Complete list of q3map2 command line parameters

Common options

-connect address: Talk to a NetRadiant instance using a specific XML based protocol
-force: Allow reading some broken/unsupported BSP files e.g. when decompiling, may also crash
-fs_basepath path: Sets the given path as main directory of the game (can be used more than once to look in multiple paths)
-fs_game gamename: Sets a different game directory name (default for Q3A: baseq3)
-fs_homebase dir: Specifies where the user home directory name is on Linux (default for Q3A: .q3a)
-game gamename: Load settings for the given game (default: quake3)
-subdivisions F: multiplier for patch subdivisions quality
-threads N: number of threads to use
-v: Verbose mode


BSP stage

-bsp ... filename.map: Switch that enters this stage
-altsplit: Alternate BSP tree splitting weights (should give more fps)
-celshader shadername: Sets a global cel shader name
-custinfoparms: Read scripts/custinfoparms.txt
-debuginset: Push all triangle vertexes towards the triangle center
-debugportals: Make BSP portals visible in the map
-debugsurfaces: Color the vertexes according to the index of the surface
-deep: Use detail brushes in the BSP tree, but at lowest priority (should give more fps)
-de F: Distance epsilon for plane snapping etc.
-fakemap: Write fakemap.map containing all world brushes
-flares: Turn on support for flares (TEST?)
-flat: Enable flat shading (good for combining with -celshader)
-fulldetail: Treat detail brushes as structural ones
-leaktest: Abort if a leak was found
-meta: Combine adjacent triangles of the same texture to surfaces (ALWAYS USE THIS)
-minsamplesize N: Sets minimum lightmap resolution in luxels/qu
-mi N: Sets the maximum number of indexes per surface
-mv N: Sets the maximum number of vertices of a lightmapped surface
-ne F: Normal epsilon for plane snapping etc.
-nocurves: Turn off support for patches
-nodetail: Leave out detail brushes
-noflares: Turn off support for flares
-nofog: Turn off support for fog volumes
-nohint: Turn off support for hint brushes
-nosubdivide: Turn off support for q3map_tessSize (breaks water vertex deforms)
-notjunc: Do not fix T-junctions (causes cracks between triangles, do not use)
-nowater: Turn off support for water, slime or lava (Stef, this is for you)
-np A: Force all surfaces to be nonplanar with a given shade angle
-onlyents: Only update entities in the BSP
-patchmeta: Turn patches into triangle meshes for display
-rename: Append “bsp” suffix to miscmodel shaders (needed for SoF2)
-samplesize N: Sets default lightmap resolution in luxels/qu
-skyfix: Turn sky box into six surfaces to work around ATI problems
-snap N: Snap brush bevel planes to the given number of units
-tempname filename.map: Read the MAP file from the given file name
-texrange N: Limit per-surface texture range to the given number of units, and subdivide surfaces like with q3map_tessSize if this is not met
-tmpout: Write the BSP file to /tmp
-verboseentities: Enable -v only for map entities, not for the world


VIS stage

-vis ... filename.map: Switch that enters this stage
-fast: Very fast and crude vis calculation
-mergeportals: The less crude half of -merge, makes vis sometimes much faster but doesn’t hurt fps usually
-merge: Faster but still okay vis calculation
-nopassage: Just use PortalFlow vis (usually less fps)
-nosort: Do not sort the portals before calculating vis (usually slower)
-passageOnly: Just use PassageFlow vis (usually less fps)
-saveprt: Keep the PRT file after running vis (so you can run vis again)
-tmpin: Use /tmp folder for input
-tmpout: Use /tmp folder for output


LIGHT stage

-light ... filename.map: Switch that enters this stage
-vlight ... filename.map: Deprecated alias for -light -fast ... filename.map
-approx N: Vertex light approximation tolerance (never use in conjunction with deluxemapping)
-areascale F, -area F: Scaling factor for area lights (surfacelight)
-border: Add a red border to lightmaps for debugging
-bouncegrid: Also compute radiosity on the light grid
-bounceonly: Only compute radiosity
-bouncescale F: Scaling factor for radiosity
-bounce N: Number of bounces for radiosity
-cheapgrid: Use -cheap style lighting for radiosity
-cheap: Abort vertex light calculations when white is reached
-compensate F: Lightmap compensate (darkening factor applied after everything else)
-cpma: CPMA vertex lighting mode
-custinfoparms: Read scripts/custinfoparms.txt
-dark: Darken lightmap seams
-debugaxis: Color the lightmaps according to the lightmap axis
-debugcluster: Color the lightmaps according to the index of the cluster
-debugdeluxe: Show deluxemaps on the lightmap
-debugnormals: Color the lightmaps according to the direction of the surface normal
-debugorigin: Color the lightmaps according to the origin of the luxels
-debugsurfaces, -debugsurface: Color the lightmaps according to the index of the surface
-debugunused: This option does nothing
-debug: Mark the lightmaps according to the cluster: unmapped clusters get yellow, occluded ones get pink, flooded ones get blue overlay color, otherwise red
-deluxemode 0: Use modelspace deluxemaps (DarkPlaces)
-deluxemode 1: Use tangentspace deluxemaps
-deluxe, -deluxemap: Enable deluxemapping (light direction maps)
-dirtdebug, -debugdirt: Store the dirtmaps as lightmaps for debugging
-dirtdepth: Dirtmapping depth
-dirtgain: Dirtmapping exponent
-dirtmode 0: Ordered direction dirtmapping
-dirtmode 1: Randomized direction dirtmapping
-dirtscale: Dirtmapping scaling factor
-dirty: Enable dirtmapping
-dump: Dump radiosity from -bounce into numbered MAP file prefabs
-export: Export lightmaps when compile finished (like -export mode)
-exposure F: Lightmap exposure to better support overbright spots
-external: Force external lightmaps even if at size of internal lightmaps
-extravisnudge: Broken feature to nudge the luxel origin to a better vis cluster
-extrawide: Deprecated alias for -super 2 -filter
-extra: Deprecated alias for -super 2
-fastbounce: Use -fast style lighting for radiosity
-faster: Use a faster falloff curve for lighting; also implies -fast
-fastgrid: Use -fast style lighting for the light grid
-fast: Ignore tiny light contributions
-filter: Lightmap filtering
-floodlight: Enable floodlight (zero-effort somewhat decent lighting)
-gamma F: Lightmap gamma
-gridambientscale F: Scaling factor for the light grid ambient components only
-gridscale F: Scaling factor for the light grid only
-keeplights: Keep light entities in the BSP file after compile
-lightmapdir directory: Directory to store external lightmaps (default: same as map name without extension)
-lightmapsize N: Size of lightmaps to generate (must be a power of two)
-lomem: Low memory but slower lighting mode
-lowquality: Low quality floodlight (appears to currently break floodlight)
-minsamplesize N: Sets minimum lightmap resolution in luxels/qu
-nocollapse: Do not collapse identical lightmaps
-nodeluxe, -nodeluxemap: Disable deluxemapping
-nogrid: Disable grid light calculation (makes all entities fullbright)
-nolightmapsearch: Do not optimize lightmap packing for GPU memory usage (as doing so costs fps)
-normalmap: Color the lightmaps according to the direction of the surface normal (TODO is this identical to -debugnormals?)
-nostyle, -nostyles: Disable support for light styles
-nosurf: Disable tracing against surfaces (only uses BSP nodes then)
-notrace: Disable shadow occlusion
-novertex: Disable vertex lighting
-patchshadows: Cast shadows from patches
-pointscale F, -point F: Scaling factor for point lights (light entities)
-q3: Use nonlinear falloff curve by default (like Q3A)
-samplescale F: Scales all lightmap resolutions
-samplesize N: Sets default lightmap resolution in luxels/qu
-samples N: Adaptive supersampling quality
-scale F: Scaling factor for all light types
-shadeangle A: Angle for phong shading
-shade: Enable phong shading at default shade angle
-skyscale F, -sky F: Scaling factor for sky and sun light
-smooth: Deprecated alias for -samples 2
-style, -styles: Enable support for light styles
-sunonly: Only compute sun light
-super N, -supersample N: Ordered grid supersampling quality
-thresh F: Triangle subdivision threshold
-trianglecheck: Broken check that should ensure luxels apply to the right triangle
-trisoup: Convert brush faces to triangle soup
-wolf: Use linear falloff curve by default (like W:ET)


Analyzing BSP-like file structure

-analyze ... filename.bsp: Switch that enters this mode
-lumpswap: Swap byte order in the lumps


Converting & Decompiling

-convert ... filename.bsp: Switch that enters this mode
-de number: Distance epsilon for the conversion
-format converter: Select the converter (available: map, ase, or game names)
-ne F: Normal epsilon for the conversion
-shadersasbitmap: (only for ase) use the shader names as *BITMAP key so they work as prefabs


Exporting lightmaps

-export filename.bsp: Copies lightmaps from the BSP to filename/lightmap_0000.tga ff
Fixing AAS checksum
-fixaas filename.bsp: Switch that enters this mode


Get info about BSP file

-info filename.bsp: Switch that enters this mode


Importing lightmaps

-import filename.bsp: Copies lightmaps from filename/lightmap_0000.tga ff into the BSP


MiniMap

-minimap ... filename.bsp: Creates a minimap of the BSP, by default writes to ../gfx/filename_mini.tga
-black: Write the minimap as a black-on-transparency RGBA32 image
-boost F: Sets the contrast boost value (higher values make a brighter image); contrast boost is somewhat similar to gamma, but continuous even at zero
-border F: Sets the amount of border pixels relative to the total image size
-gray: Write the minimap as a white-on-black GRAY8 image
-keepaspect: Ensure the aspect ratio is kept (the minimap is then letterboxed to keep aspect)
-minmax xmin ymin zmin xmax ymax zmax: Forces specific map dimensions (note: the minimap actually uses these dimensions, scaled to the target size while keeping aspect with centering, and 1/64 of border appended to all sides)
-nokeepaspect: Do not ensure the aspect ratio is kept (makes it easier to use the image in your code, but looks bad together with sharpening)
-o filename.tga: Sets the output file name
-random N: Sets the randomized supersampling count (cannot be combined with -samples)
-samples N: Sets the ordered supersampling count (cannot be combined with -random)
-sharpen F: Sets the sharpening coefficient
-size N: Sets the width and height of the output image
-white: Write the minimap as a white-on-transparency RGBA32 image


Scaling

-scale S filename.bsp: Scale uniformly
-scale SX SY SZ filename.bsp: Scale non-uniformly
-scale -tex S filename.bsp: Scale uniformly without texture lock
-scale -tex SX SY SZ filename.bsp: Scale non-uniformly without texture lock