Mapping 101 - Adding To Your Map - Tutorial 3
Now we are going to add some more to our map, but first another general tip. I always number my maps when editing, because although the snapshot feature saves backups for you, they are taken at time intervals, where as my own numbers mark major changes to the map. Then if I don't like something I can go back to a previous version and start again. So hopefully you have saved the tutorial 2 map, open it in SoFRadiant and then imediately use File>Save as and save it as tutorial3. Ok down to work...
We want to add another room to our map, exactly the same as the first one. At this stage of the map there are 3 choices : Build from scratch another room the same. - Waste of time. Load the previous map as a prefab. - the fastest way. Copy and paste the original room. - the most common method.
Forget no 1, lets go straight to number 2. Select File>Load and then select "tutorial2", indecently the same can be achieved by Edit>Load Prefab. Very useful for merging 2 maps, but does have a couple of drawbacks : You can obviously only load the whole map file, so if you only want part of it then you are out of luck, or if it is a large map, it can be tricky to maneuver. The second drawback, is that all lights and entities are loaded as well, fine if you want to copy them as well, not so good if you don't.
You will notice that the room in our map, has gone red is if it were selected, this is because we have loaded an exact copy on top of our room. When ever you load a prefab it is automatically selected upon loading. Click in the middle of it somewhere and drag it around, notice our original room is still there underneath. When you are bored dragging it around, hit Backspace to delete it.
On to the last option now, copy and paste. Now you could obviously Shift-Left-Click on all the brushes to select them, but you are probably thinking there must be a quicker way. There is - enter the selection buttons.
Look at Figure 1, from the left they are Select Tall, Select Touching, Select Partial Tall, and Select Inside. I have found Select Inside and Select Touching to be the most useful, the other 2 I never use. One problem with brush selection, is after your map gets a few hundred brushes added to it, the only efficient way to select a brush is to do it from the 3D-preview window. You can do it from the main editing window, as long as you don't have a large ceiling or wall IN FRONT of the brush you're trying to select. Entities respond differently; you can select any entity the same way you select a brush. As long as you click INSIDE the entity, it doesn't matter how many brushes are between you and the entity.
 Make a brush that encompasses the room, like the one in Figure 2, don't forget to do the Z plane as well.
In our map it makes no difference if we copy the entities, either way we will have to create or delete one, since we want the light but not the info_player_start. For demonstration purposes we will turn them off. Select View>Show>Show Entities or press Shift-Ctrl-N Next click on the Select inside button  or Right-Click on the map and select it from the menu. You should now have the whole room selected. You can now use the Edit menu copy & paste or the good old Windows shortcuts, Ctrl-C & Ctrl-V. I find the keyboard shortcuts best. I also hit Esc, between the copy and paste, to deselect the brush , so I can see it has worked properly.  Now drag the room to the right so there are 10 - 16 unit grid points between them. Copy and paste the light entity as well. See Figure 3.
Joining The RoomsFor this we are going to use the CSG Subtract tool I told you about in tutorial 1 
First set your grid to 16 units, and select the top view. Then make a brush 224 x 64 x 96, making sure it is overlapping each room by 1 grid unit, and that the bottom of the brush is level with the top of our floor in the Z plane. See Figure 4.
Now press the CSG Subtract button. 
 Now we will reuse this brush to make the hallway. Resize the brush to 160 x 96 x128. Move it so you have 1 grid unit either side of the doorways, and so the bottom is level with the very bottom of our rooms in the Z plane. See Figure 5.
Now click the Hollow button.  Delete the 2 end brushes shown in Figure 6A. Resize the height of the 2 side brushes, as in Figure 6B.
 Next miter the joints in the hallway like Figure 7.
Finally add the floor texture to the hallway floor, and the same texture from the room walls to the hallway walls and ceiling. Compile and run the map to test it.
 This is what it should look like.
If all is well , move on to tutorial 4. |
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