This is useful for windows on houses,
to push up the FPS.

It hides props and stuff from be rendered, even you look on it
(a normal area_portal is open when you look on it).


Steps:

Make a window (a hole in the wall ).
Make a window-frame (not a must, but it looks better).
Now make 3 brushes: the glass-window, the area_portalwindow and an func_brush.
Glass and area_portal brush 1 nunit, the func_brush 3 units thick.

Set the texture tools/black on the func_brush.
Effect: The window fades to black, if you go away from and view on it.

Fit the glass-window to the frame, the func_brush also,
and the area_portalwindow to the solid walls

Make frame and glass to func_detail
(If the window has to be breakable,
make it func_breakable, of course ^^)

2d Top-view:



Go to the func_brush and give it a name.



If the window is breakable, make the func_brush not solid.



Now on the area_portalwindow,
set the rendered window.
Use the name of the func_brush what you set before.



Thats all you have to do


Now lets see how it works:


Open portal, you can see the props behind



Closed portal: nothing behind it will be rendered
and you pushed up the fps ^_^


You can check by getting the example map
(*.bsp + *. vmf)


PS
Sorry for my bad english -.-

If say simplistically - it makes the window non-transparent when you do not close ( therefore, the FPS increases ) ???

since you cannot look trough closed portals,
i say yes, it make it non-transparent

to be exactly, it will be black ^^
like in real life, you cannot look in windows from distance or?

just load the example.bsp, and look it ingame

on the screens it looks strange because of wireframe is on

wow moon ur a genious ty

Thanks moonie, thats extremely useful for mappers. Most tutorials are over complicated when it comes to area portals but this is perfect! Nicely written and step by step :]

thank you ^^

but im not sure about the 2d topview ..
is it understandable?

It does look slightly complicated but I can understand it perfectly mm

Its not easy for someone to see what it means.
But im sure when all will look on it carefully they will get something out of it...So its ok ^^

Thanks moon