Genesis3D World Editor
version 2.0 BETA 2
by Michael R. Brumm Frequently Asked Questions Q: Why should I pay $20 when I can download both the World Editor and the source code for free? A: I'll answer that with a rhetorical question: Why should I release this to the public, when I could just keep it for my own internal use? Because it is the right thing to do.In addition, if you send me an e-mail for support or send in a feature request, I'll actually respond and take your request into serious consideration for the next version. If I do not get any money for this, I will not release another version to the public at all. I'd
like to, but I can't just throw time at this and get nothing back. Q: How can I get more information on the open source Genesis3D engine? A: Visit the Genesis3D Web Site. The forum is a particularly good source of information. Just remember to use the "Search" function before posting on the forum. Q:
It would be really great to add this new feature I've thought of... Can you do this? A: Send in your $20, and e-mail me the feature at me@michael.brumm.com
If the feature make sense and can be hacked in, I'll do it. Q: Why doesn't panning work anymore? or
Q: I press the space bar and nothing happens! Why? or
Q: I hit the CTRL key and the mouse starts panning! Why? or
Q:
Why don't brushes clone when I hit the SHIFT key and drag them? A: The space bar never should have been used to enable panning. Why? Because the space bar also checks (and unchecks) options, presses buttons, and causes
other general mischief in Windows. This has caused many a headache in GEdit.Ever find an option mysteriously checked, like a bunch of mirror faces that you know you didn't set to mirror? This was probably because you accidentally pressed the space bar while the "mirror" option was the active control. To eliminate this problem, CTRL now enables panning. Stop hitting the space bar! It will only cause you grief. So now you must be realizing that CTRL used to allow you to add and
remove items to your selection. Now how do you do that? Use SHIFT. SHIFT used to allow you to drag-clone brushes that were selected. Unfortunately, this also caused problems. Often, a user would create clones of the selected brushes without realizing it (because the clones were in the same position as the originals). This can cause all sorts of weird problems, and unnecessarily reduce the frame rate of your game. So, there is no longer any way to drag-clone brushes. Use the clipboard (Copy
and Paste) if you want to make a clone of a brush. Q: How do I apply the template? or
Q: Why doesn't the ENTER key insert the template?
A: The ENTER key is another problematic key. Like the space bar, it can cause button presses and other unintended problems. To eliminate this problem, the INSERT key is used to insert the current template. Note that this accelerator (keyboard shortcut) is listed in the Edit menu. It would probably be a good
idea to open up all the menus to familiarize yourself with all the features and their accelerators. Q: Why have so many accelerator keys changed? A: Mainly because the old accelerator keys were not modified by the CTRL or ALT keys (and thus caused text to be typed if the focus was not on a viewport) and they were placed all over the keyboard. You will notice that the majority of the new accelerator keys (especially modifiers) can now be used without moving your hand away from the left side of a QWERTY keyboard. Q:
The old GEdit had a feature called __________... Where is it in the new version? A: As far as I know, all the original functionality of GEdit is still working. If you can't find a feature, it
has probably been renamed (to make it easier for new users to understand), moved (to make the menus more logical), or it was a feature that never actually worked in GEdit (the infamous permanently grayed out "Undo", for example) and was removed. Q: How do I texture all the faces in a brush
at once without selecting each face one at a time? A: First, select the brush(es) you want to texture. Then select menu item
"Edit\Select\Faces\All in Selected Brushes". Now, all the faces in the brush(es) are selected. Next go to the Textures tab in the Command Panel, select the texture you want
to use, and hit the Apply button. Q: How do I get the texture of a face to be selected in the texture library? A:
Right-click on the face in the camera view with the mouse cursor. The old GEdit required you to hold SHIFT and left-click.. Q: Where is the help file? A: Presently there is none. I could have bundled the original GEdit help file, but there have been so many changes, that it would probably be more confusing than helpful. I would very much like to create a better help system than the original GEdit (perhaps with a small tutorial), and will if I can.If someone wants to create a help file, I'd be more than willing to provide whatever information I can. Q: When do you plan to add vertex editing? A: This is a potential feature for much later versions, but it won't be any time soon. In the mean time, use
another editor that allows vertex editing and can export Quake MAP files (there are a lot of good Quake editors which can do this). Then import the MAP file in your Genesis3D world.If you need to modify geometry you already have in a Genesis3D world, then select and export those objects out as a MAP file (new to version 2.0 of the World Editor), import it into the Quake MAP editor, and make the modifications. Q:
I get really weird MAP files when I export geometry from the World Editor... What's wrong? A: Probably nothing. The problem probably lies in the fundamental differences between 3DT files and
MAP files. For one thing, MAP files do not have subtractive (cut) brushes, so cut brushes become positive brushes in a Quake MAP editor.However, I use undefined contents flags in MAP files to keep this information available (but dormant in Quake MAP editors). If you import a MAP file into the World Editor that was previously exported by the World Editor, the dormant "cut brushes" that were positive brushes in the Quake MAP editor will switch back to cut brushes. Please keep in
mind that whenever you do a conversion from MAP to 3DT or vice versa, there will always be minor problems. Q: When I'm editing the properties of multiple brushes or faces, their properties change in strange ways... Is this normal? A:
When you edit the properties of multiple objects, World Editor tries to do its best in combining the properties you have set with the existing properties of the objects selected. Sometimes you might get unexpected results. Here is a good rule to go by:If you want a particular option to be set for all the objects selected, then change the option (even if it means you have to
change it back to what you want). For example: I have five faces, and SOME of them are set to "Sky", but I want them ALL to be sky faces. If the "Sky" check box is blank, then check it. If the "Sky" check box is already checked, then uncheck it, and then check it. Now all faces will be sky faces.
Q: I get errors when I compile my world... What do they mean? or
Q: GTest crashes when I run it with my BSP file... Why? or
Q:
How can I create large outdoor areas and still get good frame rates? A: I can't help everyone build worlds for Genesis3D. There are just too many people who need too much help. Besides, I'm a programmer, not a map architect. Visit the Genesis3D Web Site for help on creating maps. The forum is a particularly good source of information. Just remember to use the "Search" function before posting on the forum.If the problem you describe is a bug in the World Editor, and you've sent in your $20, I'll respond pretty quickly. Q: Can you explain the changes to the source code or help me add a feature? A: I provide absolutely no support for the source code (even if you send me
$20). GEdit was a complete mess when I began, and I added numerous hacks to get in the features we needed. If you are willing to pay, I'd be happy to help, but otherwise I have to concentrate on my own projects. General Information and News on the World Editor View the Feature List Download and Payment Options | 
