Documentation/Articles/Overview of Resource Editor

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Overview

NeoAxis Resource Editor is designed for creating, viewing and editing game resources.

The following object types are considered resources:

• game object types,
• 3D models,
• Physics models,
• Materials,
• Textures,
• User Interfaces,
• Particle systems,
• Fonts,
• Sounds,
• Videos.

All resources are stored in the Data folder of the project.

General View

Resource Editor window consists of the following elements:

• 1. Upper panel - menu and toolbar
• 2. Resources Window - contains the resources tree.
• 3. Properties Window - Contains properties of selected objects
• 4. Workspace

Working with the Editor

Camera Controls

In the editor you can move around the map with the following keys:

• W - move forward
• A - move left,
• S - move backward,
• D - move right
• Q - move up,
• E - move down.

Right-click and hold in order to rotate the camera in cursor movement direction. You can scale camera view by pressing the left mouse button or by scrolling the wheel.

Upper Panel

The upper panel contains menus and toolbars.

Menu

Name	Description
Edit	Proceed to the Edit Mode for the selected resource.
Close Editing	Exit the Edit Mode.
Save	Save current resource.
Exit	Close the editor.

Name	Description
Undo	Undo the last action
!Redo	Redo an action.
Select	Enable object selection mode.
Move	Enable object movement upon selection. In this mode you can move objects using a special tool (Gizmo).
!Rotate	Enable object rotation upon selection. In this mode you can rotate objects using a special tool (Gizmo).
Scale	Enable object scaling upon selection. In this mode, you can scale objects using a special tool (Gizmo).
Clone	Clone selected objects.
Delete ...	Delete selected objects.

Name	Description
Resources Window	Display the resource tree.
Properties Window	Display the properties window.
Output Window	Display the output window.
Status Bar	Display the status bar.

Name	Description
Options ...	Open editor configuration window.

Name	Description
Overview of the Resource Editor	Link to this article.
Documentation	Proceed to the homepage of NeoAxis documetation.
About...	Open "About Program" window.

Toolbar

Name	Description
1. Edit	Proceed to edit mode for the selected resource.
2. Close Editing	Exit edit mode.
3. Save	Save current resource.
4. Select	Enable object selection mode.
5. Select and Move	Enable object movement upon selection. In this mode you can move objects using a special tool (Gizmo).
6.Select and Rotate	Enable object rotation upon selection. In this mode you can rotate objects using a special tool (Gizmo).
7. Select and Scale	Enable object scaling upon selection. In this mode, you can scale objects using a special tool (Gizmo).
8. Gizmo Transform	Select the gizmo editing mode. Determines, coordinates of which type are to be edited. You can chose between "World" (world coordinates) and Local (local coordinates of the object).
9. Snap Move	This tool is used in the Select and Move mode. Enables object movement with particular step. You can configure step value in the options.
10. Snap Rotate	This tool is used in the Select and Rotate mode. Enables object rotation with particular step. You can configure step value in the options.
11. Snap Scale	This tool is used in the Select and Scale mode. Enables object scaling with particular step. You can configure step value in the options.
12. Options	Open editor configurations.

Resources Window (Resources)

This window contains a tree of files and directories stored in the Data folder of the project. Use this window in order to select resources to view, edit or delete them.

Different resource types are arranged in folders. We recommend that you keep this resource allocation while developing your own project.

There is a context menu available upon right-clicking on folders and resources. It contains the following elements:

Name	Description
Edit	Proceed to edit mode for the selected resource.
Open in External Program	View the resource in a third-party application.
Cut	Cut the resource.
Copy	Copy the resource.
Delete	Delete the resource.
Rename	Rename the resource.
Sort by	Sort the resources in the tree by a certain criteria.
Properties	Proceed to properties of the selected resource.

Editors

There is a separate editor for each resource type. In other words, the resource editor is actually a number of editors:

• Entity Type Editor - Game Object Editor (.type)
• Physics Model Editor - Physics Model Editor (*. physics).
• Particle System Editor - Particle System Editor (*. particle).
• Mesh Editor - Editor for working with 3D models.
• Material Editor - Material Editor (*. highMaterial).
• Gui Editor - Editor of user interfaces (*.gui).
• Font Definition Editor - Font Editor (*. fontDefinition).
• Sound Editor - Viewer of audio-video data.
• Texture Editor - Texture viewer.

Game Object Editor

The Game Object Editor is used for creating, viewing and editing game types (.type files). Game types are integral part of the engine and are the core to which other resources (three-dimensional models, physics models, sounds, etc.) can be attached. Once a .type file is created, you can place objects of this type on the map in Map Editor.

Proceed to Game Object Editor overview

Physics Model Editor

Physics Model Editor is used for creating, viewing and changing physical models. Physical models describe object properties that will be used for calculating collisions, transformation, and behavior of the object. Physics models are stored in .physics files.

A physics model may consist of solid objects, joints, springs and motors.

Proceed to Physics Model Editor overview

Particle System Editor

Particle System Editor is designed for creating, viewing and changing particle systems. Particle systems are stored in .parcticle files.

Particle system (particles) is a set of small objects (particles) that have similar parameters and properties and are spawned from a certain source when certain triggers are active (particle emitter). Particle systems are essential for creating such effects as snow, rain, fire, etc.

Proceed to particle system overview

Mesh Editor

Mesh Editor is used for viewing and editing three-dimensional models. This editor can work with .mesh and.dae file types.

The editor can only change models of .mesh type. This involves zooming, moving the model and changing materials. You can also add a skeleton to the selected mesh. Skeletons are exported from 3D modeling packages, along with models and are stored in .skeleton files.

Proceed to Mesh Editor overview

Material Editor

Material Editor is used for creating, viewing and editing materials. Materials are stored in .highMaterial files.

Materials contain a large number of properties including: color, texture, transparency, color, highlights, self-illumination, reflections, etc.

Proceed to Material Editor overview

User Interface Editor

The UI Editor is used for creating, viewing and modifying user interfaces. User interfaces (GUI) are stored in .gui files.

User interfaces may consist of controls including: buttons, text boxes, input fields, list boxes, scroll bars, etc. Interface files can be combined in order create complex structures (such as lists of check boxes).

The process of creating a user interface is entirely visual. Furthermore, you can view all elements in action by clicking the Test button.

Proceed to GUI Editor overview

Font Editor

The Font Editor is used for creating, viewing and changing font description files. Font descriptions are stored in .fontDefintion files.

Font descriptions contain a number of parameters including: font type, list of characters, size, texture, etc.

Proceed to Font Editor overview

Sound Editor

In this editor you can play sound and video files. There are two buttons available in the Properties window:

1. Press the Play button to play the selected sound or video.

2. Press the Loop Play button to loop playback of the selected audio or video.

It is recommended to use the . Ogg file type for audio and the . Ogv file type for video. You can learn more about these formats here.

In order to convert video to . Ogg format you can use the converter stored in the SDK \ Tools \ Video \ ffmpeg2theora folder.

Texture viewer

The Texture viewer is used for viewing textures and converting them to other formats.

Texture Viewer supports texture converting to other formats. In order to convert a texture, right-click on the texture in the Resources window and select the Convert to... option. Now, select one of the supported formats: TGA, JPG, PNG, DDS-TXT1, DDS-TXT5, DDS-3Dc (Normal Map) or DDS-(A) RGB.

Adjusting Editor Windows

The editor supports adjustment of window position. To move a window, just click and hold on the title and drag in the desired direction.

Editor Settings

You can access the Options window through the Tools menu. The window contains several tabs.

Editor settings can be divided into three groups: general settings (General), editor settings and Gizmo settings. For more detailed information on editor setings see dedicated articles of documentation. The other two categories are described below.

General Settings

Parameters from the General tab are described in the table below.

Parameter	Description
General Background Color	Main background color of the editor.
Hide Directories And Files	List of hidden files and folders. Folders and files from this list are grayed out in the resource window.
Material Scheme of Viewport	The active Material Scheme.
Maximum FPS	Maximal frame rate in the editor.
Show Splash Screen At Startup	Specifies if a splash screen will be displayed when loading the editor.
Sound Volume	Volume of sound.

Gizmo Tab

In this tab, you can configure gizmo (a tool for changing object position).

Parameter	Description
Sensitivity
Rotation Sensitivity	Sensitivity of object rotation.
Snapping
Movement Snapping	Step value by object movement (in meters).
Rotation Snapping (degrees)	Step value by object rotation (in degrees).
Scale Snapping (%)	Step value by object scaling (percentage).