You're not looking at the right place. You need to find the physical face that it is highlighting and then re-create that face so that it does not violate the sealed world rules. If no specific face is selected, then i'm assuming your entire level / mesh is not working, and you need to create it so that it does not violate the sealed world rules. If you don't know what the sealed world rule is, please refer to the HEK tutorial.

You can try welding all vertices.

The problem is far worse than any of you guys can imagine.

Check ur pms tomorrow alex.

Before I answer that let me first gloss over all of the problems with your BSP model.


1. Size wise your map really was far too long.
- orginal
Usually there aren't any implications to this apart from lightmap render times escalating but I really thought it was a little silly having it that long which is why I scaled it in a little.

- flankedit

2. A majority of the compilation errors in your map were simply due to open edges or unsealed volumes interacting with sealed ones.

- original

In the picture above we see that your forerunner structure instead of being an intrinsic part of the floor and by extension the bsp mesh it simply hovers above the ground floor plane which is totally the wrong way to go about attaching pieces of geometry to a bsp. Why?

Well think of it this way, the sealed world rules indicate that the level model must
be one whole the reason for this is because unlike with scenery objects where a separate collision model can be made if the situation requires it BSP model acts as both the render and the collision model.

And collision cannot calculate correctly if there are any open edges or gaps within the mesh.

The best way to check for open edges is to convert your model to an editible poly > select border mode > and hit ctrl+A > if there are any open edges/borders this tool will highlight them.

- orginal

Now everyone has there own way of fusing and attaching meshes. My method is to simple cut a rough polygon around the area in which I want to attach my seperate element, from there I position the separate element into position and I target weld verts from the polygon I have cut to the element I want to fuse. I usually have to add extra geometry in most instances which again is best done using the cut tool in poly mode.

- flankedit

Here we see much of the same story only this time the element seen below appears to be in theory attached to the wall behind it. In reality it was simply placed there so I cut a polygon template around the element I wanted to fuse on to the wall, deleted it and then moved the element into position before target welding any loose verts to it.

- original

- original

- flankedit

One other trick to keep in mind would be to keep your topology or "flow of edges" as clean as possible. Always turn 5 sided polygons into 4 or 3 sided when possible.

Lastly we come to the two bases:

The original design called for the elements to be located within the level sort of like a building/bunker.



Having structures intersecting within other structure is perfectly fine unless both structures are not fixed to each other. In this case the mesh piece was placed quite similarly to the examples above in the desired position and then left alone.

- original

My choice was to fuse the entrance and exits of the base into the walls instead of having a house like design. The reason for this was simple the normals or faces of the bases which mostly comprise of the outer walls have been turned inwards in order for them to work correctly in halo you would need an exoskeleton of walls and such to meet with the sealed worlds rules. I simply couldn't be bothered to make one which is why I took the route that I did.

- Flankedit

- Flankedit

Finally the debug: Nothing amazing to note here apart from all errors, such as degenerate triangles and surfaces clipping to no leaves which have been extinguished. If I had spent a little more time I could have eliminated the coplanar faces but they aren't something to be concerned with immediately.

- Flankedit

I even added +portal & +exactportal volumes in order to aid with weather rendering and performance.


Now before I finish I would like to point out several things.

A) No one designs a map to be completely error free the first time they try
B) It is more than okay for you to experience your own fair share of let downs and such, don't get bogged down in them, learn from the experience and move on.
C) Strictly speaking a majority of the maps design isn't exclusively yours. I am sure most users will be able to spot that a majority of the mesh pieces seen in the pictures above are indeed ripped but that doesn't mean that your are a lazy modeller in any way, in fact experimenting with pre-built designs is a much more efficient way of learning game design just so long as you wean your self off onto custom designs when you feel comfortable.

D) The checker texture I used simply because you didn't provide me with any textures so I photoshopped my own.

Enjoy, any questions are most welcome.


Thankyou to the following for there intentional/unintentional assistance:

ALLY

Altis

Maniac1000

MattDratt

Others also.

Edited by SS Flanker on Aug 23, 2015 at 07:01 AM
Edited by SS Flanker on Sep 4, 2015 at 10:08 AM

quoted this just to point out the lancia delta s4 in the desktop background

love that car

in reference to the ask for help above reset all the materials in the scene. that happens when you have multiple multi materials

Edited by killzone64 on Aug 22, 2015 at 02:10 PM

Group B FTW. FIA should bring it back someday.

As for the materials I'm pretty sure you are altering something in the mat editor, or perhaps you are using the OBJfiles I sent you instead of the max ones. There might be a problem with how max interprets the importation of the OBJ file.

Tell you what just pm me all the textures you want on the map and I'll make a video demonstration on how to apply them.


btw: What version of max are you using?
Edited by SS Flanker on Aug 23, 2015 at 07:06 AM

Well I reset all the materials in case they were given you trouble, they worked fine for me though. https://mega.nz/#!ZEUkSDST!LWeQ1AcSq5JKdAh-9RGjbVkvgt3LHe4893gFf63UByc

Also I felt you kind of needed this (ignore the typos, it was a rush job):








Problems with bitmaps listed as "DXT1" can be fixed by:






Incase you have any other trouble with the MAT editor and multisub obj's:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POW0BOAeCDA


Video tutorial of my varient may be ready and uploaded by the weekend. Already surpassed the 1hr mark lel.

No its just the map I sent you previously with simplified materials so you have no problem withit yourself.

L8nk should be working.....

He really should learn to fix his own geometry errors instead of relying on others.

That being said, make sure you convert your BSP to Editable Mesh before exporting with JMS exporter. Only Blitzkrieg will properly export Editable Poly.
Edited by stunt_man on Aug 25, 2015 at 10:56 AM

I agree, except that he should one-up it.

The fact that he had no clue how open edges worked and that he needed to attatch the structures to the mesh tells me he doesn't know very much about how to make a map, maybe he could improve his skills and techniques by watching some tutorials on halomaps, reading the HEK tutorial, be able to find other threads that address and fix common issues, and ask the right questions during time of struggle.
Edited by Nickster5000 on Sep 2, 2015 at 02:02 PM

The remark made, while uncalled for and somewhat false, isn't something you should just brush off.

Making a box map is OK if you want to test out weapons. Flanker has generously provided you with tons of information, most of which will be of a great help in the future - and you can find even more here.

I suggest you read all the way through this. You might find it boring and useless but it will teach you things that you probably don't know.

As for the HEK itself, the tutorial doesn't cover anywhere near everything. Lots can be done, and experience comes with practice.

Don't be afraid to admit that you failed. It's okay! If you can, try again.

That's a great post up there Flanker.
Kudos to you.

I learn from the best

Alright as for the tutorials and files I promised:

> I currently have 10 videos recorded. (23gb!)
> Of those 10 - 4 have been rendered and uploaded.
> I will release files e.t.c once the tutorial series has been completed.

> Also I had to make a new YouTube channel which currently sucks, it is a heavy WIP and if anyone wants to lend a hand / share some tips and whatnot I'd appreciate the help!

(Please also excuse the lack of general information in the video descriptions)

Currently available tutorials:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5qKKf6ZBpY

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd_JO2tRWm8

Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EiY8t2ePbE

Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vChtpUE4l2E - Quality Screwed will re-up.

(I honestly have no idea how many videos it is going to take to get this done, my estimate is 21 - 25)

Oops it seems it was buggy glitch with youtube. I wasn't able to change the listing type until today even after refreshing and reopening browsers. Seems to be fixed now though.

Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7ntH-GsHyg

Part 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TMLIUQZz3s

I'm slightly worried that my modelling techniques. At least from a game design point of view might be a tad complicated so anyone who bothers to watch please rate the easiness to follow, it will most definitely help me in the future.
Edited by SS Flanker on Aug 31, 2015 at 01:59 PM

These videos are great!

Flanker: Write a document with the links to your vids and submit it so that they don't get lost in this thread.

Alex21788: Congratulations on getting spoonfed everything. You could have found the answers to all of your questions elsewhere, you're lucky Flanker was in a good mood.

Nothing at all.

Absolutely this. There's a reason we have a forum in the first place. Most people here learn through teaching each other and some learn by teaching themselves. When I learned anything, I had to have someone show me and go through every step for me to comprehend it. Then I would be able to try learning it on my own. Not everyone can learn something purely by themselves.

You will learn on your own every time you make a map. Learning is a constant result from practicing and producing. In terms of box mapping and non-box mapping, the only difference is how you start it. Box mapping is literally making a box preset with a lot of polies, flipping it, then transforming the polies. Non-box mapping can start with a singular plane. As long as you understand the Sealed World Rules of Blam!, then you won't have any issues with how you make your levels. Making maps is actually quite easy until unwraps are involved or you need to become super detailed...but at that point it mostly comes down to more learning and time.

Part 7 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOPyYCqR9C0

Before I go back to more rendering and uploading and rendering and uploading and rendering and uploading and rendering and uploading and rendering and uploading and rendering and uploading and then posting links to the uploads.

My motives for helping alex are as follows:

1. He needs help.

2. By helping him I help others.

3. I'm trying to avoid "spoonfeeding" but tbh all of the previous tutorials referencing the HEK and map modding in general are so outdated that I feel some what morally obligated to refresh the HEK tutorial index as best as I can.

4. Possibly the most important reason I am doing this is because I want my work and effort to inspire others to do the same. All you really need is the willpower and a desktop recorder.

(and also the time and a nice quiet space free of Boeing 747's)
Edited by SS Flanker on Sep 4, 2015 at 10:41 AM

Honestly I can't put a figure on right away but I am hoping to keep it under 25.



I'm glad someone finds them helpful and interesting. I would upload them here except dennis is to busy with dennis stuff.

Also part 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpPJPo-swlg

It was available ages ago.

Nobody bumped, so I thought it unnecessary to upload.

Part 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY1Gb1QUETA

Part 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij2GzmaZMdA

These are great to watch even as an ex-modeler

thnkx flanky

There is no such feature, but I thought I should give K+, very nice of you SS_Flanker to help him so much. On a side note, when asked I would usually give Guru's making a map tutorial as the best overall starting point for learning the base.

http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=2299

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TNMisDuXK4&feature=youtu.be

Haven't had much free time to make these between screwing up my shoulder and WD hard drives deciding to bail on me.

Yeah apologies for the slow progress but I'm struggling with a HD crash at the moment, coupled with that the boobs at the warranty department sent me a replacement rated for a desktop which shorted out my power supply some how.

I'll send what I have so far to you during the week, as for file compatibility the general rule with Autodesk is:

"If the software version you are using precedes the file version you want to work on then you will most definitely run into compatibility issues."

I predominantly use 3dsmax 2014 as my base since it is the most stable release of MAX on my system, therefore you should incur no errors using 3dsmax release 2015 to open up files saved in a 2014 format.

Next day delivery is a god send.

Part 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkREeI2ej0E&feature=youtu.be

Pre-release files:
https://mega.nz/#!FIV1mLZI!rMCqpvMrVRXNy4Oy7R24x6gr8yerJhWkJ1OqRUWZEVA

I'm not going to offer any additional assistance if tool won't accept the bsp, It sounds harsh but I can't divert my attention to something I wasn't really planning to release this early.

If you encounter any problems chances are you will have to wait until I upload a tutorial which shows you how to fix them, or perhaps any one of the other kind members on this forum would be gracious enough to lend a hand.

should be working fine.

also there's another part

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESS7yl6J05s



am bored and willing to help with whatever here.
if it needs debugging and whatnot, i could take over if tool doesn't like it at first. when it's ready to export perhaps throw in a couple errors and i can demonstrate fixing them.

Blank/White pages, link requests not being solved and much of the stuff that sounds like that generally has to do with your ISP settings or your personal pc/browser settings.

Try fiddling with those you might turn something up.

Also Part 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESS7yl6J05s

So... part 14?

I'll put something together hopefully tomorrow or so. Actually, I could livestream it as I record it too, if there's interest. That would be a little more planned out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAaHtArf4-E&feature=youtu.be

As for the BSP not exporting correctly. I'm pretty sure you are doing something really wrong, even an erroneous mesh will xport so long as it is linked to a frame.

Compilation wise the bsp only gave me one problem which was due to a back face I didn't delete.



(delete the face with which the green arrow points to.)


Honestly I was hoping for more errors to show up so I could demonstrate the correct techniques required to fix them.

lol the 1 time you want tool to actually give you errors and it passes.

Give things ids the very first time you select the part, then you wont have to manually have to select it again, other than with select by id.
Edited by Maniac1000 on Oct 24, 2015 at 09:55 PM

If you use your own textures you should make your own shaders in guerilla. Since you're a beginner, just use a pre-existing shader that has the attributes you want the textures surface to have and change the bitmap. Rename the shader too of course.

Even after importing .wrl and everything?