Compiling:Commands

Complete list of command line parameters

Common options

• -connect address: Talk to a NetRadiant instance using a specific XML based protocol
• -force: Allow reading some broken/unsupported BSP files e.g. when decompiling, may also crash
• -fs_basepath path: Sets the given path as main directory of the game (can be used more than once to look in multiple paths)
• -fs_game gamename: Sets a different game directory name (default for Q3A: baseq3)
• -fs_homebase dir: Specifies where the user home directory name is on Linux (default for Q3A: .q3a)
• -game gamename: Load settings for the given game (default: quake3)
• -subdivisions F: multiplier for patch subdivisions quality
• -threads N: number of threads to use
• -v: Verbose mode

BSP stage

• -bsp ... filename.map: Switch that enters this stage
• -altsplit: Alternate BSP tree splitting weights (should give more fps)
• -celshader shadername: Sets a global cel shader name
• -custinfoparms: Read scripts/custinfoparms.txt
• -debuginset: Push all triangle vertexes towards the triangle center
• -debugportals: Make BSP portals visible in the map
• -debugsurfaces: Color the vertexes according to the index of the surface
• -deep: Use detail brushes in the BSP tree, but at lowest priority (should give more fps)
• -de F: Distance epsilon for plane snapping etc.
• -fakemap: Write fakemap.map containing all world brushes
• -flares: Turn on support for flares (TEST?)
• -flat: Enable flat shading (good for combining with -celshader)
• -fulldetail: Treat detail brushes as structural ones
• -leaktest: Abort if a leak was found
• -meta: Combine adjacent triangles of the same texture to surfaces (ALWAYS USE THIS)
• -minsamplesize N: Sets minimum lightmap resolution in luxels/qu
• -mi N: Sets the maximum number of indexes per surface
• -mv N: Sets the maximum number of vertices of a lightmapped surface
• -ne F: Normal epsilon for plane snapping etc.
• -nocurves: Turn off support for patches
• -nodetail: Leave out detail brushes
• -noflares: Turn off support for flares
• -nofog: Turn off support for fog volumes
• -nohint: Turn off support for hint brushes
• -nosubdivide: Turn off support for q3map_tessSize (breaks water vertex deforms)
• -notjunc: Do not fix T-junctions (causes cracks between triangles, do not use)
• -nowater: Turn off support for water, slime or lava (Stef, this is for you)
• -np A: Force all surfaces to be nonplanar with a given shade angle
• -onlyents: Only update entities in the BSP
• -patchmeta: Turn patches into triangle meshes for display
• -rename: Append "\_bsp" suffix to misc\_model shaders (needed for SoF2)
• -samplesize N: Sets default lightmap resolution in luxels/qu
• -skyfix: Turn sky box into six surfaces to work around ATI problems
• -snap N: Snap brush bevel planes to the given number of units
• -tempname filename.map: Read the MAP file from the given file name
• -texrange N: Limit per-surface texture range to the given number of units, and subdivide surfaces like with q3map_tessSize if this is not met
• -tmpout: Write the BSP file to /tmp
• -verboseentities: Enable -v only for map entities, not for the world

VIS stage

• -vis ... filename.map: Switch that enters this stage
• -fast: Very fast and crude vis calculation
• -mergeportals: The less crude half of -merge, makes vis sometimes much faster but doesn't hurt fps usually
• -merge: Faster but still okay vis calculation
• -nopassage: Just use PortalFlow vis (usually less fps)
• -nosort: Do not sort the portals before calculating vis (usually slower)
• -passageOnly: Just use PassageFlow vis (usually less fps)
• -saveprt: Keep the PRT file after running vis (so you can run vis again)
• -tmpin: Use /tmp folder for input
• -tmpout: Use /tmp folder for output

LIGHT stage

• -light ... filename.map: Switch that enters this stage
• -vlight ... filename.map: Deprecated alias for -light -fast ... filename.map
• -approx N: Vertex light approximation tolerance (never use in conjunction with deluxemapping)
• -areascale F, -area F: Scaling factor for area lights (surfacelight)
• -border: Add a red border to lightmaps for debugging
• -bouncegrid: Also compute radiosity on the light grid
• -bounceonly: Only compute radiosity
• -bouncescale F: Scaling factor for radiosity
• -bounce N: Number of bounces for radiosity
• -cheapgrid: Use -cheap style lighting for radiosity
• -cheap: Abort vertex light calculations when white is reached
• -compensate F: Lightmap compensate (darkening factor applied after everything else)
• -cpma: CPMA vertex lighting mode
• -custinfoparms: Read scripts/custinfoparms.txt
• -dark: Darken lightmap seams
• -debugaxis: Color the lightmaps according to the lightmap axis
• -debugcluster: Color the lightmaps according to the index of the cluster
• -debugdeluxe: Show deluxemaps on the lightmap
• -debugnormals: Color the lightmaps according to the direction of the surface normal
• -debugorigin: Color the lightmaps according to the origin of the luxels
• -debugsurfaces, -debugsurface: Color the lightmaps according to the index of the surface
• -debugunused: This option does nothing
• -debug: Mark the lightmaps according to the cluster: unmapped clusters get yellow, occluded ones get pink, flooded ones get blue overlay color, otherwise red
• -deluxemode 0: Use modelspace deluxemaps (DarkPlaces)
• -deluxemode 1: Use tangentspace deluxemaps
• -deluxe, -deluxemap: Enable deluxemapping (light direction maps)
• -dirtdebug, -debugdirt: Store the dirtmaps as lightmaps for debugging
• -dirtdepth: Dirtmapping depth
• -dirtgain: Dirtmapping exponent
• -dirtmode 0: Ordered direction dirtmapping
• -dirtmode 1: Randomized direction dirtmapping
• -dirtscale: Dirtmapping scaling factor
• -dirty: Enable dirtmapping
• -dump: Dump radiosity from -bounce into numbered MAP file prefabs
• -export: Export lightmaps when compile finished (like -export mode)
• -exposure F: Lightmap exposure to better support overbright spots
• -external: Force external lightmaps even if at size of internal lightmaps
• -extravisnudge: Broken feature to nudge the luxel origin to a better vis cluster
• -extrawide: Deprecated alias for -super 2 -filter
• -extra: Deprecated alias for -super 2
• -fastbounce: Use -fast style lighting for radiosity
• -faster: Use a faster falloff curve for lighting; also implies -fast
• -fastgrid: Use -fast style lighting for the light grid
• -fast: Ignore tiny light contributions
• -filter: Lightmap filtering
• -floodlight: Enable floodlight (zero-effort somewhat decent lighting)
• -gamma F: Lightmap gamma
• -gridambientscale F: Scaling factor for the light grid ambient components only
• -gridscale F: Scaling factor for the light grid only
• -keeplights: Keep light entities in the BSP file after compile
• -lightmapdir directory: Directory to store external lightmaps (default: same as map name without extension)
• -lightmapsize N: Size of lightmaps to generate (must be a power of two)
• -lomem: Low memory but slower lighting mode
• -lowquality: Low quality floodlight (appears to currently break floodlight)
• -minsamplesize N: Sets minimum lightmap resolution in luxels/qu
• -nocollapse: Do not collapse identical lightmaps
• -nodeluxe, -nodeluxemap: Disable deluxemapping
• -nogrid: Disable grid light calculation (makes all entities fullbright)
• -nolightmapsearch: Do not optimize lightmap packing for GPU memory usage (as doing so costs fps)
• -normalmap: Color the lightmaps according to the direction of the surface normal (TODO is this identical to -debugnormals?)
• -nostyle, -nostyles: Disable support for light styles
• -nosurf: Disable tracing against surfaces (only uses BSP nodes then)
• -notrace: Disable shadow occlusion
• -novertex: Disable vertex lighting
• -patchshadows: Cast shadows from patches
• -pointscale F, -point F: Scaling factor for point lights (light entities)
• -q3: Use nonlinear falloff curve by default (like Q3A)
• -samplescale F: Scales all lightmap resolutions
• -samplesize N: Sets default lightmap resolution in luxels/qu
• -samples N: Adaptive supersampling quality
• -scale F: Scaling factor for all light types
• -shadeangle A: Angle for phong shading
• -shade: Enable phong shading at default shade angle
• -skyscale F, -sky F: Scaling factor for sky and sun light
• -smooth: Deprecated alias for -samples 2
• -style, -styles: Enable support for light styles
• -sunonly: Only compute sun light
• -super N, -supersample N: Ordered grid supersampling quality
• -thresh F: Triangle subdivision threshold
• -trianglecheck: Broken check that should ensure luxels apply to the right triangle
• -trisoup: Convert brush faces to triangle soup
• -wolf: Use linear falloff curve by default (like W:ET)

Analyzing BSP-like file structure

• -analyze ... filename.bsp: Switch that enters this mode
• -lumpswap: Swap byte order in the lumps

Converting & Decompiling

• -convert ... filename.bsp: Switch that enters this mode
• -de number: Distance epsilon for the conversion
• -format converter: Select the converter (available: map, ase, or game names)
• -ne F: Normal epsilon for the conversion
• -shadersasbitmap: (only for ase) use the shader names as *BITMAP key so they work as prefabs

Exporting lightmaps

• -export filename.bsp: Copies lightmaps from the BSP to filename/lightmap_0000.tga ff

Fixing AAS checksum

• -fixaas filename.bsp: Switch that enters this mode

Get info about BSP file

• -info filename.bsp: Switch that enters this mode

Importing lightmaps

• -import filename.bsp: Copies lightmaps from filename/lightmap_0000.tga ff into the BSP

MiniMap

• -minimap ... filename.bsp: Creates a minimap of the BSP, by default writes to ../gfx/filename_mini.tga
• -black: Write the minimap as a black-on-transparency RGBA32 image
• -boost F: Sets the contrast boost value (higher values make a brighter image); contrast boost is somewhat similar to gamma, but continuous even at zero
• -border F: Sets the amount of border pixels relative to the total image size
• -gray: Write the minimap as a white-on-black GRAY8 image
• -keepaspect: Ensure the aspect ratio is kept (the minimap is then letterboxed to keep aspect)
• -minmax xmin ymin zmin xmax ymax zmax: Forces specific map dimensions (note: the minimap actually uses these dimensions, scaled to the target size while keeping aspect with * -centering, and 1/64 of border appended to all sides)
• -nokeepaspect: Do not ensure the aspect ratio is kept (makes it easier to use the image in your code, but looks bad together with sharpening)
• -o filename.tga: Sets the output file name
• -random N: Sets the randomized supersampling count (cannot be combined with -samples)
• -samples N: Sets the ordered supersampling count (cannot be combined with -random)
• -sharpen F: Sets the sharpening coefficient
• -size N: Sets the width and height of the output image
• -white: Write the minimap as a white-on-transparency RGBA32 image

Scaling

• -scale S filename.bsp: Scale uniformly
• -scale SX SY SZ filename.bsp: Scale non-uniformly
• -scale -tex S filename.bsp: Scale uniformly without texture lock
• -scale -tex SX SY SZ filename.bsp: Scale non-uniformly without texture lock