RED Brushes

BSP brushes make up the geometry of each Red Faction level. Generally, level designers will create at least the basic layout of their map with brushes before moving on to placing objects or developing scripted sequences. Level design in RED is somewhat unique in the arena FPS genre due to GeoMod technology. Because GeoMod uses the boolean carve operation, it is only possible to blow craters in level geometry - this leads to Red Faction levels generally relying far more on BSP brush geometry for tasks that other engines may turn to static meshes for. Because of this, brushwork in RED tends to be much more flexible and reliable than in some other engines, which also enables level designers to create the majority of their level in the editor itself, rather than relying on 3d editing software for much of their custom geometry as is the case in many other engines.

In short, the GeoMod engine was designed for BSP brushes to be the primary tool in creating environments.

In RED, brushes are used for the following purposes:

• Base level geometry - rooms, walkways, ramps, stairs, etc.
• Geometry within moving groups
• Structural support geometry (that isn't affected by GeoMod)
• Grating and fencing
• Breakable and bulletproof glass
• Portals

Basic Brushwork Concepts

It is always good to have an idea of what you want your level to be before you start. It is even more helpful to sketch out the important parts that you know you would like to have in your level, or the entire layout. You could also use pictures of existing structures that you feel would make for an interesting game environment. Don’t expect to create something incredible in your first attempt, especially if you’ve not used a level editor before. Take some time to acclimate yourself to the commands, options and general functionality of the editor. Reading through the RED Functionality Overview makes starting much simpler.

Air brushes are most likely the first kind of brush you will create when building a level. You will generally start by carving out an area because the RED world is a solid. With planning, you can create a large portion of your level using carefully placed air brushes. Creating the rooms of a level mostly out of air brushes yields better results when it comes time to create rooms.

Solid brushes should be use when you need to add structural details or build objects within a room. Solid brushes will still boolean with other brushes and can be "cut into"(booleaned) by air brushes.

A brush’s placement in time relative to the other brushes in a level affects how the level will look when built. For example, building a solid brush then an air brush room around the solid brush will result in a missing solid. Why? Because a brush is booleaned into the level in the order it was placed. So, the engine will build the solid brush, then build the air brush, cutting away a section (or all) of the solid. This problem can be remedied using the Start of Time and End of Time buttons.

Rooms

Portals and physical gaps in geometry (ie. 2 air brushes that are not attached to eachother in any way) are both used to separate levels into Rooms. Rooms are used to help the engine determine what it needs to render at any given time for a client, so are very valuable for framerate optimization. Additionally, room definition determines the boundaries of Room Effects, EAX Effects, and airlocks.

You can use the View Menu option Show Rooms in Different Colors to easily see the individual rooms in your level.

Brush Shapes

Brushes are created in Brush Mode. When creating a new brush, the first and most important decision a level designer makes is the shape of the brush. The following shapes are available:

Brush Types

Brush types are configured in the Brush Properties panel at the bottom of the Brush Mode panel view. The available options are Is Portal, Is Detail, Emits Steam, and Life. Click Update to apply the selected flags to the selected brush.

Editing Brushwork

Brushwork in RED can be edited via Brush Mode, Face Mode, and Vertex Mode. Aside from performing basic operations (move, rotate, scale) on brushes, faces, or vertices, the following RED tools can be used to edit brushwork:

• Brush Clipping
• Fuse
• Carve
• Mesh Smooth
• Bend
• Twist
• Stretch
• Jitter
• Bevel