[bluebrooks]

There was an old thread (which is now empty) listing the top 10 ways to cut compile time....

Anyone know what they were? Or more generally, can anyone explain a few easy tips to keep the compile time down?

I know #1: make structure brushes into detail brushes

[-=[XTC]=-Body Bagger]

complie using the vast vis option, you may lose a few fps ingame but thats about it. It will dramatically reduce your complie time

[Orb_1]

do not cheat on compileing time its not good for your map LOL it is ok to do a fast viz and light in compiling to test your map but not in the fineal render of it.

[TheStorm]

Use detailed brushes for stuff inside rooms etc. for exampel if you make a box of a brush in a room, select the box, right click and select "detail". DON'T use the other MAKE DETAIL options they are not right. If you make it right it will look purple in the 2D grid (the wrong one will make the box green in 2D, if so then just select it again and do it the right way).

In houses only walls, floor and ceiling should be structural. Any thing made out of brushes like stairs, paintings etc etc, inside rooms should be detail.

Also look at the out side of you building, if you have made any nice things (of brushes) that points out from your building, make that detailed. Any structural brush like that will only make more "useless" vis.

If you have large outdoor map change the blocksize when you compile, that will reduce vis. Default blocksize is 1024 (there is an option in mohradiant to show the blocksize grid, but you cant change it there, it must be when compiling). The "blocks" forces a vis split (or what's it called) in the same way as any structural brush.

How do you compile with an other blocksize than default?

I use the mbuilder, I check the alternative that i want for example "fulldetail", then there is a row where you can write an optional command. In that place write (no quotes) "-blocksize 2048".
1024 = default if you don't write anything, keep the power of 1024, 2048, 4096 etc. (use this mainly if a large outdoor map).

To try and understand how structural brushes affect vis make a hollow box, compile it and write down the info about clusters etc and vis size. Then go back and draw an other small box inside that box, compile and see the result (higher vis), then go back and make the box inside detail, compile and voilá you have the same vis as the first time.

To understand how the blocksize forces splits, show the blockgrid in mohradiant (its blue) and make a hollow box over a crossection. Compile and look at info. Then move the box in the 2D grid so that it is inside a block (block grid should not touch or be inside your box). Compile and discover a decrease in vis.

Finally!!
You shouldn think VIS is a bad thing!! You just need the right VIS

When buildning a map use the fast vis option to test etc, but always use full vis before releasing it. (unless it is all outdoors with open area, then it won't make a difference)


This is a thread about VIS
[url:680b7]http://www.modtheater.com/forum/showthread.php?s=53dc9ba99b9c1e5532e8fd1d808d1127& threadid=211[/url:680b7]
[url:680b7]http://www.modtheater.com[/url:680b7]

[TheStorm]

[quote="-=[XTC]=-Body Bagger":dc424]complie using the vast vis option, you may lose a few fps ingame but thats about it. It will dramatically reduce your complie time[/quote:dc424]


YES you will only loose a few fps if it's a outdoor map, but in big town with a lot of houses etc it can be a serious drop in fps. YOU should then make a full vis before releasing the map.