So im mapping a completely enclosed building, and everything is dark under my current settings, some models are lit up though, yet the floor is pitch black, I can place lights, and they light up a tiny area of floor, increasing their radius and intensity obviously makes them light up more,

But regardless of what I try, I always get pitch black areas in game, or it just looks completely unrealistic with tiny areas being really bright and the rest pitch black.

So whats the best way to do lighting? several large radius lights and high intensity around the map?
Or just cover the playable area of stock lights near the floor so it's lit up.

Also whats a good setting for the "ambient" worldspawn setting, 0.10 is what I had in previous maps and it look decent, but in this map it needs at least 0.5 for the floor to be visible in some places.

I know this is very hard to word, but if any of the people who manage to light indoor areas to look decent could help me, itd be massively appreciated

Using the worldspawn should always be your primary source of lighting in a map, not from a point light. From my understanding of what ambient lighting in the worldspawn settings is that it is the light used for general lighting of the map regardless if sunlight can reach it. Basically your best bet is to make sure you have a caulkbox, good world spawn settings and a lightgrid volume over your map, while only using point lights for things such as lamps, and anything that generates a beam light or just adding atmosphere that the worldspawn settings can create.

If you want some good worldspawn settings I suggest looking here: http://wiki.modsrepository.com/index.php?title=Call_of_Duty_5:_Worldspawn_Settings

Thanks, I was thinking using the ambient setting would be better than spamming lights all over the shop, I cranked ambient up to 0.6 and it looks quite decent now, ill take a look at the worldspawn settings page and see if I can make it look even better.

I have lights around lamps already and it does help with atmosphere.

Unrelated question, but is there a fix for certain models/brushes either not lighting up at all, or being very bright regardless of light level (the latter only really happens with models)

Thanks, I was thinking using the ambient setting would be better than spamming lights all over the shop, I cranked ambient up to 0.6 and it looks quite decent now, ill take a look at the worldspawn settings page and see if I can make it look even better.

I have lights around lamps already and it does help with atmosphere.

Unrelated question, but is there a fix for certain models/brushes either not lighting up at all, or being very bright regardless of light level (the latter only really happens with models)

did you paint these models white when you ported then through maya?

Also if the origin of the model is coming out the underside of the brush it's touching, the light is being calculated from there

did you paint these models white when you ported then through maya?

Im talking about default waw models doing this.

And any I do port I dont paint white, I dont know how to do that and if its important/its effects

Jammy actually asked that same question a couple days ago, here was my response:

Unfortunately in world at war, models are lit by their origin and are lit with a constant lighting (meaning no shadows or ambient occlusion occurs on models). So when people say "origin must be in a brush or something" what really is happening is the origin of the model is in a location where light seems to be more present.

Just another reason why this old engine is showing its true colours

Makes sense when its explained like that, so its unavoidable
Ill just have to bear it in mind when I place lights near models that are prone to doing this

Personally I don't usually mess with the worldspawn settings a whole lot. I find the key to lighting interiors is utizlizing your primary lights properly. Casting shadows is a good thing.

I usually base my lighting off when Ive placed models of ceiling lights and such, and I try not to place a light in a place light is not physically supposed to be coming from. The only exception for that is when its an artistic addition.

Primary lights I tend to point into the map from outside of barriers, or down on the players from above in strategic points.

Mess around with your radius and intensity settings too.