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How to Create Roads in Hammer Source Part 3/8:
Creating Wide and Tight 90 Degree Turns

January 20, 2011
Category: Left 4 Dead 2 Mapping, Left 4 Dead Mapping, SourceSDK/Authoring Tools

How to Create Roads in Hammer Source is 8-part series covering various beginner and advanced techniques on creating roads.

Part 3 is focused on:

• 90 Degree Turns
• Tight and Wide 90 Degree Turns
• Arch Tool
• How to Apply Texture Alignment to Curved Geometry
  (advanced technique but very simple to do)
• Func_Detail
• 2 and 4 Lane Turns

VIDEO: PART 3/8

90 DEGREE TURNS - TIGHT

We'll be using the arch tool to create our 90 degree turns.

Select the Block Tool,

Under Objects, select from the drop down menu, arch

Stay on the grid. 8 or 16.

Set the road texture before creating the arch.

Create a template block, with Block Tool of 256x256:

Click Enter, and Arch Tool Properties will come up:

• Wall Width: Wall width of the arch
• Number of Sides: How many brushes will the arch be made out of
• Arc: Do you want a full, half or quarter of an arch
• Start Angle: Where will the angle start for your arch
• Add Height: Each brush will be raised x number of units, creating a spiral staircase.

The preview in Arch Properties will correspond to the top view in Hammer.

Press Ok to build your turn.

APPLYING TEXTURE ALIGNMENT TO CURVED SURFACES

We need to have our road texture, curve along with the surface. This is simple to do.

Select Previous Brush, one next to curved road.

Open up the Face Edit Sheet and select Top Face of the straight brush:

Hold Alt+Right Mouse Click on the side face of the straight brush:

Next, select the side face of the straight brush, and hold Alt+Right Mouse Click on the side face of the curved road brush.

Sides only for now. Make sure to hold Alt+Right Mouse Click.

Select the first face on the side of our road brush. Hold Alt+Right Mouse Click to the top of the face.

This is the key. Select side first, Alt+Right Mouse Click top.

Do this for every brush on the curved surface. One brush at a time. Side, Alt+RMB top. Side, Alt+RMB top etc.

TURN COMPLEX CURVED GEOMETRY TO FUNC_DETAIL

Make sure you turn all complex brushes, our roads to func_detail. Select the brush and press Ctrl+T.

• Select the Brush
• Press Ctrl+T

4 LANE TIGHT 90 DEGREE TURN

Use the same steps to create 4 lane 90 degree tight turns. When creating the template brush, make sure it is the size of the road first.

Arch properties for Wall Width, set it to half size of the road, which will be 256.

90 DEGREE TURNS - WIDE

Select the Block Tool,

Under Objects, select from the drop down menu, arch

Stay on the grid. 8 or 16.

Set the road texture before creating the arch.

Create the template for wide 90 degree turn, twice the size of the road.

Arch Properties for wide 90 degree turn road:

• Remember: Wall Width has to be half size of the road

Here is our wide 90 degree turn.

Apply the same technique for textures as we covered earlier:

Turn this brush into a func_detail.