{solved}
So Im making a 3d skybox for this next section in my mappack and it's a little differant than other skyboxes. It's set as a room you go out into and it's a jumbo sized factoryline. the whole room is skyboxed textures and everything is 32 times their original size.
the issue is when i turned around, I see the rest of the entire map from beyond the walls. What causes this and how can i fix it?
Have you done a vvis compile and this still happens? If so, you are seeing the rest of the map because it is actually there and being rendered. This is expected. There are a few ways to fix it.
1. Make it so that the rest of the map is invisible from your point if view by either blocking it with something in the environment (e.g. a large wall or building), or changing the layout of the level.
2. Make it so that the rest of the map is not rendered when you are in the skybox room by using hint brushes or areaportals.
Portal 1: Portal Pro, Resurrection, Dyad, Rexaura
Portal 2: [Coop] Electrophobia, [PTI] EotM Collection, [SP] Aperture Halloween
yeah I only know the normal compiling method. How do you do the vvis compile?
It's just one of the steps in the compile process. If you did a normal compile then you ran vvis.
Portal 1: Portal Pro, Resurrection, Dyad, Rexaura
Portal 2: [Coop] Electrophobia, [PTI] EotM Collection, [SP] Aperture Halloween
then i guess i gotta move stuff around or shove in these brushes somehow. Is it possible to surround the room with one of these. or is that not recommended?
Is the 3D Skybox at the same height as your level? Try placing the 3d Skybox far away from your level but under main level.
http://www.tophattwaffle.com/ - My site for Source Engine Level Design
http://therewillbescience.com/ - Portal 2, Lab Rat
http://www.moddb.com/mods/portal-2-lab-rat - Portal 2, Lab Rat (MODDB)
im guessing then it's the cameras fault that this is happening? i could easily move it if that is the case
The skybox is rendered behind everything else, so you see walls and things through it. I don't think there's any way to fix this except not having the walls there, if you're seeing the skybox there shouldn't be other rooms in the way.
So.... anything on the otherside of a skybox brush, i can see regardless....
looks like i will need to move the room to an area far away beyond render distance and world-portal it
EDIT: okay another issue, I apprently just realised i worked myself in a corner where one part of the map depends on a 3d skybox and another part of the map depends in a regular skybox. I know I cannot have 2 because of how far apart these areas are and that a skybox camera cannot be turned off and on.
So does anyone know where i can get a NORMAL sky texture that can function just like the rest of the textures?
Seeing the brushes through the skybox is normal and as Mevious said it has to do with the "active" visleaves: as long as those brushes behind are in the same leaf than the skybox brush, they will be rendered and be seen through the skybox.
The only effective way I could find to prevent this was areaportals. For example, if you use any item (cube or player) dropper with a column on the top of it to let the item be dropped along, and your skybox is on the ceiling near it, you'll see that column made out of brushes through the skybox; well, adding an areaportal right at the ceiling level or maybe a bit higher (trying that the player won't ever see it open... maybe turning it on and off) will avoid it.
What?
useful tools and stuff here on TWP 
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