-staticproplighting and why NOT to use it

Icarus · 01-26-2009, 11:49 PM

-staticproplighting effectively doubles file sizes. The other settings, -staticproppolys -textureshadows -final have no bearing on the file size and are OK to use!

I've always wondered how some maps get massive file sizes despite a rather small amount of custom content, so I set out an experiment to discover the truth.

I've hypothesized that it was something in Youme's VRAD compile settings that greatly increased the filesize.

First, I cordoned a room of pl_waste that has lots of chain link fences and payload tracks. The compile used hammer's Normal compile settings (-both). Then, I compiled the same map with youme's settings (-both -final -staticproppolys -staticproplighting -textureshadows), one effect at a time. These are my findings:

Setting	Filesize
Normal	4910KB
Youme	8877KB
-final	4910KB
-staticproppolys	4910KB
-staticproplighting	8877KB
-textureshadows	4910KB

WOW! That's nearly DOUBLE the file size!

Personally, I don't really notice if a certain prop has just the right lighting in certain places. What I do notice is the sometimes ridiculous file sizes some maps come to be. Not for any good reason, IMO, to double the file size. We are not Valve, so we cannot make downloading mandatory. We must do our best to keep our maps at a reasonable size.

Altaco · 01-26-2009, 11:53 PM

Yeah, if something's got nasty shadows just disable them.

Icarus · 01-26-2009, 11:55 PM

IIRC, -staticproplighting only affects the lighting on the prop itself. It is -staticproppolys' job to cast shadows onto the world

Nineaxis · 01-27-2009, 06:00 AM

The problem is with outdoor areas, where 90% of props have their origins inside displacements (and therefore are near pitch black in a very bright environment).

eerieone · 01-27-2009, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nineaxis

The problem is with outdoor areas, where 90% of props have their origins inside displacements (and therefore are near pitch black in a very bright environment).

There is a simple trick to correct that, you place an info_lighting near the opject that is badly lit due to being inside a displacement or sort, give the info_lighting a name and set the objects lighting origin to that info_lighting

edit: corrected

Icarus · 01-27-2009, 10:10 AM

it's info_lighting, but yes, just place that above your displacements/props and set the prop's Lighting Origin to whatever you named your info_lighting.

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Info_lighting