HalfLife.Qeradiant.com - Overview Of Rock Styles

1. The use of sloping polygons - tutorial

Here we come to a very basic rock look based on sloping walls with sometimes more then three edges (two to three edges are normal). This kind of rock could often be find in multiplayer-maps because of their simple construction which

hold the r_speed down. But for singleplayer-maps the look becomes soon very boring. The easiest way to get a rock like this is to create a normal rectangle brush with the right height for a rock and then play around with some cutting and vertex manipulation techniques like drag edges.
Important:
To improve your rock wall you should combine this basic constructions with some good looking overhangs or some pyramid-shaped brushes.

2. The use of a pointed pyramid-shaped brush - tutorial

This rock style based on a pointed pyramid-shaped brush is more a completion to existing rock wall then a alone standing one. It find use in both single and multiplayer maps and is a good possibility to cover awful edges where two

simple walls meet together. Another positive point is that the creation of such a brush is very easy just make a simple rectangle brush then transform it to pointed pyramid by using the drag edges function and then only fit it into your existing rock wall with drag verticals.
Important:
If you use to much rocks of this type it will be look like some idiot tries to cut a pyramid-shaped landscape out of the rock and this has nothing to do with a realistic environment.

3. The use of a overhanging brush - tutorial

Now we come to a more complex but easy to use rock style which is based on a overhanging brush usually in shape of a triangle (but other shapes are also possible). Like the pyramid-shaped brush this rock style is only a completion to

existing rock wall. So both the pyramid-shaped brush and the overhanging brush are good additions to make a simple rock-wall more realistic and also more complex. One way to create such a brush is to manipulate a rectangle by using the drag edges function to an overhanging brush with a pointed part and your basic construction is ready. Then simply use the drag verticals function to fir the overhang into your wall.
Important:
Be sure that the overhang is really next to the wall without any space between them!!

4. The use of complex polygons

At last we come to the most complex rock style based on a simple (6 or 7 sided) sphere. This is the reason why it isn't profitable for large rockwalls because this would cause a terrible crash of the r-speed. So please only use this type of

rock as an alone standing attraction in your maps (a good example is the counter-strike map de_prodigy where you find two of this rock types: the big overhang and the rock of the picture). Also it is a lit bit difficult to get all the small rock parts fit fine together. So you must be very familiar with cutting because this is the best way of doing it (drag edges and vertices are also important possibilities). Since there is no general basic way of creating such kind of rocks there will be no tutorial in the next future (maybe later). The best way to learn it is to practice different cutting styles in the XY-, XZ-, and YZ-view (you must be familiar with all these three perspectives of a brush!).
Important:
Since this rock style is based on very complex brushed you shouldn't use it in large areas or parts of your level where the r_speed is already too high.