| Misc tools Updated 05 Apr 2018 | Upper levels: - QuArK Information Base - 1. Introduction to QuArK - 1.4. Map-editor in QuArK

1.4.6. Misc tools | [ Prev - Up - Next ]

Index

- - New map item (05 Apr 2018)
- - Trashcan (05 Apr 2018)
- - Undo/Redo (05 Apr 2018)
- - New group (05 Apr 2018)
- - Templates (05 Apr 2018)

New map item | Decker - 05 Apr 2018 | [ Top ]

Opens the new map items window, in where you will find many different objects, usefull when creating a map. This window contains all objects thats possible to use in the map-views and dataform-display. The top-folders, also known as main-folders, are here marked in bold. Some of these folders might come from add-ons, others are somewhat static. You can drag objects from here, and drop them on the 'Userdata panel', so you will have quicker access to them. It is highly recommended that you familiarize yourself with these items, for the FPS-game you are building a level for. There might be prefabs here, which you installed with an add-on. See how you install add-ons in the QuArK Explorer.

Trashcan | Decker - 05 Apr 2018 | [ Top ]

Useful to delete an object from the 'Userdata panel'. Just drag and drop it in the trashcan.

Undo/Redo | Decker - 05 Apr 2018 | [ Top ]

The icon will open up the undo/redo display. Redo Click on the entry, from where you want to redo. Notice you can't do a selective redo-selection. Its all or nothing. Undo Click on the entry, from where you want to undo. Notice you can't do a selective undo-selection. Its all or nothing.

New group | Decker - 05 Apr 2018 | [ Top ]

Creates a new group in the tree-view, where you can place other objects in, so they are neatly grouped together. Once you have created a group, you can keep your mouse-cursor in the dataform display, mark the group and press F2 to rename it.

Templates | cdunde - 05 Apr 2018 | [ Top ]

This is a very powerful tool that also has its own functions and setting in QuArK and because of this, even though they are somewhat like prefabs, require its own section to help inform you of their configuration and functionality features. What are templates : Basically a template can be any QuArK .qkm map (work) file that can consist of a single poly, entity, bezier, group or anything else QuArK has to offer. The .qkm map file can also consist of an entire map full of these kinds of items as well. How to setup templates : First you must select a location folder to store the .qrk map files you wish to use as templates. This is done by going to the Games Configuration section for each game that you want to have templates for and select a location folder for that game. Until that is done you will not be able to use any templates. You can have as many .qrk map files in that folder as you wish. Other things can also be done with the folder setting as well as the files them selves. Once a folder location has be set then these are the steps that can take place: A list of these .qkm map files is created by clicking on the Build templates list function on the main QuArK Commands menu. This will automatically create a QuArK .qrk file containing this list and place that file in the addons folder of the game you are currently mapping for. It will also name that .qrk file starting with the name of the game you are currently mapping for and adding Templates.qrk to it. For example if you are in the Quake 2 game mode you would find the file Quake 2Templates.qrk file in the Quake_2 addons folder. This .qrk file must then be added, or registered, with QuArK in the Games Configuration section for Quake 2, by clicking on the Add-ons... button. Once registered you will see that list of template files on the New map items... list. Double clicking on a template will place it into the map you are currently editing. If you completely close QuArK and restart it again, a small blue box icon will also be placed in the area above the Compass that you can click on for quick access to your templates. As you can see in the screen shot to the right, a template can become very detailed, and this is just a small example. How to use templates : The power of using templates is that any changes that you make to the template.qkm file itself, are passed on to any edited map file that you use that template in. You will need to reopen that edited map file in order for any changed templates to update them selves, which they will do automatically. Individual items in a template can not be changed in the edited map file. However, if a template is Dissociated within the edited map file, by doing a RMB click over the template in the tree-view and selecting Dissociate Duplicator images from the popup menu, every part of that template will be reconstructed as individual items and can then be changed within that edited map file. Once a template is Dissociated it can not be replaced back as a template. If several templates are used within a group folder all of those templates can be Dissociated at the same time by doing a RMB click over the group folder, selecting Edit then Dissociate Duplicator images from its popup menu. You can also Dissociated individual templates within that group folder as described above. Template Specifics/Args : A template only has three Specifics that can be set. These are: origin : This can be preset in the templates .qkm file and gives the location of its drag handle when placed into a map you are editing. This setting will change as you move the template around in the map or you can change its three values for x,y and z by hand. scale : This will cause the template to become larger or smaller in size for its three x,y and z values. For example you can enter values such as 2 2 2 or 1.75 3.54 2.65 something long those lines. These values can only be changed by hand. When the template is Dissociated it will remain that scaled size in your map. mangle : This stands for map angle and is used for tilting and\or rotating the template by using the little ball handle that is attached to its drag handle. Just LMB click on that ball and drag the handle around to change this setting or again you can do it by hand. Making templates : This is a fairly simple process but it does have a number of steps you need to go through which are: 1) Start a New map in QuArK. You can save that new map, naming it anything you wish, now or later as either a Hand editable or regular .qkm file. It can be saved any place you wish, but to work, you must have it in the Directory of Templates folder you selected for your template .qkm files to be located for that game. 2) Now create any objects you wish to have in that template map using any of the items that QuArK has to offer and that game can use such as polys, entities, lights, monsters, weapons, beziers, even other templates. You can also do your special flag settings in this map as well as apply your textures and position them. 3) This is where organization takes place. The map .qmk file you are working on actually becomes a Library of templates if you wish. Either way you MUST have at least one Group folder in which you place some or all of the items in that map. You can have several Group folders, placing objects in different ones. 4) Rename all Group folders to anything you wish. Clicking on a Group folder and then going to its Specifics\Arg page you can enter a Description for that folder. Later, you will see that each folder will become a Template and its Description will appear in the New map items... when you open this Library that is listed there. 5) Not critical but a helpful thing is adding a usercenter for that group. The usercenter is used as a point of rotation/scale operations of the group. For example: For a wall lantern - it's better that the usercenter is set at the base of a wall. For a floor lantern - at the base of the floor lantern and in its center on the floor. This makes it easyer to align the template object onto other real geometry. This is similar for an added prefab. So adding a usercenter is highly recommended. 6) Now save your file, click on your Commands menu function Build templates list, then register that list and you're done! Refresh Template : If a template has changed, holding your cursor over that template in the map you are editing and doing a RMB will bring up a menu with the Refresh Template function on it. Clicking this function will update those changes to your current map where that template is used. It may also update other templates in this same map if they have been changed also. In addition it will be posted to the editor's Undo / Redo list on the main Edit menu. Using the Refresh Template function is not always necessary, simply by moving something in the tree-view or any object in one of the editor's views will also update any templates that have changed. Templates list rebuild & placement : Just a few final things you should know. The only time you need to rebuild the Templates list would be if you added or removed a .qkm file from the templates folder location. Any changes made to those files does not require a rebuilding of the list. Just make your changes to those files and save them. Those changes will show up in all of the maps you have used those templates in the next time you open them. As far as the placement of those .qkm template library files, that can even be in one single folder that you can use for all of the games you map for. Which means you can pass those templates from one game to the next. The only thing to remember about doing that is to be sure you do not use entities that will not work in another game and that you add all of the textures you use to the Texture Browser by creating links to those textures or importing them into a CustomTextures.qrk file and adding that file to your addons for each game you want to use them in.

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