Call of Duty 2 Radiant Editor Manual

Call Of Duty II - Radiant Editor Manual

by John Barradale

Copyright 2007

Version 1.03 - 02/11/2007

Updated as of 11 February 2007

This manual endeavors to explain the procedures and familiarize the reader with the tools required to create their own single player or multi player game maps for Call of Duty 2. It's main objective is to provide a clear and concise explanation of the steps involved without leaving any guess work to the reader. Any suggestions, criticism, complaints or requests can be emailed to jbarradale@gmail.com. Thank you.

This manual is free to use by anyone of the Internet and Gaming Community and has no restrictions on it whatsoever, as I believe the Internet to be a place where people can locate information at no cost to them. I would only wish, but do not require, at least a mention of who wrote this manual. You may include the manual or a link to this manual on your own website at no charge. Updates will be posted only on this website and not any other. To get the most recent version, this is the place to go.

The people who have contributed to this manual and a great deal of thanks to them. They are as follows:

John Barradale Creator and researcher for this manual, appropriate since he is a published author, instructor, and all around computer expert for over 20 years.

I would also like to thank the many posts found on the Internet with too many user names to mention here, especially to the work done on the Quake 3 Editor manual, found at:
http://www.qeradiant.com/manual/Q3Rad_Manual/index.htm
Q3Radiant Editor Manual
Based on Version 192 - partly updated to GtkRadiant
By Paul Jaquays
With additional contributions by Astrocreep, Christian Antkow,
EutecTic, Inolen, Mr. Elusive, Maddog, Martin Ka'ai Cluney,
Robert A. Duffy, Small Pile of Gibs, Suicide20, and The Dog!
Special thanks go out to the members of the Quake3world Editing forum.
Your questions prompted many of the sections in this manual.
QERadiant.com thanks John Hutton for re-formating this manual into a more web friendly version.

Conventions used in this manual.

Procedures or steps will be shown as follows:

STEP ONE: Start The Editor. {Double Left Click} on your brand new icon for the Radiant Editor, if it is not already running.

The step will be numbered, bold, light blue, followed by an optional summary of what we are doing in bold black. The menu choices, mouse clicks, or buttons to be pressed will be shown. The way they are shown is as follows:

Step Numbers: STEP ONE
Mouse Clicks: {Left Click}, {Right Click}, {Left Click Hold}, {Double Left Click} ...
Keyboard Keys: <A>, <1>, <Backspace>, <Enter>, <Tab>, <PageUp>, <Home>, <End>, <Delete> ...
Menu Choices: [File]->[Save As...], [Selection]->[CSG]->[Hollow], ....
Each of the words or phrase enclosed in brackets are a {Left Click} on a menu item. The first item is the word along the top of the screen, the main menu item. It is followed by the {Left Click} on each of the sub-menus that appear with an arrow connecting them.
Buttons: (Save), (OK), (Rotate X), (Hollow), ....

There are many ways of doing things, if there is another way I have found, then this will be shown by the phrase Alternate Method in bold and italic type face.

II. Editor Fundamentals - The Functions, Commands and Procedures.

Previously we learned some basics of the editor and created a simple room. Now we get at the meat of the editor and discuss the operation of the editor. It is called fundamentals because we are not going to review a long list of commands and steps to create a world, but the fundamental concepts and procedures that make up the editor in order to create a usable, workable, playable, fun map level. In other words, the fundamental procedures that make up the entire process can include, hollowing out a cube for the world to be in, placing objects on the map, placing actors onto the map, placing terrain on the map, modifying the terrain floor to show hills and valleys, placing water on the map, placing a sky map, placing lighting, and so on. These are the fundamental procedures that make up the editor and are combined in many different orders or steps that are decided by the user, you. In other words, I am not going to tell you that you have to place your terrain textures, such as grass before or after you modify the levels of terrain to create a hill or valley, because there are always many ways of doing things. I will however, outline the steps I have taken to perform a "set of fundamental tasks" in order to create something. This way you will learn how the editor works down to its fundamental way and can combine these fundamentals in any way you wish to create YOUR map and no one else's.

These fundamental steps may for a while be bit unorganized, but they will be indexed and cataloged in the Table of Contents. Then a more logical way of listing them will be set up. So, as I progress through the editor I may over-look certain steps and explore them later.

A. Moving Around in the Views of the Editor.

1. The 2D View.

a. Moving the view in the X and Y. To move the view in the 2D View Window, you {Right Click Hold} inside the view and move the mouse around on the desk and then release. That's it. Simple. This is also called "Panning The View".

The view will at times automatically pan to the left, right, up, or down when you select an item or object and this object is partially off the screen. When you move an object in the view, you will also notice that the view will move as you approach the edge of the view. This is when you have the option checked in preferences, "Mouse chaser" under "New functionality" in the Preferences screen. This Preferences screen is accessed by pressing the letter <P> on the keyboard, or through the menus, [Edit]->[Preferences]. Then close the preferences window, by pressing the (OK) button at the top right.

Notice how I did not ask you to go find the section that describes this procedure somewhere else in this manual? First, I think it is rude. Second, I think it is stupid, especially if you move pages and sections around a lot and forget to update ALL the references to that section and people are looking on a page and cannot find it and think you are an idiot! Third, I AM good at this aren't I?

b. Zooming the View. To make the map smaller or bigger, or to be more precise, to increase or decrease the magnification of the view, you can use the mouse wheel.

To zoom in (increase the magnification) you move the Mouse Wheel forward or away from you by placing your finger lightly on it, not pressing it because it is also a button, and then moving your finger away from you, or towards the computer. This will make the grid lines farther apart, just as if you were using a magnifying lens on a piece of graph paper. They "appear" to be closer. This is not changing the map, simply changing how much of the map you are looking at. If you want to see detail, you zoom in to make the objects appear larger. If you want to look at the "big picture" to see how something fits into the level, you can zoom out. To zoom out you do the opposite, lightly press the mouse wheel and move your finger towards you, or away from the computer. It is like you are using your finger to pull the camera back out of the picture, or pushing it in to see closer detail. To show this operation, we will use: {Mouse Wheel Forward} and {Mouse Wheel Back}.

Alternate Method: In the main menu at the top of the screen. {Left Click} on [View]->[Zoom]->[XY Zoom In]. Imagine that! To zoom the view, you use [View], then {Zoom], then [XY Zoom In], kinda logical isn't it.? As you become more familiar with this editor, the commands will become second nature like this. You will know instinctively that a command is located in a specific place. There is also a shortcut key listed in those menus. For zoom in there is <Delete> and for zooming out, there is <Insert>. Try them, play with them and see if this is true with your version.

2. The Camera View or 3D View.

a. Moving the left and right angle of the camera view. To move the view in the Camera View Window use a similar method to the 2D View. You {Right Click Hold} the mouse in the 3D View Window and drag it left and right.

This is however a more complex window and has more than two-axis represented in the window. This method moves the camera view left and right only. Think of a stationary camera on a tripod, you are rotating the camera left and right, changing its angle of view from North, East, West or South.

Alternate Methods: Using the arrow keys on the keyboard also function the same way. Press <Left> to turn the camera to the left and press <Right> to turn the camera to the right. Commands: CameraLeft and CameraRight

b. Moving the camera forward and backward. To move the camera around inside the window, {Right Click Hold} and then mouse the Mouse, not the wheel, around on the desk. Move the Mouse forward and the camera will move forward in the room. Move the Mouse back and the camera will move back.

Alternate Methods: Using the arrow keys on the keyboard also function the same way. Press <Up> to move the camera forward and press <Down> to move the camera back. Commands: CameraForward and CameraBack

It is just as if you picked up the camera tripod, walked forward and then set it back down. So, you can "rotate" left and right with the mouse right button down by moving the mouse left and right, and also you can "move" forward and backward moving the mouse forward or back. In this way you can place the camera in any place in this room, subject to this plane of existence. The plane we are moving in is referred to as the XY plane. A plane is a two dimensional existence in a 3D world. The ocean surface or the ground we walk on, just the surface, is one plane. It has two dimensions, the North and South axis and the West and East axis. This is not taking into consideration the height of the ground relative to sea level, the Z-axis because that is in another plane.

Try this experiment. {Right Click Hold} in the 3D View Window and pull the mouse, does not matter where you start, and keep pulling the mouse away. If you need to, I have a small desk, you can lift the mouse up, move it away from you and replace it back down in order to continue moving it toward you. Now keep going until you are out of the room. Suddenly, the world goes dark, the other side of the walls have no texture on them, so the may say "default texture" or something and the world is dark and grey. Oh no! But you can still see the box that is your world. You have simply left the known universe and are exploring the outside where there is nothing. There is nothing there, because you have not created it yet. Okay, relax, you can go back into your world again and see the nice wood floor that you have been shooting holes in. Yes, I caught you, you plugged a few holes in the walls too, didn't you?

c. Moving the camera up and down. Now to move the height of the camera. Not the angle of it, press <Control> + {Right Click Hold} and move the Mouse forward and back. Moving forward raises the height of the camera. Moving back lowers the height.

Alternate Methods: Using the keys on the keyboard also function the same way. Press <D> to raise the camera up and press <C> to lower the camera down. Commands: CameraUp and CameraDown

You will also notice, as you are moving around in the 3D View, the 2D View is not updated with these moves. If you {Left Click} once on the 2D View Window, you will see the small blue camera symbol in the 2D View Window instantly move to the new location. To have these changed updated dynamically, another fancy word for "at the same time", you can check the option in Preferences, "Update XY views while dragging". This could possibly slow your performance down if you do not have a fast computer. To access this preference, press the letter <P>, {Left Click} inside the little white box and a check mark will appear, turning it on. Then close the preferences window, by pressing the (OK) button at the top right.

d. Moving the camera left and right (strafe). To move the camera to the left, not rotate, but to "strafe left" or "strafe right" you press <Control> + {Right Click Hold} and move the Mouse to the left or right.

Alternate Methods: Using the keys on the keyboard also function the same way. Press <Comma> to strafe left and press <Period> to strafe right. Commands: CameraStrafeLeft and CameraStrafeRight

e. Moving the angle of the camera up and down. To move the angle of the camera, not the height of the camera, you press <Shift> + <Control> + {Right Click Hold} and drag the mouse up and down to angle it towards the ceiling or the floor. Dragging the Mouse forward tilts the camera up, dragging the Mouse back tilts the camera down.

Alternate Methods: Using the keys on the keyboard also function the same way. Press <A> tilts the camera up and press <Z> tilts the camera down. Commands: CameraAngleUp and CameraAngleDown

f. Zooming the View. To make the map smaller or bigger, or to be more precise, to increase or decrease the magnification of the view, you can use the mouse wheel. {Mouse Wheel Forward} or {Mouse Wheel Back}

This is another option in the preferences screen ( [Edit]->[Preferences] ) that is labeled, "Use mouse wheel in camera window". Move the Mouse Wheel forward, or away from you to zoom in. (ie: pushing the camera or view closer to the map) To zoom out pull the mouse wheel towards you, or pull the view outward farther from the map.

g. Move Camera With Mouse. To set the cameras position, press <Control> + {Middle Click} in the 2D View. To set the direction, pick a spot that you wish to look at in the camera and place the Mouse Cursor there and press {Middle Click}.

B. Selecting and Deselecting Objects in the Editor.

1. To deselect all items, press the <Escape> key. This will also cancel operations you are in the middle of.

2. To select an object press <Shift> + {Left Click} on the object you wish to select..

3. To select a side or face of an object, press <Shift> + <Control> + {Left Click} on the side you want to select. Each time you click in this way on another face, it will also be selected in addition to the first one. If you go back and click on a side in this way and it is already selected, it will deselect that side or face.

4. To select only one single face of an object, press <Shift> + <Control> + <Alt> + {Left Click} on the side you wish to select. Each time you click this way on another face, it will be selected and the first one will be deselected.

C. Moving and Resizing Objects in the Editor

Once an object has been selected, you can resize or move the object. To resize the object, place the mouse cursor anywhere outside the wire frame, press {Left Click Hold} and drag the box in or out to resize. To move the entire selection, place the mouse cursor inside the wire frame, press {Left Click Hold} and drag the mouse around and the entire selection will move without changing its size or shape.

D. Creating and Inserting Objects in the Editor.

1. Creating a simple brush.

STEP ONE: Draw a Rectangle. Move the Mouse Cursor to the upper left corner of the rectangle you want to draw.

STEP TWO: Drag the Mouse. {Left Click Hold} and pull the Mouse down towards you and at the same time to the right until you reach the lower right corner of the rectangle and release the Mouse Button.

If you wish you can start at any one of the four corners of the rectangle, but you must travel to the opposite corner in order to get a rectangle. All of the brushes start out as rectangles. This is the most basic, fundamental operation in the editor - dragging to create a brush. Now you have mastered a task in the editor!

2. Creating a room to work in.

STEP ONE: Start The Editor. {Double Left Click} on your brand new icon for the Radiant Editor, if it is not already running.

STEP TWO: Draw a Rectangle. In the 2D View (graph paper) move your mouse cursor to a point to the left and above the center point until your status bar on the bottom as explained above reads with the coordinates of:

"x:: -256.0 y::256.0 z:: 0.0 "

{Left Click Hold} and drag the Mouse Cursor down and to the right until the coordinates in the status bar at the bottom reads as shown in Figure 32, and release the mouse button.
Figure 69 - Status Bar.

Do not worry about the Z-Axis, because this is going to be the floor, and 8 units high for the structures in your map is going to be the standard. This is how you drag a shape in the 2D View Window. Viola! You just have drawn a simple rectangle. Now look at the Status Bar at the bottom. You will notice the size values, the second set of three numbers to the right of the coordinate values. They now should read:

" Size X:: 512.0 Y:: 512.0 Z:: 8."

You have just created a box that is 512 wide by 512 long(depth) and 8 high.

Figure 70 - Drawing a Rectangle.

Now let's create the other parts of the room. I have been instructed that even though a shortcut is to use the (Hollow) button, it is not a good idea. To prevent compiler problems that it is better to create the individual walls, ceilings, and floors and the fit them closely together.

STEP THREE: Copy the floor. With the first rectangle still highlighted, or selected, press the <Spacebar> once. This will copy the floor rectangle, deselect the floor and select the new rectangle.
Figure 71 - Copying a Rectangle.

If you managed to deselect or unselect the floor before copying it, press <Shift> + {Left Click} with the Mouse Cursor over the object in the 2D View Window and the lines will turn red in the view.
Figure 72 - Moving a Rectangle.

STEP FOUR: Move the Rectangle Higher. Move your mouse cursor to the Z-Axis Scale Window on the far left. The box is shown in a red outline, or what I refer to as a "Wireframe". {Left Click Hold} inside the red lines of the box and drag it upwards to the 256 line and release the mouse button.

STEP FIVE: Move the camera to see both rectangles. Move the Mouse cursor into the Camera View or 3D View. {Right Click Hold} and drag the Mouse towards you to pull it back so you can see both rectangles. A fast way to set the camera is to move the Mouse Cursor in the 2D View Window just below the rectangle and press <Control> + {Middle Click} and the camera will move to that point. To set the point that the camera is looking at, place the Mouse Cursor in the 2D View Window at the center of the Rectangle and press {Middle Click}.

Figure 73 - Moving Camera To See Both Rectangles.

STEP SIX: Deselect the Box. Press the <Escape> key to deselect all selections.

STEP SEVEN: Switch 2D View. Press the <Control> + <Tab> keys to switch the perspective or orientation of the 2D View.

Figure 74 - Front View.

In other words the default or starting view is from the top of the map looking down. You can switch this 2D View to front and side view by pressing the <Control> + <Tab> keys. Each time you press these keys, it will cycle through the three perspectives. The current view is shown in the upper left side of the 2D View. It will read "XY Top", or "XZ Front", or "YZ Side". The letters represent the two axis that can be seen, the missing one is the one that moves away from the view in the 2D View Window and is therefore behind the object in the window. In Figure 76 we see that the two rectangles are not aligned, so we need to move them so they are aligned. Move the mouse cursor over the upper rectangle and press <Shift> + {Left Click} to select it again, if you unselected it.

Figure 75 - Draw Box.

Move the Mouse Cursor in the 2D View Window and {Left Click Hold} inside the rectangle and drag the rectangle to the side until it is aligned with the rectangle below it. Repeat this same step for the other views to ensure that it is all lined up properly. Press <Control> + <Tab> to change the view, press {Left Click Hold} inside the rectangle and drag to the correct graph paper lines. Return to the "Front View" by pressing the <Control> + <Tab> keys until it reads "XZ Front" in the upper left corner of the 2D View Window. Make sure that all of the rectangles are deselected by pressing the <Escape> key.

STEP EIGHT: Draw another rectangle. In the 2D View Window, move the Mouse cursor to a point that is even with top rectangle, press {Left Click Hold} and drag downward until it lines up with the bottom rectangle, keeping only 8 units wide..

STEP NINE: Copy the wall. With the third rectangle still highlighted, or selected, press the <Spacebar> once. This will copy the wall rectangle, deselect the first wall and select the new rectangle, the second wall.

Figure 76 - Copy Box.

STEP TEN: Move the Rectangle to the right. Move your mouse cursor in the 2D View Window {Left Click Hold} inside this fourth rectangle and drag it across so that it is to the right of the top and bottom rectangles.

As you approach the edge, the view will move along as you drag the rectangle, only if you checked the option in Preferences that is labeled "Mouse chaser". In order to move the 2D View, or to "pan the view", press {Right Click Hold} anywhere in the 2D View Window and drag up, down, left or right. To zoom the 2D View Window, use the Mouse Wheel. Move the {Mouse Wheel Forward} to zoom in and vice versa.

Next we will switch to the side view and repeat what we just did to create two more walls.

Figure 77 - Moved Box.

STEP ELEVEN: Deselect the Box. Press the <Escape> key to deselect all selections.

STEP TWELVE: Switch 2D View. Press the <Control> + <Tab> keys to switch the perspective or orientation of the 2D View to the side view.

STEP THIRTEEN: Draw a Fifth Rectangle. In the 2D View Window, move the Mouse cursor to a point that is even with top rectangle, press {Left Click Hold} and drag downward until it lines up with the bottom rectangle.

We are still drawing only 8 units wide. Switching to the other views, because the wall did not show up in the Camera View, we find that it drew only a square column 8 units wide. Turn the camera to find the box as seen in Figure 80.
Figure 78 - Draw Box.

Figure 79 - Box Drawn, Not Found, Turned Camera.

STEP FOURTEEN: Switch 2D View. Press the <Control> + <Tab> keys to switch the perspective or orientation of the 2D View to the "Top" view.

Figure 80 - Resizing Box.

STEP FIFTEEN: Resize the Rectangle. Press {Left Click Hold} on the edge of the rectangle and drag it out to the left. Also line up the right edge of the rectangle with the other rectangles, the top and bottom, by pressing {Left Click Hold} inside the rectangle and dragging. Note the difference in the Console Window. It will display "Dragging entire selection" or "Side stretch" depending on which you are currently doing. Then you can properly line up both ends to make the box the same size as the other boxes.

STEP SIXTEEN: Copy the Rectangle. Press the <Spacebar> once.

Figure 81 - Copy Box.

STEP SEVENTEEN: Move the Rectangle to the other side. Move your mouse cursor in the 2D View Window {Left Click Hold} inside this sixth rectangle and drag it upwards so that it is above the top and bottom rectangles in the Top View. Press the <Escape> key to deselect all rectangles.

Figure 82 - Move Box.

STEP EIGHTEEN: Modify all of the Rectangle edges. Move your mouse over to the 2D View Window and <Control> + {Left Click} on one of the rectangle in which you can see the edge of it only. Press the letter <V> to display the Vertices of the rectangle. {Left Click Hold} on one of these colored dots and move it inward along the edge of the rectangle. As shown in Figure 89 and Figure 90, there are two in each edge. Move one and then the other to show the beveled face as shown in Figure 90. Then press <Escape> key to deselect the rectangle and move on to the next one.

Figure 83 - Modify Edges of All Boxes.

Figure 84 - Beveling Edges.

Figure 85 - Beveling Edges.

Now continue doing this same thing to all of the edges of all of the rectangles, so that when placed back together they fit perfectly, just like a wooden box made by a carpenter. You can drag a rectangle out of the way of the other ones to help you see it better, as in Figure 91.

Figure 86 - Continuing to Bevel Edges.

Figure 87 - Continuing to Bevel Edges.

Continue cutting a bevel into each side, deselecting it, pressing <Control> + {Left Click} to select another, pressing <V> to show the Vertices and dragging the dots inward until every edge is beveled.

Figure 88 - Assembling The Pieces together.

STEP NINETEEN: Assemble the pieces back together. Drag the rectangles back together as shown in Figure 88.

Now this is a fundamental step. It is independent of other instructions or examples. It is the way I will always use to create a box or cube. You can also devise your own specific steps as you get familiar with the editor. But the process will be the same. Drag to create a box. That is the simple way to say it, but for the beginner it is definitely not the proper way to "explain" it.

3. PROJECT TWO - Creating an "outside" map.

First and foremost, plan your area in a summary fashion, using pen and paper, or a simple paint program. Remember that you will build from the ground up, so start with the basic terrain, like roads, fields, streams, hills, valleys and such. Since we do not need to subtract the map level from the void, we can just begin to create our terrain. It is easier for me, to start with the roads. Make the roads look good and then put the houses and other parts of the terrain.

a. Add some grassy areas to the start of the map.

b. Add a road.

4. Creating a player start point.

5. Creating a light.

6. Adding a texture to the walls, ceiling and floor of a room.

7. Mini-Project: Adding a fireplace to an existing house..

The house I used is the main project I am working on, a level to design, but also one to experiment with and learn the new techniques. I will eventually be able to finish the main project and play it as a whole complete map. For now, I am just using it to show the many features of the Radiant Editor. This portion of the manual therefore deals only with the fireplace. If you have followed along in this manual and performed all the previous parts, then you already have a house. If you need to build a house, this manual also has a good example of one in Chapter II, Section C, sub-section 2. There are many other places to find houses. If you ask nicely I might even upload my house on a simple map, one without a fireplace and one with all the detail already added. I am currently fixed on this house, to see how far I can take a simple design of a house. The fireplace was so good, I just had to put it into the manual. You can actually see up through the fireplace and out into the sky.

STEP ONE: Decide where to place it. In the Figure below I drew a box where I thought I was going to place it. I then realized that I had to build it outside the house, as it was far too crowded inside to be able to select parts of the fireplace and chimney. So, in the next figure, it is shown outside as I build it, then drag it inside. Not the way to build it on a real house for sure. Rather than drawing with caulk I chose to use a shortcut and draw with the stone texture I chose, �detail_brick_1� This is going to make the compiler render the sides that are hidden, but since I wanted the ability to look up or down the chimney, there are not that many sides that are hidden. It is better to use caulk on those hidden sides, but with having to take so many screen shots of the work I needed to get it done more quickly.

Figure 89 - Spot For The Fireplace.

Figure 90 - Build Fireplace Outside First.

STEP TWO: Begin building firebox. Draw a rectangle. In the 2D View, �XY Top� View, {Left Click Hold} and drag the Mouse to the right. Draw a box that is 4 units thick and about 48 units long. This is the back side of the firebox.

The proportions and design is not exactly done as it is in real life. I thought it better to get a design down that looked good and reasonable. Otherwise I would actually have to lay a brick one at a time. That is hard enough in real life, I did not have the time to go into greater detail than this. If you have a better one, feel free to share it. In the Figure above I drew the first wall of the firebox, the portion of the fireplace where the is built. On top of this will be the chimney, built piece by piece.

STEP THREE: Draw Rectangle for side of firebox. {Left Click Hold} in 2D View just to the left of the first wall you drew and drag down towards the house outside wall. In each of these steps I had to change from one view to another, press <Control> + <Tab> to switch the 2D View, and then check my rectangle wire frames to make sure they were drawn in the right proportions. I often had to drag the rectangle shorter or longer in the other views. I have found however, that when you draw one rectangle and then go to draw another next to it, the editor automatically conforms to the first one fairly well. It is only when I had to change the view to draw a different part that it sometimes drew a rectangle that was closer to a cube than just the wall that I wanted. I also found that by varying the grid value I could better control some of the draws when I wanted more or less thickness.

I also may have left out a few drawings, or screen shots of the work while I was doing it. This is because it was so difficult, knowing what I needed to do next, but instead have to wait, take a screen shot, paste it into the paint program, save the file and then come back to perform the next step. What was worse, I still so often try to click on the editor screen in the paint program, trying to get it to perform some step and almost thinking that my system had crashed, but I was only clicking on a picture of the editor. I have been switching back and forth so often and staring at the same screen in both programs I lose myself for a second. So, I often had to draw a few things, just to make some progress.

STEP FOUR: Copy Rectangle. Press the <Spacebar> to copy the rectangle and create a new one. STEP FIVE: Move Rectangle. Press {Left Click Hold} inside the wire frame and drag the Rectangle across to the other side of the first wall, the back of the firebox. You now have a box with one open side. This is the fireplace opening that will be seen inside the house. Most of the rest of the fireplace will be on the outside.

Figure 91 - Three Walls of Firebox Created.

STEP SIX: Draw a Flat Rectangle. Press <Escape> to deselect the last rectangle. Press {Left Click Hold} at the back end and inside this open ended box and drag across to the other side as shown in Figure 92. Draw a rectangle 40 units long, 8 units wide and 4 units thick(height). This is where the flu would be. No I am not getting a cold. This is also where the editor wanted to mimic the last wall drawn, but I did not want it this time. This time I am looking to draw a horizontal piece, flat across the opening of the chimney. I had to switch to the "XZ Front View" in the 2D View Window in order to pull the wall up, to correct the rectangle. This is shown in the next three figures.

Figure 92 - Draw A Horizontal Box Flat Across The Top.

Figure 93 - Switch To Front View To Resize The Box.

Figure 94 - Resize Box Upwards to 4 inches High.

STEP SEVEN: Draw Another Flat Rectangle. Press <Escape> to deselect the last rectangle. Press {Left Click Hold} inside this open ended box towards the front of the firebox, nearest the house, just like the last rectangle. Draw it flat across the top of the firebox. This will leave an opening between the two rectangles just drawn. This is where the smoke goes up to the chimney, the flu as it is called.

Figure 95 - Draw A Second Flat Rectangle.

It was at this point that I decided to make the fireplace a little smaller in depth. The width was fine, so I selected the two sides of the firebox, pressing <Shift> + {Left Click} in the 3D View, then in the 2D View dragging the firebox closer together to make the box 48 wide by 32 deep instead of 48 by 48.

Figure 96 - Resized Firebox to 48 by 32..

STEP EIGHT: Draw Another Rectangle. Press <Control> + <Tab> to switch to Front View to draw this rectangle. Press <Escape> to deselect the last rectangle. Press {Left Click Hold} in the 2D View, Front View, and draw a rectangle across the front portion of the fireplace, 40 wide, 16 high and 4 thick. This is the last portion of the fireplace that will be visible from the inside of the house. It is the face of the fireplace, just above the opening and below the fireplace mantle.

Once again the editor wanted to draw a full size box. It is so easy though to switch views and drag the rectangle to the proper thickness. Switch back to the XY Top View in the 2D View Window, by pressing <Control> + <Tab> twice. Resize the box, by pressing {Left Click Hold} outside of the wire frame, and drag it towards the outside wall of the house.

STEP NINE: Draw Another Rectangle. Press <Escape> to deselect the last rectangle. Press {Left Click Hold} at the rear edge of the firebox, on top of it, and drag to the right, to the other rear corner of the firebox. Draw a rectangle 4 units thick so that it is flush with the outside edge of the firebox, but we want the other edges, left and right to be 4 units less in width. This rectangle is therefore 40 units wide. We also want this box to be 12 units in height. The box that got drawn was a full box across the top, so I had to change views and drag the box smaller in thickness to be 4 units. Figure 97 shows the wall being drawn as a box, but also shows where the walls will be going.

Figure 97 - Draw The Chimney.

This will be the start of the chimney. Now we begin to draw all four walls of the chimney as we build upwards. This first level will be 12 units high and will be inset on the two sides. In other words it will be 4 units thinner, left to right than the firebox. Draw all four walls around the chimney. Do not worry about beveled edges or any other fancy stuff, it is just a chimney. This is where I did not take the time to make screen shots and had to get some drawing done.

STEP TEN: Copy the Rectangle. Press <Spacebar> to copy the rectangle sitting at the back edge of the firebox. Press {Left Click Hold} inside this new wire frame and drag it to the front of the firebox, nearest the house.

STEP ELEVEN: Draw Another Rectangle. Press <Escape> to deselect the last rectangle. In the 2D View Window, Top View, press {Left Click Hold} at a point 4 units to the right of the left edge of the firebox and at the edge of the rear outside wall of the chimney and drag the Mouse Cursor towards the house, now 8 units to the right of the left edge, and up to the edge of the wall we drew at the front of the firebox. In other words, draw the left hand wall of the chimney, 4 units thick and 12 units high.

STEP TWELVE: Copy Rectangle. Press <Spacebar> to copy this rectangle wall. Press {Left Click Hold} inside the wire frame and drag it to the right side of the firebox so that it is 4 units in from the edge.

STEP THIRTEEN: Draw Another Rectangle, Higher Level. Press <Escape> to deselect the last rectangle. Draw another level of walls that is flush with the rear outside wall of the chimney, the wall that will be away from the house, and is 4 units from the right and left edges of the last level we just drew. Figure 98 shows the levels to draw in colors. The light green is the firebox we started with.

Figure 98 - Draw The Next Level For The Chimney In The Same Way.

The next level that we drew over the firebox is in blue. This is the one we just completed. The level we are currently drawing is in magenta. Make the rear edge flush with the rest of the chimney. Make the left and right sides 4 units thinner on each side. This way the chimney is getting thinner, but the same dimensions on the front and back walls.

STEP FOURTEEN: Draw Another Rectangle, Higher Level. Press <Escape> to deselect the last rectangle. Draw another level of walls that is NOT flush with the rear outside, but is also set in by 4 units. This is the teal colored section in Figure 98. This is the dimension that will be used all the way up the chimney. Draw the four walls first about 16 units high, then you can select all four walls and resize them all the way above the roof of the house.

Now you should have what appears in Figure 99 and 100. You can add any height of the levels we built, you can step the bricks in any way you want. You do not have to have the chimney hollow. You could save time and build it as a solid block and decorate the outside only. It is your choice. I did it this way, just to see if it could be done and what effect it might have on the editor, compiler and game, if any. The way these games are designed, the intricate detail is really not the main part of the game. It simply makes it look better. To me adding realism is what I like. It is not required by any game.

Figure 99 - Stretch The Last Set Of Walls To Above The Roof.

Figure 100 - Basic Chimney Built.

Now that we have the basic chimney and fireplace built. I am going to cut out a section of the house to put it into.

STEP FIFTEEN: Change the 2D View Window perspective to the "XZ Front View" and move the camera inside the building. Do you remember how to move the camera and change the view? If you have followed along, you are probably there already, but if not, press <Control> + <Tab> until the 2D View shows like the one in Figure 100 showing the side of the house in the 2D View Window. The display will indicate the view in the upper left corner of the 2D View Window. It should read "XZ Front". To move the camera, press {Right Click Hold} and push the camera forward into the house, move it left or right to turn around and face the wall.

Figure 101 - Move Camera Into House Where Fireplace Will Be..

Your screen should similar to Figure 101 above. You can {Right Click Hold} the Mouse Cursor in the 3D View Window and push upwards away from you, then release the button and see the chimney waiting there for you. Come on let's go. {Right Click Hold} in the 3D View Window and drag the Mouse back towards you to go back into the house, then release the mouse button.

Figure 102 - Hey Move Me In!

We will be using the clipper feature again to create the opening in the wall for the fireplace. The opening will allow us to adjust the depth that the fireplace will protrude into the room without worrying about the wall being in the way. Also, the opening in the fireplace would not exist if we did not cut through the wall.

STEP SIXTEEN: Select the entire wire frame of the wall inside the house. Move the Mouse Cursor to the 3D View Window and onto the image of that back wall, press <Shift> + {Left Click} to select the entire "brush". It should now be highlighted like in Figure 103.

Figure 103 - Select The Rear Wall.

STEP SEVENTEEN: Activate the Clipper. Press the (Clipper) button in the toolbar as shown in Figure 104.

Figure 104 - Clipper Button Shown. First Point Shown.

FONT COLOR="#0080ff">STEP EIGHTEEN: Cut the first line. Move the Mouse Cursor to a point in the horizontal line that represents the edge of the chimney and fireplace mantle and press {Left Click}. This is shown in Figure 104. Move the cursor to a second point along the same horizontal line and press {Left Click}. The line will be cut, press <Shift> + <Enter> to keep the cut out piece of the wall.

Now you can see why we placed the chimney and fireplace outside the wall facing the room it is going to be inserted! You can see in the 2D View Window that the fireplace is not zoomed in or out like it would be if you were standing far away from something or closer. No matter how far you move the chimney away from the house, the 2D View Window would show only the exact size of the chimney and fireplace. So, now, if you carefully follow the lines that are the outside edge of the fireplace you can cut an exact rectangular hole in the wall and insert the fireplace perfectly.

After pressing <Shift> + <Enter> you will see the wall come back, but a line still exists in the wall. Now the one wireframe has been split into two pieces. Figure 105 shows that the moment that you place the second point the wall disappears. The clipper takes out a section of wall that is to the left of the line. If I had placed the first point to the left and then to the right, the lower section would be removed.

Figure 105 - Making The Horizontal Cut.

This can be illustrated in this way. You have a piece of plywood which you need to cut off a small piece and throw away. You place a circular saw in the wood and begin to cut. Your left hand is on the piece that you are going to throw out. The line you are cutting is headed in one direction. To the left of that direction of cut is the piece on the left side that will be removed. If you wanted to remove the other side, then turn around and start cutting from the other end. The piece on the left is always the piece that will be removed. Now put that wall back up, it's cold in here!

Figure 106 - Keep The Cut Piece In The Wall.

STEP NINETEEN: Deselect the upper piece. Move the Mouse Cursor to the upper piece and press <Shift> + {Left Click} and the upper piece will no longer be selected and is not highlighted in red.

This is because we do not need to make any cuts in the upper section. This is something that I forgot to do in this process. So much to remember, so much to forget, well that's another song altogether.

STEP TWENTY: Cut the second line. Move the Mouse Cursor to a point on the left side in the vertical line that represents the left edge of the fireplace. Press {Left Click} to place a point on that line. Move the Mouse Cursor down along that same line and press {Left Click} to place a another point on that line. As soon as you do, the editor will clip the line as shown in Figure 107. Press <Shift> + <Enter> to keep it.

Figure 107 - Cutting The Second Line.

As I mentioned I forgot to deselect the upper section of wall, so my cut went all the way up through the whole wall. Your cut should just be in the lower portion of the wall. Notice it took out the section on the right? Not exactly. The direction of the cut was from the top to the bottom. It is like traveling in a car and the reason why so many get confused looking at a map. If you are heading south on a road, on the map you are heading from the top of the map to the bottom. You see on the map, the road you want to the right, which is East. However, if you tell the driver to turn right on the road, you would then be heading West. Because you were facing south, your road was on the left side of the car, but on the right side of the map. To properly orient your map, turn it upside down so that the direction of your travel is from the bottom to the top. I hope you better understand right and left in the editor. It is often based upon direction, not just the view you are currently looking at.

STEP TWENTY-ONE: Cut the third line. Move the Mouse Cursor to a point on the right side, at or near the bottom, in the vertical line that represents the right edge of the fireplace. Press {Left Click} to place a point on that line. Move the Mouse Cursor up along that same line and press {Left Click} to place a another point on that line. As soon as you do, the editor will clip the line. You can do better than I did in this one. I placed the points top to bottom, so the left piece was at the right side. As shown in Figure 107 the editor removed that piece. Now, if you did correctly and had the upper section of the first cut not selected and placed the first point of the third cut lower and the second point above that, you can now press the <Enter> key to accept the cut (Figure 111). If you followed my way, then you need to press <Shift> + <Enter> to keep it. You need to deselect all the other pieces of the wall, select only the portion we are removing and then press the <Backspace> key to delete the selection. Either way you eventually get to the point shown in Figure 111.

Figure 108 - Cutting The Third Line.

Figure 109 - Deselecting The Other Sections.

Figure 110 - Section To Be Removed.

Figure 111 - Section Removed.

STEP TWENTY-TWO: Draw a Rectangle. Oh no, the fireplace has a ton of brushes, how do I select all that? Simple, draw a wire frame brush around the fireplace, caulk texture is fine, does not matter, it will be deleted. Make sure to pull the wire frame all the way down around the fireplace and all the way up. Check all the views to make sure it is completely surrounded.

Figure 112 - Draw Box Around Fireplace.

Figure 113 - Enclose Fireplace Fully.

You will note that I built the fireplace on the level where it was going to be placed. It is NOT on the ground outside, but is at the level of the floor inside the house. This has two reason. First and foremost to allow the selection of the fireplace using this selection brush. Second, to make it easier to slide the fireplace into the house without the need to adjust the height.

STEP TWENTY-THREE: Select The Fireplace. Press the (Select Inside) button on the toolbar. All of the wire frames or brushes inside of that selection brush will not be selected and highlighted in red. If you went too far and selected the ground or some other brush, press <Shift> + {Left Click} on that brush to deselect it.

Figure 114 - Pressing Tool Bar Button "Select Inside".

FONT COLOR="#0080ff">STEP TWENTY-FOUR: Move The Fireplace. Press {Left Click Hold} on the selected brushes, and drag the fireplace into the house, release the button when it is there. You may use the 2D View Window in the Top View so that you can drag it into the house without worrying about the height. I used the Side View so that I could see where it is going. When it is aligned the way you like it, press <Escape> to deselect it. If you do not like this, press the undo function to re-select the fireplace. Press [Edit]->[Undo], or you can press <Control> + <Z> for the undo function. I decided to align the fireplace the way most really are, with the fireplace just about flush with the wall. Most are in fact set in a little bit, but I did not feel like having it that way. I wanted a smooth flush position, to look good. Now, you can stop there if you like to, it is after all just about done. I went a step further because I decided to design one that was in essence a functional model. So, I decided to make sure that there was no obstruction in the chimney. I also decided to add a touch of detail to the fireplace to make it look even better. So, you decide. Good enough for government, let's get to playing the level, or yes, let's make it better?

Figure 115 - Pulling Fireplace Into House.

Figure 116 - Fireplace Installed. Who Has A Match?.

STEP TWENTY-FIVE: Create the Hearth. Draw another rectangle at the base of the fireplace that covers the whole base. This is where all those years have paid off. I chose a texture that I myself made. I have throughout the years collected free images from the software I have installed, and yes I checked to see if there were any restrictions. I also collected a large amount of photographs that I scanned in and created art to use in some way. I have been unable to use them very much, so there they sit on my hard drive, copied from hard drive to hard drive throughout the long lonely years of my existence.

Figure 117 - Drawing The Hearth.

Figure 118 - Texturing The Hearth.

Now, the payoff. I converted these images into usable textures and chose the one that looks like granite, even though I named it marble. Oh well, I guess a few are loose anyway. Now THAT is neat! I pressed {Left Click} on my new texture , pressed <Escape> to deselect it and viola! The hearth is the piece in the fireplace that gets the most abuse and has the burning fire on it. So, it is often a very hard substance. Normal bricks will break up from the heat, but you can use firebricks that are more heat resistant. Other materials have often been used, such as marble, granite, slate, ceramics and even those with designs on them have been used in many castles and mansions throughout time.

Figure 119 - Outside View Of Chimney.

I also wanted to add details, such as a fireplace mantle and such. But, first there is some detail we have yet to do. Can you guess what it is from Figure 119 that shows the outside view of the fireplace and chimney? Look closely. The roof line. That roof line intersects through the chimney. Well, we cannot have that, it would put all the smoke into the room we just decorated! Yuck! Let's cut that out with the clipper. It is real easy now that you have just used the clipper to make a whole in the wall.

Figure 120 - Oh No! The Chimney Is Plugged! Call The Chimney Sweep!.

STEP TWENTY-SIX: Move Camera, Change Display and Select the Roof. Move the camera to view the roof in the 3D View, just to help us visualize the process. It is not a requirement, I just like the idea of watching things happen in both displays. Press {Right Click Hold} in the 3D View Window and drag the Mouse backward, move to the left, move it forward to go outside the house, turn it around to view the house. You know this is time consuming. Shorter way? Go to the 2D View Window. Make sure the view is on Top View and not on front or side. Press <Control> + <Tab> to change the 2D View until it shows the "Top View". Move the Mouse Cursor just to the left of the house, this is the front, the side with the door. Press <Control> + {Middle Click} and the Camera will jump to that position. Now move the Mouse Cursor a little to the right in the 2D View Window, like the center of the house and press {Middle Click}. This will change the direction that the camera is pointing, to point to the house and the view will now show the front of the house. Move the cursor to the 3D View Window and press <Shift> + {Left Click} to highlight the roof. You can also move the camera up a bit, by pressing <Control> + {Right Click Hold}, drag the Mouse forward and release the button. Oh Boy! You are now a virtual wealth of talent, experience and skill!

Figure 121 - Roof Selected.

Figure 122 - First Cut In Roof.

STEP TWENTY-SEVEN: Make the first cut. Change the 2D View to show the Top View to make these cuts, it will be easier. Press <Control> + <Tab> to switch the 2D View Window until it is in the Top View. Press the (Clipper) button in the tool bar at the top of the editor screen. Move the Mouse Cursor to a point just to the left of the chimney. Press {Left Click} on that vertical line. Move the cursor downward in the 2D View and place the second point on the same vertical line, as shown in Figure 122, and press {Left Click}. The roof will then be cut. Press <Shift> + <Enter> to save the piece.

STRONG>STEP TWENTY-EIGHT: Make the second cut. Do the same thing for the right side of the chimney. Move the Mouse Cursor to a point just to the right of the chimney. Press {Left Click} on that vertical line. Move the cursor downward in the 2D View and place the second point on the same vertical line, as shown in Figure 123, and press {Left Click}. The roof will then be cut. Press <Shift> + <Enter> to save the piece.

Figure 123 - Make The Second Cut.

STEP TWENTY-EIGHT: Make the third cut. Do the same thing for the lower side of the chimney. Move the Mouse Cursor to a point just below the chimney. Press {Left Click} on that vertical line. Move the cursor to the right in the 2D View and place the second point on the same horizontal line, as shown in Figure 124, and press {Left Click}. The roof will then be cut. Press <Shift> + <Enter> to save the piece.

Figure 124 - Make The Third Cut.

STEP TWENTY-NINE: Deselect the other sections. Deselect the other sections of the roof, leaving the section to be deleted as the only selection. Press <Shift> + {Left Click} on any sections that are selected that are to be saved. It should look like Figure 125.

Figure 125 - Section To Be Deleted.

Figure 126 - We Can See All The Way Down To The Granite Hearth.

Figure 127 - From The Bottom We Can See The Sky At The Top and The Detail.

Figure 128 - Added Firebrick Inside The Firebox.

The next figure shows that I drew three rectangles inside the firebox and textured them with a brick that had a burned color to them. Just right for the firebox. We had a nice roaring fire last night, it charred the bricks a bit, but it sure works fine. Nice and toasty warm all night long.

Figure 129 - Added A Marble Mantle Over The Fireplace. Got Any Pictures, or Perhaps A Breakable Vase?.

Figure 130 - The Finished Product.