The Unreal Ed Buttons
SniperBoB@planetdeusex.com
How many times have you loaded up UnrealEd and wondered to your self... "WTF does that button do?" Like twice? Yea me too :-)
But for all of you out there who look at some of those buttons and say "Even if I never use it I'd love to know what it does!", this tutorial is here to help. I have provided a table with all the buttons on it and a discription of each. You can click on one of the buttons to jump to it's discription (well maybe, depents on if I want to waste my time coding it... u can try... hehe), or just scroll down and read them all. You'll probably never need half of them any way, JUST READ IT THO!!
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This is your basic camera tool. When this icon is dimmed you use your mouse pointer to slide around the screen. You should always change back to this tool after you have finished with other tools that require use of the mouse pointer.
This works just like the first camera tool only MUCH MUCH FASTER! It is unneccisarily fast and at times to hard to control, so just stick with the other 1.
This will "add" the red brush to the world. Remember: the Unreal engine starts as a big block, then you subtract from that... THEN ADD. You can only add to a place that is hollow, unless you want compile errors :-)
This button is used to rotate the brush that is selected. It is used by holding CTRL and with a mouse button. Each mouse button rotates on a different axis. The left mouse button rotates on the X axis, the right rotates on the Y axis and both mouse buttons rotate on the Z axis.
This tool works like the rotate brush tool. Using a different button for each direction. When used it moves a face of the brush and kind puts it on its side. Skewing a polygon in math is used to change the shape of a polygon (in this case a brush) without modifing its volume.
Subtract Brush From World
a.k.a. Carve
This is the most commonly used button. It is used to create a brush that removes something from the world. Mainly used for making a room, doorway, or area. Remember that the Unreal engine starts with a big block and you carve from it then add to it.
Using Control and the left mouse button you can increase or decrease the size of your brush in all dementions.
This works similarly to the rotate brush tool, except for the fact that it scales. It is like scaling in 1 direction. Use each mouse buttons (or both togther) to choose the direction.
This tool will soon become your best friend. It can be used to duplicate a brush with out having to set all the options in the cube properties (or whatever properties) it will also copy tectures and other properties. It is better used for selecting everything that is solid inside the builder brush. For instance. Creating a complec figure out of several brushes would work, but cause the level to fill with unneed polys and brushes. What you can do is create the complex object in a workshop (see movers tutorial) then create a reb builder block around it, rebuild, press intersect brush and BANG! you got all those little brushes slammed into 1 big 1! and you can now copy and paist that 1 brush all over the place if you want to! You can delete the group of little brushes.
Works the same as the scale brush, But forces it to fit on the grid. Easier to use, and much nicer to the compiler :-) I recomend this one over the other.
This selects all the brushes in your map... why? NO ONE KNOWS.
Works like intersection. Only does the opposite. Selects all that are not in a solid area.
Selects all the actors in your map. And like I said with the select all polys. NO ONE KNOWS WHY!
Selects all the actors WITH IN your builder brush, or the selected brush (some times). Its pretty use full for moving the contents of a whole room.
With this button you can make special types of brushes. It works differently than the other "build" buttons. Right clicking it to veiw its properties set the type of "special" brush it makes. Then you click it to make a special brush from your current builder brush. Mainly used with the sheet brush for water surfaces, and zone portals. Or for semisold brushes.
Deselects everything, I recomend pushing it before you pick a texture so you dont acedently change a bunch of things textures accedebtly.
Selects all unselect actors and unselects all selected actors. Again... ???
Create a mover from the current builder brush. You must have a mover class selected (see my movers tutorials). Also, make sure you don't have your mover's builder brush stretched in anyway.
Replaces selected brush... thats all I can say. If your realy that intriged by it go find a use for it and send me an E-mail.
Replace Selected
Nonbrush Actors
"" Actor " " " " " (Dittos)
Right click this button to open the Build Cube
Properties. Pop some numbers in there and click build. You just changed your
builder brush into a cube of the dementions you specifiied. That wasn't so hard
was it?
Selecting hollow will make the cube hollow and will have the wall thickness
specified.
Try to use binary numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128... Remeber you can pop 32
* X in those boxes...
Undoes the last action you did. YOU CAN NOT UNDO PAST A REBUILD! This Undo button is helpful, but some things like vertex editing dont undo properly. It's always your safest bet to do it right the first time :-)
Redoes the last action you undid. See Undo above.
Right click this button to open the Build Shere
Properties. Radial sides sets the roundness around its "equator" like
a cylinder and vertical stripes sets the number of bands going arounf the shere.
I said "well sort of" because to truely create a sphere you must use
an very, very high Radial Sides and Vertical stripes numbers, and that would
be hard on the engine... BAD. Also hollow works just like in cubes but some
times creates bsp errors.
Try to use binary numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128... Remeber you can pop 32
* X in those boxes...
Can scroll the textures on the brush. Good for lining multiply textures up and such.
Like pan textures, only it rotates them.
Right click this button to open the Build Cylinder
Properties. Hight, and Outer Radius specify the dementions. Sides spesifies
the roundness, and Innter Radius is used with hollow for a wall thickness.
Try to use binary numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128... Remeber you can pop 32
* X in those boxes...
Drawing Region:
Selected Actors
Hides ALL brushs in your map(even though it's just called "select actors") Great when part of your map is in the way of editing another part. To bring them back see "drawing regions off" below
Makes all hiden brushes and actors visable again!
Right click this button to open the Build Cone
Properties. Hight and Outer radius sets the size, Inner radius is used in hollow
and capped. Hollow makes the inside an empty cone shape, capped makes it an
empty cone shape with a flat top. Use Cap Height to set the point were the hollow
part is cut flat.
Try to use binary numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128... Remeber you can pop 32
* X in those boxes....
Like drawing regions
Drawing Region:
Brush Z(depth)
Um.. hides the Z axis... or something. This one gets "The SniperBoB's 'HUH?!?!' Award"!!
Right click this button to open the Build Stair
Properties. For seting the height width and lenth just look at the picture,
it's easier by looking at that. Add to first step makes the first bottem step
that much higher. And number of steps makes that many steps of the spesified
size (1st step is larger is add 2 first step has a value greater than 0)
Try to use binary numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128... Remeber you can pop 32
* X in those boxes...
This does NOTHING! YEA!! Why would I even create a grafic for it? I DON'T KNOW! BUT AT LEAST I MADE IT REALY REALY LOW QUALITY SO YOU 56Kers DON'T BITCH!
Turns the jump to grid function off. Helpful for details. This is what people realy want when they turn the grid off. Turning the grid off is bad! but using this button is ok. So go right ahead! STOP TURNING THE GRID OFF PEOPLE! Turn it low and use this if you are having posisioning problems!
Try to use binary numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128... Remeber you can pop 32
* X in those boxes...
Doesn't do anything! Cus Unreal Ed doesn't have a help file, you can download fake ones but its pretty useless.
Adjusts the speed the camera moves, better than the eye2 button :-) big arrow fast, medium arrow normal, and small arrow slow. Click to cycle through them.
Try to use binary numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128... Remeber you can pop 32
* X in those boxes...
Turns the grid on or off. PLZ PLZ PLZ leave it on.
Turns the "rotaion" grid on or off. Basicly when you have it on it limits the rotation. Leave it on most of the time. But not much harm is done if you turn it off.
Right click this button to open the Build Sheet
Properties. Floor/Ceiling makes a horisontal sheet. X and Y wall makes a vertical
1, pick X or Y depending on direction you want it. Try them both to figure it
out :-)
Try to use binary numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128... Remeber you can pop 32
* X in those boxes...
