Light mapper latest (available) script

Light mapping has been an ongoing issue with the DAO toolset since its inception. The initial version (1. 0) suffered from serious bugs, while version 1. 2, included in the latest toolset release, remains usable but falls short of achieving the results seen in BioWare’s original levels. The light mapping process itself is time-consuming, often requiring 6-7+ hours on older PCs (depending on level size) just to reveal that the light map is flawed—almost like Murphy’s law in action.

But someone (can't recall who) was made updated script and added some options into it so you could control light map quality and cpu cores used (which I believe wasn't working properly) as with more information in toolset log. That alone offers options to speed up the light mapping process. At least this way, you’ll spend less time waiting to determine if everything is “working” or “looking as it should" when testing the level.

You need to have installed ActiveStatePython 2. 5. 5. 7 or something compatible.

Go to your Game\toolset install folder and inside "lightmapper" folder backup old "LightMapper.py" script, then replace it with "LightMapper.py" from this file.

Then in DAO Toolset go to "Tools => Options" for "Level Editor => LightMapper Command" and replace the "LightMapper Command":

Old: $(TOOLSET)\Lightmapper\EclipseRay.exe LightMapper.py --terse -cpus=2

New: $(TOOLSET)\Lightmapper\EclipseRay.exe LightMapper.py --resMult=0. 5 --progress --terse --cpus=4

• []Parameter "--cpus" - Try to experiment here, if you have multiple cores try to adjust number here, more cores - more speed, but beware that this is an older python and script and you could encounter some issues depending on number of cpus used.

  []Parameter "--resMult" is for quality menaing the size of lightmap and time needed to create that lightmap. Here ie. 0. 5 is for half of the quality, good for quick testing, but as I recall different "--resMult" could have issues on one value, but not for the other, ie. value 0. 5 could have some artefacts but value 1 (or 1. 0?) could have them, but it could be more or less visible. Sometimes even lower "quality" looks better.

• Parameter "--progress" here is used to show more info in toolset's log.

  If you encounter artefacts in your lightmap, try to play with the tessellation in that place and / or re-adjust / change light type and it's intensity. If nothing helps, then you should try to somehow "disguise" that place in level (ie. vegetation, some prop).

  For some effects and better results you would also need to combine the settings in your mod's "areadata_xxx.gda" file and assigning it to your "area" when testing the level in the game!

  Tested on Windows11!

  More info at: My blog and (kind of) tutorials: https://datoolsetblog.wordpress.com/