Sniper's Paradise!
UnrealEd Build Options Reference
- Introduction
- Configuration
- Geometry
- BSP
- Optimization: Lame Good Optimal
- Minimize Cuts versus Balance Tree
- Lighting
- Define Paths
When rebuilding your maps you have the option of choosing what is rebuilt. All of the option's you will want are found on the Rebulder's tabs, here you can finely tune how to rebuild your map.
Once you have all of your settings the way you want them, the editor saves it so when you fire up the editor the next time, it opens up in that configuration.
Geometry is just an abstract term that is used when we're talking about a basic shape of the level. Nothing more, nothing less. It's often used in context of "building geometry" (a process where geometry is built in accordance with brushes). Geometry in engine is represented by a BSP tree. That's why you can often see term "BSP geometry". Mostly it doesn't mean anything other than just "geometry".
BSP (Binary Space Partitioning)
BSP is just the method how to divide (3D) space into smaller portions that are easier to describe (convex chunks of space). This space description is stored in a data structure called tree. Hence basic geometry of level in Unreal Engine is described by a BSP tree. In most cases during level design the term BSP is deliberately interchanged with brushes or geometry. When you read "do it with BSP" it actually means that you should create brushes that define geometry that will be represented by a BSP tree later in an engine. You'll hardly need to know any low-level aspects of BSP. BSP is used in many other 3D games.
Using BSP to create geometry brings also some issues in practice. Engines relying on BSP are prone to errors like BSP holes. In order to avoid BSP errors you have to keep your brushes clean and as simple as possible.
When the BSP box is not check, the rebuild process will entirely skip rebuilding BSP. There are also specific settings that can be tweaked for how the BSP is rebuilt.
BSP Hole
A BSP hole is an error in the BSP Tree which results in visual and physical errors when editing and playing a map.
Holes can manifest themselves as:
- A player can walk through walls and fall through floors.
- A spot of the map where the player dies for no reason
- An invisible obstacle
- Leaking zones: level full of water for example. These tend to happen when zone sheets touch complex brushes. First check the the zone portal brush is large enough to properly seal off the zone.
- A surface which doesn't display the texture properly by revealing:
- Parts of the map which shouldn't be visible from that location
- A black area in UnrealEd's 3D viewport which produces a HOM (hall of mirrors) effect in the game.
An error in the BSP tree affects part of a wall and floor. A black hole or "hall of mirrors" is the result.
How to fix BSP errors
BSP (binary space partition, the way unreal decides where space and where solid is) may go too complex in areas with too many and/or too complex brushes. In the rebuild menu / BSP you have option "optimize geometry". So, when the BSP goes too complex the geometry (visibility) is influenced as well, often leading to HOMs (hall of mirror).
- Try to simplify the brushes in the area (if it's acceptable in your level design).
- Try to divide the area into several zones by using zone portals.
- Use semisolids for decorational brushes. (Arches and Stairs)
- Change the optimization options in the rebuild menu to 'Optimal' and lower the 'Minimize Cuts' to 10, 5 or 0.
Remark: Anyway, it's a good idea to make copies of your maps every now and then, especially before changing many brushes and/or the rebuild options.
Copy the files into a different folder and rename it to get a history.
How to avoid BSP problems
During design of your map take care of the brush complexity.
- Avoid acute angles.
- Use more semisolids for decoration and complex architecture.
- Size your brush to the power of 2. (16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 78, 96, 112, 128, etc.).
- Keep brushes snapped to the grid.
- Don't intersect zone portals.
- Don't use translucent or invisible surfaces with zone portals.
- Warp zone portals need to have the same panning.
- The rotation/transformation of the warp zone portals decide the direction of sight. Don't rotate one and not the other. This will mean: see myself, the result is a HOM.
Optimization: Lame Good Optimal
These radio buttons determine the general speed versus quality of the rebuild.
"Optimal" considers every poly for cutting every other poly in the level. This results in a substantial build time, but it should result in more stable BSP in that the best polygon is always selected
"Good" and "Lame" settings should speed up rebuild times, but they may result in much slower running speeds when actually running the level.
For any level that is nearing finalization, the "Optimal" setting is the one you will want.
Minimize Cuts versus Balance Tree
The default position for this slider is usually the best setting. If you rebuild and you keep getting BSP holes, try lowering the slider to minimize the cuts to 10, 5 or 0.
Rebuilding lighting can also be skipped if the box is not checked.
Lastly, by pressing the button in this section you can choose to build the paths. Note, that this will not rebuild any of the lighting or geometry.
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