This "tutorial" is a work in progress and will be updated as we discover more problems (and their solutions). Leave any problems that you know how to resolve in the comments below or in our forums, and do not ask how to fix compiling problems in here.

If you notice any problems missing it is possible that they are caused by others listed here, so please first check that you don't have any other preceding errors in your compile log (and in Hammer, by pressing ALT+P).

All compilers:

• Unable to find gameinfo.txt relative to ***
  Place a properly configured gameinfo.txt in a directory underneath that of the map you are trying to compile.
  
  
• Error opening mapname.bsp
  If the path to your map is correct, then there is no BSP for the compiler to work on. Check the rest of your compile log for errors, fix them, and try again.
  
  
• SteamStartup() failed: SteamStartup(0xf,0x12eac4) failed with error 1: The registry is in use by another process, timeout expired
  Restart Steam and try again.

BSP

• **** leaked ****
  You have a leak in your map. Load the pointfile in Hammer to locate it (Map menu ? Load Pointfile) and then plug it.
  
  
• Brush ###: WARNING, microbrush
  One of your brushes is too small to be compiled- it probably got this way through grouping and shrinking. Press CTRL+SHIFT+G to find the brush number given, and delete or resize it.
  
  
• Brush ###: FloatPlane: bad normal
  This happens when you vertex manipulate, and a vertex is placed flush on an already existing plane:
  
  Press CTRL+SHIFT+G to find the offending brush, and merge the offending vertex into another.
  
  
• Brush ###: areaportal brush doesn't touch two areas
  You have used a func_areaportal entity incorrectly somewhere. Please read our tutorial on using them, and load the pointfile into Hammer to find where the problem is.
  
  
• Can't find surfaceprop *** for material ***, using default
  You have used a texture with an invalid $surfaceprop value defined in its .VMT file. This is either because you have made a custom texture and written down an invalid $surfaceprop, or because you have tried using a model texture on a world brush (which you generally should not do).
  
  
• Error: displacement found on a(n) *** entity - not supported
  Displacement maps cannot be made into brush entities, tie the offending brush back to World.
  
  
• Error! To use model "***.mdl" with static_prop, it must be compiled with $staticprop!
  You have tried loading a model with the prop_static entity, when you should be using either a prop_physics or prop_dynamic. It will not be visible in your map.
  
  
• Error loading studio model ""!
  You have a prop_ entity somewhere with no world model property defined.
  
  
• Entity ###: func_areaportal can only be a single brush
  As the error suggests- you cannot turn two or more brushes into a single func_areaportal. The obvious solution to turn them into two seperate areaportals won't work! Check out the above areaportals tutorial.
  
  
• Face List Count >= OVERLAY_BSP_FACE_COUNT
  You have an overlay overlapping too many surfaces (6) somewhere, or too many overlays on one face.
  
  
• FindPortalSide: Couldn't find a good match for which brush to assign to a portal near (###, ###, ###)
  If you are quoted "CONTENTS_SOLID" in the rest of this error message, this error usually just means you have a leak.
  
  
• material "" not found
  A face or overlay somewhere has no texture/material assigned to it.
  
  
• Memory leak: mempool blocks left in memory: #
  This isn't an error.
  
  

VIS

• LoadPortals: couldn't read ***.prt
  Usually because there has been a problem running BSP (check compile log for previous errors, especially for leaks), though also check the path to your map is correct.
  
  
• Leaf (portal ###) with too many portals.
  A section of your map is being 'chopped up' too much, probably from over-complicated architecture. As it says, compile with vbsp.exe -glview, then run glview.exe -portal -portalhighlight # to view the problem.
  

RAD

• Texture axis perpendicular to face at (###, ###, ###)
  A texture in the area of the co-ordinates given isn't being applied properly. Find the region in the given co-ordinates in your map, and align textures "to World".
  
  
• Zero area child patch
  A solid in your level has a face with no area. You can find it by painstakingly searching your .MAP file with a text editor!
  
  
• WARNING: Too many light styles on a face (###,###,###)
  As the error suggests, there are either too many named lights lighting an area, or too many different light appearance types. Reduce the complexity of your lighting in the area of the co-ordinates given.
  
  
• Warning: ignoring bad texlight '***' in ***.rad
  You have an invalid entry in your ***.rad file; find and delete it, and use only text editors (e.g. Notepad) in future to edit this file.
  
  
• Warning: Duplication of texlight '***' in file '***.rad'!
  As the warning suggests, you have the same texture listed twice in the ***.rad this error refers to- delete the duplicate entries.

Again, please leave any problems that you know how to resolve in the comments below or in our forums, and do not ask how to fix compiling problems in here or else they will be deleted (ask in our editing forums).