Transparent Water Tutorial

Content - Quake

This tutorial will explain how to add the transparent water effect to your user created maps. If you are looking for transparent water for the standard Quake maps or the mission packs, you can download them from the Quake page. First, you will need the QuakeVISUtils.ZIP file. Then extract it to a new folder of your choosing. Call it “Quake Utils” for easy reference. It includes the following files:

BSP2PRT.EXE : This extracts the “portal” data from a map (the data for liquid surfaces/textures), and creates a file with the same name as the map it’s used on, but with a “PRT” extension. It writes that file in the current directory unless you tell it otherwise.

RVIS.EXE : This takes the data in the PRT file and uses it to recompile the BSP map with transparency enabled.

WINPAK.EXE : Useful for extracting files from PAK files, and also for creating PAK files from a group of files (necessary when patching the maps contained in a PAK file).

BSP2PRT.TXT : Readme file for the BSP2PRT utility. RVIS.TXT : Readme file for the RVIS utility.

WPAKHELP.TXT : Readme file for WINPAK utility.

Use the info above as a “checklist”, and make sure that these files are always in your “Quake Utils” folder. To patch individual maps (BSP format) :

Copy the BSP file you want to patch into the “Quake Utils” folder.

Click and Drag the BSP file over the BSP2PRT file first. This creates the portal data file and should only take a few seconds.

Click and Drag the BSP file again over the RVIS file. This patches the map.

When the DOS window disappears, the map is finished. If the map is large, this may take awhile (anywhere from a few seconds to over 30 minutes). When it’s done, just copy the BSP file back to the MAPS folder (overwrite the old version) and test it out. Don’t forget to set r_wateralpha = 0.4 for best effect.

Don’t forget to delete the BSP and PRT files left behind from the patching. The “Quake Utils” folder should only contain the utilities extracted from this email (see above for checklist).

To patch maps contained within PAK files :

First, you need to create a working folder. The easiest place is on the Windows Desktop. Right click on the desktop and choose NEW > FOLDER. Name the folder “WORK1″.

Copy the PAK that you want to extract the maps from into the WORK1 folder.

Copy the WINPAK.EXE utility into this folder as well, and run it by double-clicking the file.

Choose FILE | OPEN PAK FILE in the utility’s menu bar.

Select the PAK file you want to extract. It should already be showing in the folder list. Note the name of this file, since you will be recreating it later.

Click Extract All in the utility and all files and folders should be extracted.

Clean up the folder by deleting WINPAK.EXE and the original PAK file from this folder. This folder should only contain the files that were actually in the PAK file. Be sure NOT to disturb the folder structure!

Next, you need to put the patching utilities where they will be the easiest to use and patch the map files.

Copy the BSP2PRT.EXE and RVIS.EXE utilities from your Quake Utils folder into the MAPS directory in the working folder. This puts the utilities right where they will be doing the most work. If there is no Maps directory, make sure you have extracted a PAK file that actually has maps in it. Not all PAK files have to contain maps!

Drag and Drop each of the BSP files in the Maps folder over the BSP2PRT file. This will create the portal information files that will be used to re-VIS the maps. This usually only takes a few seconds per file.

With the Maps folder open and Active, click Start, go to Run, type COMMAND, and hit OK. This opens a DOS window, with the Maps directory in the working folder set as current directory.

Use the still-open Maps folder window as a guide so you don’t lose track, and pick the first BSP file that you want to patch. Type RVIS and hit . [Example: RVIS MAP1.BSP] Note: This process may take a LONG time, depending on the map. When it is complete, you will see stats on Avg. Visible Leafs and the VIS’ing time, counted in seconds. The prompt will also be back so you can type in another command.

Repeat Step 4 for each BSP file in the folder. Use the F3 key to recall the previous command if you want to save keystrokes, and edit as needed.

Once the last map is patched, you will want to clean up the MAPS folder. Delete any files within the MAPS folder that do not have a BSP extension. Do NOT delete the BSP files, and DO NOT delete files from ANY other folder!

Next, you will want to rebuild the PAK file.

Locate and run your WINPAK.EXE utility again. It doesn’t matter where you run it from.

Click the Build Pak button. The program will ask you what folder you want to start with, and provide a Pak Name field as well.

Point the utility to your working folder, and for the Pak Name, be sure to name it EXACTLY what the original PAK file was called.

Click the Build Pak button on this dialog. Allow the utility to add the files and verify them.

Click the Close button and close the WINPAK utility. You now have a new PAK file in your WORK1 folder.

Finally, copy the newly patched PAK file into your game folder.

Open a window to your game folder in the C:\Quake directory (or wherever you have it installed).

Right click on the PAK file in this folder, and choose RENAME.

Rename the file to something like PAK0.OLD, or PAK0.001. This will be your backup in case you messed up the patching process.

Move your newly patched PAK file into the game folder.

Run Quake and try out the levels to make sure that the PAK was properly built.

When you are satisfied, you can delete the working folder from the Windows Desktop. You may want to keep your backup copy of the original PAK file, just in case…

- Zoopster

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