Difference between revisions of "A beginner's guide, lesson 1 - The Construction Set Primer"

A beginner's guide, lesson 1 - The Construction Set Primer (edit)

Revision as of 15:32, 8 January 2008

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→‎The Render Window: Significant revision to heading structure, grammar, and information presented.

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 mouse up and down moves the object backwards and forwards. It is a pain at first but you soon
 get used to it.
 To access the z-axis you need to hold down the Z key.
-<pre>The A key allows you to toggle Bright Light on and off. It's a very useful thing while working with Interior cells in the Construction Set and has no influence on the light in game.</pre>
+You will need to practice and be able to do five key things in the '''render window'''.
-You will need to practice and be able to do two key things in the '''render window'''.
-. Move the Camera
+==== 1. Move the Camera ====
-The camera is your view of the world. To move it you will use a combination of key and mouse
+The camera is your view of the world. To move it you will use a combination of key and mouse commands.
-commands.
 First click on the grey part of the render screen away from the objects. This is the standard
 deselect option. You can also press the D key. I always deselect before I move the camera. You
-don’t have to but it does prevent you from moving an object by mistake if you misskey.
+don’t have to, but it does prevent you from moving an object by mistake if you misskey.
 Now select the Wawnet object. A multi-coloured box will appear around the little block. The box
-defines the area of the object in its three dimensions. It is used in Collision detection and
+defines the area of the object in its three dimensions. It is used in '''collision detection''' and
-Havok physics.
+'''Havok''' physics.
-[Aside, double click on the block and a dialog box will open giving information about the block.
+<pre>Double click on the block and a dialog box will open, giving information about the block. Check that the name of the object is <name>. If it is not, close the dialog box, deselect and try again. In the central area is some information about the object's position. This lists the object's x, y, and z coordinates, and some info about rotation. These should all read 0,0,0. This is the default position. If, in the course of the tutorial, you drag the building out of the way by mistake, don’t panic. Select it, open the dialog, and reset it to 0,0,0.  Note, however, that this will flag the object as having been edited, with a * next to the object's name.</pre>
-Check that the name of the object is <name>. If it is not, close the dialog box, deselect and try again. In the central area is some information about the objects position. This lists the objects x, y, and z coordinates, and some info about rotation. These should all read 0,0,0. This is the default position. If in the course of the tutorial you drag the building out of the way by
-mistake. Don’t panic. Select it open the dialog and reset it to 0,0,0. ]
+To move the camera in the normal mouse directions, press and hold the centre wheel button or the spacebar on the keyboard. Move the mouse and you can move the camera about the room.
-With objects selected press C. You should now have a view with the block in the centre of the
+Practice makes perfect.
-window. C is your centre tool. It always centres the selected object.
+<pre>The A key allows you to toggle Bright Light on and off. It's a very useful thing while working with Interior cells in the Construction Set and has no influence on the light in game.</pre>
-. Zoom. This is the function of the centre wheel. Scroll in and out and watch the image in the window.
+==== 2. Rotate the Camera ====
+What you end up with might not be the best view.  We need to be able to
+rotate the camera. This is done by combining the Shift Key and a mouse move. Do not hold down any of the mouse buttons. The camera rotates about the selected object. If you have selected the Inn block it rotates about the centre of the block. Practice this. Now select an object in the inn like a table or a stool. Again, try rotating. Practice selecting objects, viewing them from different angles. Remember not to press the left or right mouse buttons. When I started I was so used to drag and drop I kept doing this in camera moves.
-Zoom out a bit and press T. The render changes to a nice top down view. Again you can zoom in and out. T will move the camera to give you a top down view of the selected object. It may however be blocked by objects which are above it.
-Another way to zoom is to hold the V key while moving the mouse (no buttons pressed). This is finer move than the scroll and allows a much closer view. But usually the scroll wheel gets the
+Why shouldn’t you do this? Because this is how we move and manipulate objects in the world.
-job done.
-Practice using these and when you are ready move on.
+==== 3. Center the Camera ====
+With objects selected, press C. You should now have a view with the block in the centre of the
+window. C is your centre tool. It always centres the selected object.
-Next let’s pan the camera. This allows you to move the camera in the normal mouse directions.
-Zoom in so you can get a nice view of the inn. Now press and hold the centre wheel button or the spacebar on the keyboard. Move the mouse and you can move the camera about the room.
-By combining these camera moves you can look at any of the objects in the window.
+==== 4. Zoom ====
-Practice makes perfect.
+This is the function of the centre wheel. Scroll in and out and watch the image in the window.
+Another way to zoom is to hold the V key while moving the mouse (no buttons pressed). This is finer move than the scroll and allows a much closer view. But usually the scroll wheel gets the
+job done.
-However, it might not be the best view. To complete the camera functions we need to be able to
+<pre>Zoom out a bit and press T. The render changes to a nice top down view. Again you can zoom in and out. T will move the camera to give you a top down view of the selected object. It may, however, be blocked by objects which are above it.</pre>
-rotate the camera. This is done by combining the Shift Key and a mouse move. Do not hold down any of the mouse buttons. The camera rotates about the selected object. If you have selected the Inn block it rotates about the centre of the block. Practice this. Now select an object in the inn like a table or a stool. Again try rotating. Practice selecting objects, viewing them in close up and from different angles. Remember not to press the left or right mouse buttons. When I started I was so used to drag and drop I kept doing this in camera moves.
+Practice using these and when you are ready move on.
-Why shouldn’t you do this? Because this is how we move and manipulate objects in the world.
+==== 5. Manipulate Objects ====
+Holding the left mouse key allows you to drag objects in the x, y plane. (left, right, front, back). Combining this with the top view , T, can be a very useful technique. Make sure ''Snap-to-Grid'' is disabled first, otherwise the object we're about to move will probably jump further than you'd like (it's the grid button on the toolbar). Click on one of the small objects like a beer mug. Use zoom, pan and rotate to get the best view of it. Now move the mug across the table. Select the mug, go to Top View, zoom out a little. Left click the mug and drag it to a new position on the table.
-Holding the left mouse key allows you to drag objects in the x, y plane. (left, right, front,
-back). Combining this with the top view , T can be a very useful techniques. Make sure snap is disabled first, otherwise the object we're about to move will probably jump further than you'd like (it's the grid button on the toolbar). Click on one of the small objects like a beer mug. Use zoom, pan and rotate to get the best view of it. Now move the mug across the table. Select the mug, go to Top View, zoom out a little. Left click the mug and drag it to a new position on the table.
+Believe it or not you have just done your first mod. It is a mod that shifts the position of a beer mug in Wawnett Inn. Ok it’s a pointless mod, but it is a mod nonetheless for that.
-Believe it or not you have just done your first mod. It is a mod that shifts the position of a
-beer mug in Weynet Inn. Ok it’s a pointless mod, but it is a mod nonetheless for that.
+==== Other Useful Tips ====
-Let’s move on to a few more useful keys.
+Let’s move on to a few more useful functions.
+===== Deleting/Cutting =====
+Turn your focus to the bar. It is good practice in using the camera. Now select an object on the bar. Any will do. We can now look at the cell content list on the right of the [[Cell View Window|cell view window]]. Scroll down and you should find the object highlighted. Right clicking on it brings up a menu. Select delete. The object disappears. You can reverse this by selecting '''Edit''' > [[Undo|Undo]] from the CS's menu bar at the top of the window.
-Turn your focus to the bar. It is good practice in using the camera. Now select an object on the bar. Any will do. We can now look at the cell content list on the right of the cell window. Scroll down and you should find the object highlighted. Right click on it brings up a menu. Select delete. The object disappears. If you now use the edit menu you can undo it (or CTRL + Z).  [[Construction Set Primer: Delete Issues|some delete issues]]
+To delete an object you can also select it and press ''Delete'' on your keyboard.
-To delete objects you can select it and press delete on your keyboard.
+To '''Cut''' an object simply select it and press CTRL + X, or select '''Edit''' > '''Cut'''.  This removes an object from the '''Render Window''' and adds it to your operating system's ''clipboard''.
-To cut objects simply select it and press CTRL + X.
+===== Selecting Multiple Objects =====
+You can select multiple objects as well. Deselect (D), then using the Left Mouse Button held down, drag a rectangle around the objects in the '''render window'''.
-You can select multiple objects as well. Deselect (D), then using Left Mouse button held down draw around the objects in the render window.
+Alternatively you can use CTRL + left click in the list of objects in the [[Cell View Window|cell view window]].
-Alternatively you can use CTRL + left click in the Cell content window.
+===== Scaling Objects =====
 Here is another useful key. Select a beer bottle (any object will do though) from the bar. Hold down the S key and drag away from it. The more you drag, the bigger it will get. If you drag inward, it will get smaller! You can have a lot of fun making big beer bottles. This way of making things bigger or smaller is good to know, because it is handy when placing trees. It should work on any object, including NPCs.
-Clear the bar of all objects. If you delete the bar, use CTRL + Z to undo it. (Don’t panic when
+Altering the size of an object, called '''scaling''', is a good way to add a bit of variety to your mods.  Note, however, the general rule that most objects do not look as good when scaled to less than half or more than double their original size.
-using the CS, Ctrl + Z is a useful undo tool).
-We have now removed objects from the Scene.
-As a final part of this lesson, let’s add some objects of our own.
-When I first started this was the most frustrating of all the activities. Let’s face it; this is what modding is really about. We want to add stuff that wasn’t there before. It can be awkward to get this right; hopefully this guide will ease you in.
-Let’s go back to the object window. At first this can be a bewildering thing. There are just so
-many things. Again gradually you will learn to use the menu and indeed the names of your favourite objects.
-The objects are to a degree sorted by their function (ammo, apparatus, armor, etc). For example, Armor and Weapons contain exactly what they say. All the armour and weapons contained in the game. These are further sorted by type. Ebony, Iron etc. These are objects you can pick up and equip.
-Containers contain all the boxes, chests, and crates that can be used to hold things. Magic contains the potions that you can collect.
-In this first tutorial we will look at using:
 ==MiscItem==