[ CS:GO] Material and lighting look development

[biXen]

Just in case I missed something, I realize this engine is old, but I find it inheritly difficult to look develop without seeing instant changes or at least being able to compare something 1:1. What do you guys do when you are trying to find the optimal settings/look for textures, materials and lighting? Screenshots? Keeping the game running windowed and somehow refreshing files? Anyone got some ideas or workflows? 

[Klems]

You can use mat_reloadmaterial "pathtothematerial" to refresh a VMT file ingame, then use windowed mode to quickly alt-tab. For some features you might need a recompile of the BSP (for normal maps? I'm not sure).

There's a material editor somewhere but it's barely supported. https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Material_Editor

[Thewhaleman]

Expanding on what Klem has said, fullscreen window and binding mat_reloadmaterial to a key is a good idea if you find yourself making a lot of custom or modded textures. Having the command developer 1 will show you any problems at the top left hand corner, you could also peek into the console. This will alert you if you have to recompile your map or not to get the texture working properly.  Creating a new level that is strictly for testing textures is also a good idea, this way when you do have to recompile you map it takes seconds and isn't a real big issue when it comes to testing in game.

I've also been trying to integrate this into my workflow as of lately, it's a nice program and worth checking out if you're planning on doing a lot of custom textures.

http://www.mapcore.org/topic/20131-vmt-editor-fast-and-simple-editor-for-vmt-files/?page=1

[leplubodeslapin]

Mat_ReloadAllMaterials is better, no ? (you don't have to specify any texture path)

[biXen]

Thanks guys, those are some good tips. I was already using the VMT editor, but to guess what Valve implies with their ways of implementing some of the known features here is very hard at times