VisGroups: Part IV
Now you do it. Load the vgexmp.rmf file into Worldcraft. Remember to have the vgexmp.wad file installed in Worldcraft or you won't be able to view the textures in the 3D Window.
Note: Get the vgexmp.rmf and vgexmp.wad files by downloading vgexmp.zip (53K)
Open the Object Groups dialog by selecting View/Screen Elements/Filter Control.
You should see a box just like the one in the previous picture. Click the 'first floor' checkbox, then Enable Filter, then Apply.
Pretty neat, huh?
Try it on the other floors. Uncheck the first floor checkbox and check the one for the second floor and hit Apply. See? Now all you have VISible is the second floor. Do it for the third floor as well and watch the change in the XZ 2D window.
OK, now uncheck the Enable Filter box, hit Apply, and everything's back like it was in the beginning.
Of course, the .rmf file already has all the things in it, but the following shots will show you some of the interveining construction.
The last one is the first floor with the teleporter, player start, rocket launcher and rockets in the 3D window.
Later on, I added a few walls to further complicate things in the 2D views. Although it looks confusing, this is no where near as complicated as the pix you saw of Death In A Flash.
Now make a new map yourself - do the 'geometry' (the rooms and walls, etc.) first and add VisGroups as you go. It is always a good idea to hit CTRL-S (save File) from time to time - just in case...
If you're using the shareware version of Worldcraft (1.1a) - I should warn you that it could crash on you from time to time. I'm running the current registered version (1.3) and even it goes down on me every once in a while. The best policy is to SAVE OFTEN!!
That's pretty much it for VisGroups. Now I want to tell you about some of the pitfalls involved in using them. There was a time when I thought that VisGroups was the sole cause of a sort of mapfile corruption. But, as it turned out, it wasn't VisGroups but me! Click Next to see what I mean...