'prop_portal' Guide

Intro:

This tutorial will show you how to make 'prop_portals' correctly. 'prop_portals' are what were used in the original Portal to make the portals at the start of the game (I.E Chamber 00) or in layman's terms 'Making Portals without a Portal Gun'. This tutorial is MEDIUM difficulty so if your a beginner, this is too hard for you.

Step 1: Setting Up

Make a room, it can be as simple or as complicated as you like. It doesn't really matter.

Simple:

Complex:

For this tutorial we will be working with a simple map.

Now make a 'prop_portal' using the entity tool. And move it to which ever wall you want it to be on. If you rotate it to which ever direction your wall is facing, the big box that is the entity will not rotate just a red line pointing out of it.

But don't place it directly on the wall otherwise when you look in the opposite portal you see the inside of the wall.

Now copy that 'prop_portal' or spawn a new one and place it on a different wall. Then go into the 'prop_portal' that you want to be the Blue Portal and name it 'portal_blue' and set it's 'Portal Number' to 'Portal 1'. Now go to the 'prop_portal' you want to be the Orange Portal and name it 'portal_orange' and set it's 'Portal Number' to 'Portal 2'. Now that you've done that go into the Blue Portal (or Orange, it doesn't matter what order you do this part in) and set it's 'Portal pair ID it belongs to' to 1 (never set it to 0, 0 is the Portal Gun's ID). Repeat the process with the other 'prop_portal'.

This next step is optional (it makes your map seem more professional), if you want there to be a little bit of a shake before the Portal opens then make an 'env_shake' near the 'prop_portals' location. You can fiddle around with the 'env_shakes' settings depending on how violent you want the shake to be but I like to keep them as they are. Name it 'portal_shake'.

Step 2: Triggering and Outputs

This really depends on when you want you Portals to open. If you want the Portals to open after the player wakes-up and GLaDOS says, 'We are now ready to begin the test proper' and 'The Portal will open in 3, 2, 1' then a 'logic_auto' is the way to go. But if you want to player to walk into a Test Chamber and then the Portals open then a 'trigger_once' is the way to go.

Place the 'logic_auto' anywhere on the map (preferably near the 'prop_portals' for convenience) or place the 'trigger_once' were ever you want the player to go to trigger the 'prop_portals' (make it somewhere that the player will be able to trigger it).

The Outputs you set are only a little different with either Triggering technique. Now set your Outputs as the following.

If you chose a 'logic_auto' to be your trigger then make the 'My Output name:' (or in layman's terms, the first box) 'OnMapSpawn'. Alternately if you chose a 'trigger_once' to be your trigger then make the 'My Output name:' (or in layman's terms, the first box) 'OnTrigger'. In the image it is a 'logic_auto'.

The outputs with the parameter '0' will close the Portals, and the ones with the parameter '1' will open the Portals. In this case we want the Portals to be closed from the beginning of the map and then open after 5 seconds.

Only put the next output if you made an 'env_shake'. You want the 'StartShake' to happen one second before the Portal opens and the 'StopShake' to happen one second after the Portal opens. This image is also in the case of a 'logic_auto'.

Step 3: The most important part! (more important than cake!)

Depending on what the Portals are doing you must always close or 'fizzle' them once they're no longer needed. This can be done once the player reaches the elevator at the end of the test chamber or exits the relaxation vault. First place a 'trigger_once' in a place where the player is bound to go to (I.E a doorway, a Portal Gun holder, a table with a cake on it, etc) Now enter the following outputs:

Step 4: Finishing Touches (optional but recommended)

If you want your map to look professional then do this step. Make a 'prop_static' and set it's world model to 'autoportal_frame.mdl'. Then place it around were your 'prop_portal' is. (ignore the surrounding entities)

Look professional, doesn't it?

Conclusion:

Now you can make 'prop_portals' work correctly. If you have any problems email me at 'ark11@live.com.au' or PM the user Ark11 (Pming requires a 'myaperturelabs' membership which I insist you get if you are a portal mapper).

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