EYERONIK'S Tutorial



Using the Vertex Tool


This is used to make blocks fit and be different shapes, all you do is click on the object you want to shape and click on the 3d wireframe style icon on the left, now lots of dots appear on the object.

Keep in mind that the more complex the shape you create the more difficult it is going to be for the game engine to draw it. And of course dont have to many odd shapes in one visible area at one time, as it will effect your r_speeds, mainly increasing them to unacceptable levels.


Vertex Examples and Methods

So recapping, click the object you need to shape, and click the vertex tool

Now theres 3 modes, if you click it once you'll get the dots appear like the image in the right fig1.0

Now you can see yellow dots and white dots, (ive taken the picture from the front view btw, but it looks the same in the other views as well at the moment) the white dots you will notice are all on the corners, the yellow dots are in the middle, so moving a white dot will move that corner, if you move a yellow dot the whole side will move. As you can see in fig1.1 ive moved the corner over one unit. The other views will change as well once you click the arrow the vertex dots will go off and you have completed the vertex for that shape.


Now if you keep you shapes nice and aligned and use common sense you can make many varieties of shapes. If you are unsure if your shape is ok, use the check map for problems facility in the toolbar under "map". fig 1.2

As I have said there is 3 modes, although you can still perform the same vertexes in any of the modes, so it is not important which mode your in, just clicking the vertex tool once will work just fine, other vertex modes can make things easier to see, say if you click the tool twice you only get white dots for moving corners.


Incorrect Shapes

So what about incorrect shapes? well it can be explained, but its a little hard to understand to explain every single possible incorrect shape. One thing to remember is, if you have say a square it can only have 4 sides in front view, making another face on one face would make it have 5 faces, which is no good, this is only caused when reverting to a square from a previously vertexed shape.

Other errors include faces "seeing" into others, which is a no go area, like in fig 1.3 you can see the shape was previous a square, and the top left corner has been brought down into the shape creating face errors.

Thats not to say you couldn't make this shape, you can make it with vertex, however it has to be 2 objects, see if you can look at the picture (fig1.3)and imagine it as 2 separate blocks and how you could make it up.


If you now look at fig 1.4, you can see how to make a similar object to that one above, that would be acceptable and not give errors, as you can see ive left the dots on the bottom shape there, and used mode 2, which makes no difference apart from its easy to see what your doing.



FIG 1




FIG 1.1




FIG 1.2



FIG 1.3



FIG 1.4

Conclusion

In conclusion I hope this tutorial has given you a better understanding of the vertex tool. A very important point which I didn't mention, is the grid. Aligning things onto the grid is vital in making anything in a map. always zoom right in and have the smallest grid size possible when creating complex vertex shapes, to make sure everything is inline and use the "snap to grid feature" although I use this feature all the time on anything in a map. It can be ticked in the toolbar under "map".

If you fancy making some mounds, like for hillyness effects, see this tut here