Cheating Lightmaps

Normally, generating lightmaps takes much longer than it should, regardless of your computers strength. Often, you may be doing a test build of a BSP, and not want to spend all this additional time lighting it until the final build, after all scenery is placed, and even then, you may use applications like Aether to generate lightmaps without the use of HEK. This guide will help you create draft lightmaps faster.

Getting Started
The first step, is to compile your BSP into a tag file. If this is not the first time you've compiled the BSP (ie, you have tags in the Scenario), create a new scenario, that references the BSP at the bottom. You must make sure you have no Sky, and no objects to generate light. Now, we'll simply run lightmaps, either from Tool, or from Sapien tool lightmaps levels\test\example_scenario example_bsp 0 0.999999 This will run far faster than regular lightmaps, since it does not have to calculate any light. With many smaller or simplier BSPs, this will run instantly.

Filling in the Lightmap
At this point, you either need to use any basic image editing software (Microsoft Paint), or Aether. The reason we have to do this, is because our lightmap is currently completely black; no light what so ever. What we'll be doing, is painting the lightmaps a single color (White for full day, grey for stormy, etc)

Using MSPaint
At this point, you'll have to review the output tool gave you. The earlier image had the following output: bitmap created: #64x#64, high-color, 8K-bytes bitmap created: #32x#16, high-color, 1K-bytes bitmap created: #16x#16, high-color, 0K-bytes bitmap created: #32x#16, high-color, 1K-bytes bitmap created: #32x#32, high-color, 2K-bytes bitmap created: #32x#32, high-color, 2K-bytes Basically, when this means is I will need 6 boxes, following these sizing constraints (You can increase the entire thing by x2, or decrease it, but you need to follow the sizing constraints). Its usually simpler to directly follow the sizes. I see that the largest number's I have are 64, and 64. We need enough height for all the items, so we'll just pick a number higher than that 64, so 70 sounds nice, and times it by the number of images we need, so 6. 6*70=420. For width, we just need something over 64. So, I'll create a new image in Paint, and set our sizes to 100x420. Next, we want to fill this in with pure blue (Red=0,Blue=255,Green=0). We'll select the edit colors to ensure this. We'll then fill the entire document in with this blue. Next, we want to create white (or, whatever color/shade of lighting you desire) boxes, of the sizes decided earlier (likely the exact sizes listed in tool), and place them in order downwards. It is easiest to do this, by opening a second copy of Paint, and using the resize tool to get the sizing, then copy-pasting it into the blue document. The only requirement is that they do not touch each other; you can be as sloppy as you want in placing them.

Save this in your Data directory, under the same location and name as your BSP, with the extention .TIFF/.TIF tool bitmap levels\test\tutorial\example_bsp Your lightmaps is complete.

Using Aether
Before starting, save an image with the color of the light you desire, with any image editor. The preferred format is TGA, although any format will work. Create a new project in Aether, select your scenario. Now, on the right side, click the edit button. All you need to do at this point, is click every import, and select your color you saved previously. When done, close, and click save when it asks you.

Reviewing your Results
All that's left to do, is make your map now that you don't need to worry about it taking for ever to generate draft lightmaps. Even when getting to your final lightmaps, it would be easier just skipping directly to the Aether potion of generating high quality final lightmaps to begin with.