Introduction
When working with a game mode, you always face the task of previewing something in game. Historically, Darkplaces engine have no WYSIWYG philosophy embedded on it's heart. Map, models, materials and other components of a game are made in separate standalone tools, and you eventually need to test them. If you are texturing model, you need to place it in game work and check how it looks compared to the rest of the game. When writing materials you need to know if material script are correct. When making a level, you need to fly around map and inspect level parts being made. OmniEditor give you a convenient way to do this, providing a bits of WYSIWYG way. Being a set of ingame tools united together with a simple GUI, OmniEditor functionality can be expanded by introducing new modules.
The generic purpose of OmniEditor is:
- Inspect game environments
- Edit specific game aspects
- Test stuff
This includes model preview, screenshots making, constructing particle effects, placing dynamic lights, decorative models, specific entities and so on.
Launching editor
To launch editor, type 'omniedit' on keyboard or in console during a game. Of couse, some level should be loaded before you can start. Once loading finishes, the brown menu will appear on the right of the screen. To prevent Main menu will show available modules to use. By default omniedit loads up all available modules. Additionally each module have a keyhook for single launch (for faster loading).
map x : Load specific game level omniedit : Launch OmniEditor
Important: OmniEditor is only meant to be launched with developer version of the engine (developer checkbox in launcher settings). When launched with stock engine build, it can cause a crash because of game build limits.File system
OmniEditor works inside the game, so it is using engine Virtual File System. Therefore it cannot open files outside of game directory, or write game files outside of gamedir/data folder.
Before using some content with OmniEditor tools, be sure to have them inside gamedir (for Blood Omnicide primary gamedir is Path_To_The_Game/kain/, but the last game dir where all new files are stored is Path_To_The_Game/data/, if you are launching Blood Omnicide without 'no home dir option' the directory where all new files is saved will be a %UserDir%\Saved Games\omnicide\data where '%UserDir% is a system user directory).
You can add new files to the game dirs without restarting the editor.
Modular system
Editor module - a separate tool created to conver some of the editing work flow. Each module have a specific tools and action assigned, this tool actions only can be performed if module is active. There can be only one active module.
Camera
Editor camera works in 2 modes: the freecam mode and fixed mode.
- In free cam mode, camera fly around level using EDFS buttons. Mouse are used to rotate view, crosshair are used to select objects. This mode is aimed to 'fly and check' editing style, which most of tools are aimed for.
- In fixed mode, camera only moves around its up and right axis. Camera look direction are fixed (like in real time strategy game), mouse pointer are used to select objects. This mode is used primarily by decorator module.
Updating the game files
If some of game files were updated during editing session (you have compiled a map, replaced some of the game textures etc. You should force editor to restart using console commands:
r_restart : Restarts the renderer, reloads all textures, models, materials and other render-related files (included the .bsp file). restart : Restarts level. Makes game to re-parse loaded BSP and launch level again.Hotkeys
The editor work flow is heavily based on hotkey usage. Here is the generic hotkeys:
- SHIFT+ESC - bring the game console
- TAB - show/hide sidemenu
- ESCAPE - move the the previous menu (beware the Photoshop blocking ESC button in other apps glitch).
- Mouse click - activate the selected menu
- Mouse wheel - select next or previous menu item
- SHIFT+F - togglex free/fixed camera mode.
- ALT+SHIFT+number - go to the some loaded module.
Most of specific module action (such as placing the light, or removing selected item) have its own special hotkey which activates with the module. This 'global' hotekeys are gold-colored.
The are also menu button hotkeys which are only active if their menu page is shown, these hotkeys are gray-colored.
Next chapter: Lights Editor
Back to index | Top of the page
