Doom Builder 2: No clean way to force node rebuild?

This is one of those obvious features that I never noticed was missing until I suddenly needed it. What I did was edit my map geometry in EdMap (because certain things are much easier in that editor than DB2) then reload it in Doom Builder 2 to see what the damage was to my visplane count. I assumed Visplane Explorer would force a node rebuild, because that's what it always does, but not this time. Instead it just crashed.

Apparently Doom Builder only rebuilds the nodes if the map has been modified in Doom Builder; it doesn't check whether nodes are even present when opening the map, and as far as I can tell there's no way to force a node rebuild if they aren't. Since I didn't feel like running ZenNode from the command line, I took the somewhat messy option of making a useless modification to the map then saving it. I was kinda hoping for a less stupid alternative.

To rebuild nodes use the Nodes Viewer plugin instead.



Both Doombuilder2 plugins, VisplaneExplorer.dll and NodesViewer.dll are based on older versions of the plugins. The Visplane Explorer for Doombuilder2 is based on andrewj's version 0.62 or 0.85, I can't remember which one. And yes, some maps will cause a crash.

[edit]
In GZDoom Builder these plugins are incorporated with improved and more robust versions. For example, the Visplane Explorer is based on andrewj's 1.0 version. See Changelog.txt for how and when.

[edit2]
added image

testing the map should build the nodes

Kappes Buur said:

To rebuild nodes use the Nodes Viewer plugin instead.

It crashes too if nodes aren't already built.

jmickle66666666 said:

testing the map should build the nodes

No, it doesn't.

Foxpup said:

It crashes too if nodes aren't already built.

That is very strange and does not happen for me.

If a map was previously saved without building the nodes, then envoking the Nodes Viewer:

Doombuilder2 r1715 will open the Nodes Viewer and the nodes can be build.
It might take a while though, depending on the size of the map.

GZDoom Builder r2310 and earlier will present a small window saying that there is no NODES lump.
Saving the map at this point with building the nodes, does not build the nodes.
I posted an inquiry about that at the GZDoom Builder forum
http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=32392&start=2985#p836846

If the editor crashes for you, maybe then there is another problem lurking in the background.

I suppose I should mention that I'm using r1553, being the latest official release. Setting up a Windows build environment is far more effort than I'm willing to expend on such a minor bug (it only crashes if the map hasn't been modified since it was opened, so there's no risk of losing data).

I think just moving something a little and then moving it back (not via Ctrl+Z) is enough to force node rebuild. So, the map can stay the same.

Semi-related question: I've read here on the doomwiki that the node builder might add new VERTEXES (presumably) when it's needed to create subsectors. Is there any feature to "unbuild" nodes and reliably revert VERTEXES to their state before node builder was used (according to references in LINEDEFS)? Or does this already happen automatically anytime the nodes are being rebuilt, and the vertexes are never even shown in the map editor?

scifista42 said:

Semi-related question: I've read here on the doomwiki that the node builder might add new VERTEXES (presumably) when it's needed to create subsectors. Is there any feature to "unbuild" nodes and reliably revert VERTEXES to their state before node builder was used (according to references in LINEDEFS)? Or does this already happen automatically anytime the nodes are being rebuilt, and the vertexes are never even shown in the map editor?

Map editors usually delete these vertices when loading the map, along with any other vertex you might have deliberately placed without connecting them to any linedef.

From my earlier post

Kappes Buur said:
GZDoom Builder r2310 and earlier will present a small window saying that there is no NODES lump.
Saving the map at this point with building the nodes, does not build the nodes.

This has been fixed with version r2313, but with a proviso already mentioned by

Memfis said:

I think just moving something a little and then moving it back (not via Ctrl+Z) is enough to
force node rebuild. So, the map can stay the same.

Not perfect for when a map has no NODES lump, but it works now for building the nodes.

[edit]
The other fix is, when a map is open and the nodebuilder is changed, the nodes are build with the new setting.

Foxpup said:

I suppose I should mention that I'm using r1553, being the latest official release. Setting up a Windows build environment is far more effort than I'm willing to expend on such a minor bug (it only crashes if the map hasn't been modified since it was opened, so there's no risk of losing data).

Question: Why do you use such an old version?
You can get DB2 r1715 from the DRDTeam devbuilds site. Hell, why not go all the way to the latest GZDoom Builder? It's still suitable for simpler mapping targets, despite its name.

Graf Zahl said:

Question: Why do you use such an old version?
You can get DB2 r1715 from the DRDTeam devbuilds site.

I didn't know that. I'll give that a try later.

Graf Zahl said:

Hell, why not go all the way to the latest GZDoom Builder? It's still suitable for simpler mapping targets, despite its name.

Because the only reasons I use Doom Builder in the first place are line-drawing mode, copy-and-paste, and lack of massive WAD-corrupting bugs. Otherwise I'd just use EdMap for everything. What's GZDoom Builder got that I want?

Foxpup said:

What's GZDoom Builder got that I want?

How about fixing bugs? Or maybe getting acquainted with its cool features?

How do you know what may (or may not) be of use if you do not check it out?

Foxpup said:

What's GZDoom Builder got that I want?

There is an extensive list of features on page 1 of the GZDoom Builder forum.