Dark entities
Hello again !
I'm almost done with my first map (took me months since i met the authoring tool) !
The very last thing for me to do is LIIIIIGHT. I find it very important to get the best of the design...but that's not the easiest part...
Anyway, my problem is :
I have a lot of prop_static entities that are lighted correctly, but the last two that i put are not : when i play the map, these stay all dark black, even if i put a light next to it.
The first world model is a beam_castellated.mdl
The second is an electrical_box02.mdl
I didn't change anything in the default parameters of the prop_static...
The problem is the same whether i run the map in Normal mode or Expert full both (and builcubemaps also)
Let me show you :
As i write a topic on lights, i also wanted to ask if you know why on the 2 following pictures the tanks and the wallpipes appear lighted this way whereas there is no light next to it ??
Thanks for your help !
I have no idea if I'm right about this, but when I used Hammer for Half-Life 2 maps the entities were dark since a part of them were inside a wall. Try moving the objects so that none of it is inside a wall.
I'm not sure if I'm right about this... The other mappers might know better...
Are you using a bounding box to seal your leaks?
If you are fix that, and never do it again.
Change what model type it is and make it have a lighting origin.
Thank you both BenVlodg and Logic,
You were right, when i put the beam_castellated, it was too long, so the bottom of it was far under the floor, and made a leak when compiling, so my solution was to thicken the bottom edge of the floor so that it covers the rest of the beam...and that makes it become black...(i tested putting an other beam inside the room not touching any wall and it's correctly lighted)
Apparently, most entities don't lead to that problem, only a few.
My solution here : delete the beam and replace it by walkway_support_b.mdl (the goal was to support walkway, great !) :
What about the problem with the tanks and pipes ? any idea ?
(Do you think i sould make a new post for each problem ?)
@chickenmobile :
I don't get it when you say "make it have a lighting origin" (i don't understand cause i'm french ? i'd rather say cause i'm not so good with hammer...).
How do we make something have a lighting origin, and how does it work ?
Thank you
If you're using prop_static 's, you can use the expert compile and select "Full Compile (Final)" or add -StaticPropPolys to the RAD compile options. This will make the model's lighting be calculated at every vertex, rather than once for the whole thing.
Ok i see... "Good for prop_static entities that are embedded in world geometry (like rocks/windows/etc)" yeah ! so that sounds good for my dark entities (beam and electrical box) embedded in the wall.
And i guess it could also work for the tanks and tubes...
But i'm afraid i won't be able to test these before wednesday. I'll tell you if everything worked.
Thank you !!
Ok, i had already tested the Full compile (final) with no success, but i'll try the staticproppolys.
Thank you too !
If everything's fine, i'll finish this map by next week ! yeaaaaaaah ! 
I wondered this very same thing too, so thanks for the info 
Chickenmobile, your solution worked like a charm !!! 
Hope it will help others !