't set out to ask stupid questions. Honestly, I'm a good boy. I search forums, I search tuts, I even search youtube.... guess I'm bad at searching. Then I post a question here... and somehow, before anyone responds.... I stumble upon the answer or at least realize I was asking the wrong question entirely. anyone out there feelin me?

You can use both. First layout a plane with a grid pattern it does not matter if your map is a square or not. Extrude the edges up and delete any middle faces so they look like tubes. Make sure the edges go past the floor and ceiling of your map and then add the texture to it. Exact portals are used to close off rooms. You can use both on any type of map. Even an outdoor map is still closed on all sides when you make the model. I hope this helps.

yes.But it wont be needed..Exact portals would be more smart..And besides..If you want the same sound and stuff in the map..Just apply it to the map..Also wind is for the flag..Nice testing btw:D

a tunnel or corridor split by +portal, the +portal splitting should have a vertex in the corridor, and some verts around it. Easily done with a 2x2 plane, rotated upright.
Each +portal edge should intersect the bsp no more than once.

import a bungie bsp for a great portalling example

now this:

"Each +portal edge should intersect the bsp no more than once. "

is very useful information. That would be why i was getting errors, but in the context of my map, I can't imagine why I would need +portal anyway. +exact portal are a possibility, but really not necessary.

can you see any reason I might need to use either? I have wind for flag, sound for the level, and environment, but I'm willing to learn. thanks for the comments.

+portal is easier to use - you can detach, move, and resize a new plane easily, but it's resulting clusters are unpredictable. +exactportal divisions are exact, but must be made exact in relation to other portal's normal facings.
You could think of the defined clusters as positive/negative spaces, in regards to their face's normals direction. A cluster with normals facing in should have neighboring clusters who's portal's normals are facing out