Dynamic Lighting Problem

[steelle]

I'm really new to map making, but I wanted to tryout making a swinging light. I've made a really simple prop myself and set it as a physbox and then used the ball and socket entity to anchor it to a ceiling so it can swing. I was going to use a light_dynamic and a point_spotlight that have the light prop as the parent, but my problem is that when I compile and run the level, the dynamic light is not rendered. Unless I have another light in the level, it just light the entire level up as if there are no lights at all. I guess I just want to know why my dynamic lights aren't working.

Also, I heard that you can also project a texture (forget what its called in hammer) but that one didn't work either when I tried it. The point_spotlight works great, but its technically not a light, so if I run the level with just that it lights it evenly.

[3kliksphilip]

I believe that light_dynamic is a 'real time' light. It projects light where ever it's pointed, but doesn't class as a proper light because it doesn't really light up an area properly. Have you tried placing a light or light_environment in your level?

Project a texture? You mean like, the projector on office?

[steelle]

env_projectedtexture. Its supposed to cast realtime shadows and I had read that's what they used for the flashlight in episode 2. Anyways when I use that one it doesn't move with the light, even if I have the light set as its parent.

Oh and I got the dynamic light to work. You were right that I needed another light source in the map to get it to work properly. What I am wondering now is how do I cast dynamic shadows associated with that swinging light. I'm looking for something like the shadows your flashlight casts in episode 2. This is why I started messing around with env_projectedtexture. Stationary it looks wonderful, but it doesn't seem to want to move with anything. Unless theres another way to produce those types of shadows from a moving light source. Also it appears that the engine doesn't like it when two env_projected textures interact, i.e. shining your flashlight on the shadow that another projectedtexture leaves.