Mapping: Adding Light Effects To Your Map

[Hfett]

First, folow Rhino tutorial, to set the mod to PR, and should also know how to use the editor and have a map that you want to add some light effects

Open the editor, go to level editor, load your map

We will first learn how to make a Light, inside a house like this one:



But before that, you need to know that you can manipulate the Lighting Sources just like any Static object, and they are prety easy to put ingame
All you have to do is chose it and drag it to the map, but they only affect other static objetcs, on the editor (ingame, it affects Over and undergrow also, but not the terrain)
So to see the light, you need to put it near another object



Lets see what some lighting sources, go to:
objects/common/glow

and drag "glow6" to your map:


You will see a big light, like this, now click on it, and you will see that you can manipulate it just like any other Object Ingame (check the "miracle well")



and you can also see, that it dont provide light enouth to iluminate other objects nearby to make the cool lightng effect that i want to achive

(no light reflection on the wall)(we will get into this latter)



Now delete that orb, we want to check other glow's before moving on with the tutorial


Select now the glow3 objetc and drag it into your map:



You cannot see it right?
here is the trick, just like i said before, you can only check the light, when you put it near another static object:
Before:

After:

Glow 3, might look like just light, but it actualy have a small orb, that just show ingame:
pic here Will add latter


Use glow 3 to simulate lights at guard towers, buildings, entrances, etc... it is a small light for all uses
pics hereWill add latter


Now, lets forget about glow stuff (keep checking yourself the other ones, on the editor and ingame, there are some variations like a big red orb for example)

glow5 is a big red orb

the others you can check yourself

Now that we learned about the orbs, lets learn about lightsources:
go to
objects/common/lightsources
this is where the magic happens
There are 2 basic lightsources on this folder(there are more on other folders, and at xpack but lets focus on what we have here)
they are:
Baselight and houselight big (there is the street light on the folder, but dont work on the editor and i didnt tryed it Ingame, also there is the "lighttoobject" that bugs the statics arround them)


Base on the left, big on the right

Baselight is a smaller light, nice to use on interiors, to simulate lightbulbs or lamps

Houselight big, is a bigger light, you can use it to simulate more light comming for one "orb" (glow)

PIC (will add latter)

You can manipulate then just like normal objects, placing them where you want =P

So lets go with the tutorial, how to make a lamp on a house

First place the house that you want to be iluminated, i will use a shack


Then, since we are talking about PR, to have a light, we need a lightbulb

select the Lightbulb from the editor(or the lamp if you prefer):
Lamp is on miscobjects folder
Lightbulb is at staticobjetcs/common



Put the lightbulb inside the house:


Now chose the baselight and place it a few feets under the lightbulb(check where it looks better



Keep looking for the best place and...


You just learned how to make a house with light
Ps; i use the light: xp1_dayglowlight on my houses, it is stronger than baselight, located on the folder: staticobjetcs/pr/lightsources/xp1_dayglowlight
also there are other lights that i didnt tested yet on this folder

News step is how to make searchtower lights (you probably figured it out already but i will finish the tutorial tomorow)


English is not my first language, so please if you dont understand something just ask =P

you will have cool looking night maps if you follow this tutorial
Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYhI2fjdEqI

[IronTaxi]

nice work!

ill use it sometime soon...always wondered how they worked..never bothered to try them yet..

[Rhino]

looks good, But I think my 3DsMAX lightmaps look and work better overal thou, good tut still!

1 comment is that you should turn down your undergrwoth height cos at the mo it will be used as concealmant, which is a very bad idea when you mix it with BF2 Undergrowth due to the draw distance ranges.

EDIT: should post it here

http://bfeditor.org/forums/index.php?showforum=17

[ice_killer]

nice always good to see how other mod's do soem things

[=tGA=Harry]

Yeah, Very nice tutorial.
I have been experimenting with these lights myself in a DCon night map.
But this tutorial explains it all. Great work!

Mind if I post a link to this in the Desert Conflict forum?

=tGA=Harry
DCon Mapper

[Snake_doctor]

stikcky it very good thanks going see wot bagdad looks like at night

[Le_Damner]

Ok for the begining, but the light effects desepears when lightmapping the building, any idea why ?

[Le_Damner]

Originally Posted by Le_Damner

Ok for the begining, but the light effects desepears when lightmapping the building, any idea why ?

Bump !

Anyone knows how to do this on a lightmapped building ?

[Le_Damner]

I am sorry to spam this thread, but I would like an answer, is it possible to add light effects on a lightmapped building ?

Thanks.

[Rudd]

are glows meant to react to undergrowth so strongly?

or do some of them react to undergrowth strongly, and some not?

I'd also 2nd le dammer's question, lightmapped objects seem to be independant of the glow effects, at least on some maps, can any1 clarify this?