Quake 2 BSP Import

This Quake 2 BSP importer allows creating static world geometry with, i.e. TrenchBroom and a more recent ericw-tools (such as one of the 2.0.0 alpha releases from https://github.com/ericwa/ericw-tools/releases).

The basic idea is that:

1. Install the package and look at Setup.asset in Unity, which automates the following:
   1. Install TrenchBroom~/KVToolsTB to inside TrenchBroom’s user directory (Linux: $HOME/.TrenchBroom/games/KVToolsTB)
   2. Adjust CompilationProfiles.cfg to point at ericw-tools QBSP.
   3. Copy TrenchBroom~/KDCBSPGameRoot to Assets/ of your Unity project.
      • Note that your game root may actually be anywhere; KDCBSP intentionally does not care about this. This style is used for easy onboarding, but more experienced users may find it prudent to treat different projects as ‘mods’ on a single game root that exists outside of any Unity project, using symlinking.
        • Regardless of this, Assets/KDCBSPGameRoot/DefaultWorkspaceConfig.asset is the hardcoded default workspace config.
2. Add images to the game root textures tree to add materials in TrenchBroom
3. Add entries to the workspace config to add materials in Unity
4. BSP files (compiled using the relevant button in TrenchBroom) are imported as prefabs.
   • There are plenty of options for customizing the import depending on the situation.

Detailed Notes

• You need a dummy entity in each world ‘cavity’ you care about (at least one) so the map compiler knows the inside and outside.
  • info_player_start is provided for this purpose.
• Lightmapping and occlusion is not imported; light and vis are unused.
• Entities are not really supported, but the BSP compiler may have ‘built-in’ entities. See https://ericw-tools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/qbsp.html#compiler-internal-bmodels.
• On some versions, func_detail_illusionary defaults to "_mirrorinside" "1". Make sure to explicitly change it to 0, or it’ll horribly break light baking!!!
• If the Unity material is None, triangles will not be created. This is one of the two useful ways to use common/sky (the other being a skybox material, perhaps with a custom shader with emission).
• Special materials (note: The meanings are primarily assigned using ericw-tools metadata .wal_json files):
  • If looking for skip / caulk: These are Q1 and Q3 names of common/nodraw.
  • common/areaportal: Areaportals are not presently used. This is included for completeness. Ideas have been thrown around of splitting meshes by this.
  • common/clip: Invisible collision. Distinct from nodraw in that it has no effects on BSP/sealing/face-cutting etc.
  • common/hint: Just manipulates BSP splitting. (We usually never care, and this is included only for completeness.)
  • common/noclip: Extremely special custom tool for this importer, used to integrate multiple BSPs or BSP and traditional content. (See below.)
  • common/nodraw: Invisible, but BSP compiler treats it as if it was opaque. Player can’t walk through it. Seals the map.
    • Use for surfaces that always face away from the player but that would traditionally still be considered ‘visible’.
    • You do not need to nodraw the exterior of the map. Assuming the map isn’t ‘leaking’, the BSP compiler will automatically delete the exterior faces.
  • common/origin: Controls brush-model origin. Included only for completeness.
  • common/sky: More-or-less regular material intended to be setup by mapper. Traditionally reserved for skybox.
  • common/trigger: See nodraw. The ‘can’t walk through it’ property is usually resolved by being part of an appropriate brush entity, but these aren’t supported. Included only for completeness.
• While most materials act as per ‘usual BSP standards’, the common/noclip material is special. It’s common/nodraw without collision.
  • This means it:
    • Still seals leaks like common/nodraw, so you can use it at the map’s edge (which is the intended purpose)
    • Still cuts faces like common/nodraw
    • Still doesn’t display anything like common/nodraw
    • But the player can walk through it (and immediately become ‘out of bounds’ relative to the current map!)
  • This is the ideal glue between .map files or between .map and modelled content.
  • This separation may be necessary to split larger maps into individual lightmaps.
  • This separation is required for occlusion culling, whether trigger-based or Unity occlusion.
  • Technically, it carries SOLID | CURRENT_0 contents flags (CURRENT_0 is used as a marker by the importer to mean ‘not actually solid’), and NODRAW face flags.