Mapbase requires custom map compilers (primarily a custom VBSP) for the following reasons:

  • Mapbase uses custom shaders, which default VBSP does not support.
  • Mapbase uses parallax corrected cubemaps, which also requires changes to VBSP to support.

Mapbase makes its own changes for this, although other community tools have been created that can be used with Mapbase as well. This includes VBSP++ and Slammin’ Source’s VBSP, although the latter does not support parallax corrected cubemaps.

Download Mapbase Compile Tools:

Mapbase Compile Tools

Here’s an actual list of changes Mapbase makes to the compile tools (at least relative to the SP branch):

All

  • Thread limit has been boosted to 32 as suggested here

VBSP

  • Removed warnings for occluders straddling multiple brushes, as this is believed to have only been a problem in 2004-2006 versions of Source
  • Fixed func_detail smoothing groups (from ValveSoftware/source-sdk-2013 #391)
  • Applied various manifest fixes (from DeathByNukes/source-sdk-2013)
  • Allowed all models with $staticprop to be used as prop_static (replicated from Slammin’ Source)
  • Parallax corrected cubemap support (from the VDC article)
  • -leaktest enabled by default and replaced with a -noleaktest command (replicated from Slammin’ Source)
  • %compileNoShadows command (replicated from Slammin’ Source)
  • Areaportal leaks terminate VBSP, just like regular leak testing (disabled when -noleaktest is used)
  • Default cubemaps not generated by default due to an in-shader alternative used by Mapbase; new -defaultcubemap command to reinstate behavior (was previously just -nodefaultcubemap, which was replicated from Slammin’ Source)
  • Raised limits based on research from ficool2:
    • Raised maximum VBSP entities from 8192 to 65536 (Not in-game entities! This is for static props and other internal entities)
    • Raised maximum VBSP worldlights from 8192 to 65536
    • Raised maximum VBSP overlays from 512 to 8192

VVIS

  • N/A

VRAD

  • Fixed useless debug counter (from this PR)