The HPL2 Level Editor is a prop heavy level designer. About 90% of your map will consist of prop Walls, Ceilings, and Doorways. Props also make up details such as windows, furniture, debris, etc… I will talk about that later on.

Props are created by selecting the Static Objects tool(6) and some with the Entity Tool (7). Both tools do not use the same props, Static Objects is used for props that are used to create the map, such as Walls, Ceilings, Doorways(not doors), Debris with physics(Rocks, Carpets).

The Entity Tool is used for props you can interact and Script with. Props such as Doors, Closets and chests that open, tinderboxes/oil, NPC, interactive items, notes and diary entries. Think dynamic with entities, they are the props that are used in scripting and events. Entities would be something like a key that opens a door, or a door that loads a new map. Entities are Props that can or do serve a purpose, think physics, furniture, inventory items, quest items, levers, doors, torches, etc…

• *Example of Static Objects Example of Entities**

Dimensions for props are incredibly important because knowing them makes mapping incredibly faster, more enjoyable, and less tedious.

Now this guide will be focused mainly on Static Objects because they need the correct sizes to look and fit right. They are like legos, all have set sizes to work with one another.

You might be asking “Why not entities?” the reason being for not going over entities is because they dont make up the surroundings of a level, such as walls, they are interactive or have scripting tied into them, you place them where you want and are mainly used for detail so correct placement doesnt fall under entities nearly as much as static objects.

Now Knowing the correct sizes and sizes that work all around well together with props will allow you to quickly map an area without trying to get size right or messing around with sizes to get things to fit right.

For Example, notice how this doesnt fit right.(Left) And how it does fit(Right) CLICK TO ENLARGE!!!!

IMPORTANT: 99% OF WHAT THIS GOES OVER IS SIZE AND PLACEMENT, BOTH ARE IMPORTANT BUT CAN BE CONFUSING SO ANYTIME I TALK ABOUT SIZE OR PLACEMENT I WILL SAY SO BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT. ROTATION WILL BE EXPLAINED BRIEFLY.

Dimensions fall under x/y/z and make up the placement, rotation, and size for any primitive, prop, and entity. They are what you base the Scale, depth(depth is not used in the editor), area, rotation, and position when using something as a 3D level editor using a grid axis(X/Y/Z are the axis)

Now dimensions can be confusing in level editors because they change what they do whenever the rotation is changed, im not gonna bullshit anyone here, i dont know why that happens, im guessing, that when you rotate a flat plane to a curve instead of being perfectly straight wall or floor, is that then it starts using all 3 axis(X/Y/Z) instead of 2. I will NOT BE GOING OVER THIS

Regardless, understanding the x/y/z when it comes to prop placement will make your mapping experience a WHOLE lot better.

The easiest way I think of them when using SCALEis…

1. When dealing with walls of any kind, X is the Width and Y is the Height, Z is not used.

2. When dealing with floors and/or ceilings X is theWidth OR Height and Z is the Width OR Height, Y is not used.

Now after reading about floor and ceilings(#2), you might be wondering how X and Z could be either Width Or Height. Well its simple and not a big deal, it all depends on what way you viewing through the perspective camera.

A good example for this is to create a floor with an X of 5 and a Z of 3 then look at a floor by placing your camera above it facing down. Then change the X size. Then Rotate your camera so you are looking down still but facing another side then change the X again and it should look like it changed its Height or Width depending on how you view it.

Example of when X is the Height and Z is the Width: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65508834@N03/5965071992/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Example of X being the Width and Z being the Height: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65508834@N03/5965072076/sizes/l/in/photostream/

To be more precise, what is considered width or height is relative. And what would you do if the widht and the height are the same? Instead, think in tearms of X-size and Z-size.

In HPL2 engine, and thus in the level editor, the X-axis & the Z-axis lie in the ground plane, while the positive Y-axis points up. The editor displays each of these axes in a different color, allowing you to orient yourself. X is RED , Y is GREEN , and Z is BLUE . This is easy to remember - those are the main components of the RGB color model.

In short:

This color scheme is followed both for the global (world) coordinate system, as well as for the local (object-space) coordinate system.

The translation, rotation and scale indicators/manipulators seen in the image are called gizmos. To make object positioning easier, the level editor does not rotate the translation gizmo along with your object, so it is allways alligned to the world coordinate axes. The rotation and scale gizmos are, however, rotated with the object, so that the object can be properly manipulated. The scale gizmo is similar to the translation gizmo. The rotation gizmo is a bit different, but the color scheme makes it simple to understand and use. Each of the circles rotates like a wheel, and each rotates along a single local axis. However, note that the corresponding values that appear on the General panel are global, and that, after a few complicated rotations, will not reflect the behavior of the gizmo. This is done on purpose, so that the engine can track the rotations properly, while allowing for a more intuitive control over rotations for humans.

For this sub-section, SCALE is bolded when specificly talking about Size and PLACEMENT when about placement, they are different with numbers.

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