Legacy talk:Building A SkyBox

FreshMeat: Please go into more detail about how to create a skybox without a static mesh. All I have tried have come out with distorted textures, and looking quite obviously like a box with a sky painted on it.

Switch`: The skyzoneinfo actor must be exactly in the center of the box. Enter the location manually in skyzoneinfo properties.

SuperApe: External link added to good tutorial for more realism in skyboxes.

Hellkeeper: Switch`, The Skyzoneinfo can be anywhere inside the skybox, and does not absolutely have to be in the center of it.

WesBelden: Sorry to pester, but the link to the UT3 Fake Skybox post comes up with an invalid post message. I've searched the UT3 forum but couldn't find anything on skyboxes :-|. If you have the info and could C&P as a placeholder on this page that'd be really helpful! :).

Wormbo: Unfortunately BUF's database suffered a fatal harddisk crash a while ago, taking out a large number of posts. I'll see if I can write that tutorial again from memory.

WesBelden: I've just tried the above steps without any luck. I'll try again tomorrow when I'm actually awake; just to clarify though, should the material be applied to the 6 sides of a subtracted area, or should it only be applied to one surface, simulating a window?

Wormbo: Being awake certainly helps when learning new things: ;)

The material can now be applied to the window surface through which the sky box should be visible from within the main area of your map.

WesBelden: Heheh, thanks :). After running through the steps again my house mate and I managed to get the fake skybox working to a degree. The texture displayed the fake skybox area and updated great whilst moving around, however the view given was always that of looking up towards the fake skybox's ceiling, no matter what surface (or its orientation) it was applied to. Rotating the SceneCaptureMapActor didn't have an effect. Is there any way of specifying which direction it should be looking at (I had assumed it would just show the direction based on the normal of the surface it was being applied to)?

WesBelden: After a helpful reply in the Epic forums (causing me to slap my face and make silly, self reproaching noises), I've finally managed to get it working; section updated.

Guest: What happens if, instead of making a sky box, you make an 8 sided sky box. Would it look better, or just not work?

It really doesn't matter what shape you create for the sky zone, what matters is how the final result looks like. Common skybox textures are designed to be used on cube surfaces, though. —Wormbo 18:08, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

TheKiller: The Skybox Instructions are only working in SinglePlayer Mode To get them working in Multiplayer You have to add a ZoneInfo icon to the Map So the Sky will be displayed