This tutorial was written by None-1a. And were originally posted to QERadiant's website. They are mirrored here for archival purposes. QERadiant can be downloaded here.
Build Menu Tutorial
This will cover what the commands on the build menu are, what each of them does, and how to add your own to the list. I'm going to give you the full option list for the Id build tools (this is what the DLL tools are made form)
Part 1: - Standered build menu items
Many people have asked what all the commands on the build menu do, (I would have put this in the FAQ but there is more information you must know about) This is only that standard command included with all new projects, you will learn latter how to make you own/and how to include them in new projects.
Bsp_FastVis (-nowater) - Runs qbsp3 ignoring any brush with water/slim/lava content set. Very fast vising of the level, normal qrad3 operation. Comments - This can be use full if lava and slime are annoying you while you test the level, other then that it's useless.
Bsp_Fastvis - Qbsp3 runs normal, Vary Fast Vising of the level, Qrad3 runs normal. Comments - You'll run this most often, this raises r_speeds (because not all the vising is done)
Bsp_FullVis (nodetail, qrad -extra) - runs qbsp3 ignoring all brushes set as detail, QVis3 runs normally, qrad3 uses 5 samples instead of 1. Comments - detail brushes aren't vised in the first place so this will not increase speed at all using qrad -extra increase qrad time. This is another mostly useless one.
Bsp_FullVis (qrad -maxlt -extra) - Runs qbsp3 and qvis normally, qrad uses 5 samples and maxlight value is set at 1 Comments - With the value of 1 this doesn't seam to do much, changing the value might help, I'll cover that latter.
Bsp_FullVis (qrad -extra) - Runs qbsp2 and qvis normally, qrad takes 5 samples. Comments - you should always run this on your finished levels
Bsp_FullVis (no qrad) - Runs qbsp and qvis normality but doesn't run qrad. Comments - This is totaly useless, it can prevent high r_speeds of only using qbsp but with none of the lighting information form qrad there are no lights.
Bsp_FullVis - all tools are run normally Comments - This is the bear minimum that must be used on a finished level, I recommend useing qrad -extra
Bsp_FullVis (nowater) - Brushes set as lava/slime/water aren't placed. every thing else is normal Comments - I can't think of one good reason to use this. Anyone?
Bsp_Enities - entities will be added to the bsp file Comments - lights and any entities that need brushes will not work with this, other then that this is very usefull for changing monsters, weapons, and ammo after the final build.
Bsp_novis - Bsp is run normally, qvis and qrad are not ran. Comments - use this to test the basic layout of an area.
Bsp_Relight_Qrad - adds new enmities, and redoes texture lights (run qrad) Comments - this can be used to adjust light emitted be textures
That's it, that all the statndered commands.
Part II: - Editing the menu commands
Now I'm going to tell you how to add and change the commands (and what all that cryptic stuff means in the project settings)
First the basics.
Never edit and of the command settings using the project settings dialog box in qer, this will chop and commands that don't fit in the text box off. All ways edit them using wordpad or any other things that can edit txt files.
The project settings are in a file call quak.qe4 in the scripts directory of you project directory.
All commands must start with qbsp as the first thing run (it must also be the first thing in the command heading)
Now let's brake down one of the standard commands: my comments are in []
"bsp_FullVis (qrad -maxlt -extra)[this is the header, this is use as the build command under the build menu"
"! [ that ! get replaced with <rshcmd> don't know what it is but you need it]
__QERPATH\qbsp3 [this gets replaced with the path to your qeradiant directory]
$ [this get replaced project file/maps/currentmap.map
&& [this simbolises the end of the command, for this build tool]
Now lets edit on of these to be a little more use full. (we're going to add ambient lights, and change the maxlight value)
1:Open up quake.qe4 in a text editor, (wordpad or the DOS command edit will work)
2: look for, "bsp_FullVis (qrad -maxlt -extra)"
3: Go through that and look for -maxlight 1 change max light to 255 (this will allow you to use lights with a
value of up to 255 instead of the normal 196 limit set now, and change the value set by qer to some thing more
use full)
4: Add the following, -ambient .3 after that -maxlight 255 (this will light all area of the map a little)
5: Now go back and change bsp_FullVis (qrad -maxlt -extra) to bsp_FullVis (qrad -maxlt -ambient .3 -extra)
6: now restart qer and marvel and what you've just done.
Hum why don't we add a use full thing to that list
1: Open up quake.qe4 in a text editor, (wordpad or the DOS command edit will work)
2: Copy and Paste the commands form bsp_fullvis to a new line at the bottom of the list (but before the })
This is the easiest way to make new commands.
3: Add these commands, after the __QERPATH\qbsp3 but before the $, -notjunc -noopt
4: Add this, after the __QERPATH\qvis3 but before the $, -fast
5: Add this, after the __QERPATH\qrad3 but before the $, -bounce 0 -chop -nopvs
6: Change the header to read bsp_fastvis (fastest build)
This add a new command to the list for the fastest build possible with the stranded tools.
Setting for new projects can be change by editing the defult.qe4 file in the qer directory
NOTE: On you system __QERPATH may have been replace with the path to you qer directory. This will not cause any problems, and is in fact much easers to read.
You can get a list of all the command line argument for this page on Rust
another informative piece of information form None-1a, I would like to thank Orbital for telling me how to work around the problem with editing the settings in qer chopping off some of my typing.
