What's the BEST source of info on UnrealEd 2.0?

[Morbius]

I just opened up the UnrealEd 2.0 program for the first time, and as someone who's never built a level before, it was fairly intimidating!

There doesn't appear to be any help available in the program itself, other than the little pop-up button explainations. (and those aren't much help to me either...I've done some graphics work in the past, but I'm not familiar with what this program is calling "brushes", "actors", "movers", etc.)

I managed to finally build a couple of rooms linked by a hallway, but I feel like I'd need a couple of lifetimes to stumble through building an actual map.

So my question is, is there a source of information on exactly how you use UnrealEd 2.0? I'm talking like a manual or online tutorial that literally takes you step by step through every button, control, and option, teaching you how to use each of them and in what situation. I would like it to be something that can both teach a beginner like me how to use it, as well as help an intermediate or advanced user how to do most anything. Is there some source of info like this somewhere??

[MC.COM]

On this site are some tutorials for the UED 2.0. http://utu.unrealism.com/ued2help/html/tutorials.htm
Hope that helps you a little bit.

[FedTed]

Well, for start, you should be thinking that everything is solid rock. Everything. Then you take these brushes and carve things out of this rock. For example, you take 512*512 cube brush, place it somewhere, and carve it. Now you have 512*512 room. Movers are brushes, but they move. Normal brushes can't move. You have to intersect brush and add it as mover. And try to learn 2dShapeEditor when you can. It is the most powerful tool of UEd.

[Phragmites]

ive found the unrealed reference file put together by ekoSonic to be quite comprehensive. its a windows help file that combines tutorials and information from all around the unrealed community. its a big download (13 MB) but worth it, i think.

you can find it at: http://www.planetunreal.com/osx/ the link is at the bottom of the page.

- P

[Morbius]

Thanks MC.COM, FedTed and Phragmites...these all look like good suggestions, especially a 13MB help file! (if I can ever get it downloaded on my sorry 26400 connection!) I'll try all of these out.

Another questions though, as I've continued to try and play around with it some. Is there a drinking fountain-type texture or actor in some library? And how do you keep track of all the best textures? Seems everytime I want something, I end up spending a half hour slowly scanning through all the various texture files. Is there an easier way to find what you want, and/or is there a way to build your own collection of just the ones you find that look good for your project?

[Phragmites]

you'd have to make your drinking fountain yourself. there are tutorials for making complex brushes.

you can import images into your own texture file, but you'd have to distribute it with your map, and texture files can get big, so thats a pain. oh, and you have to be careful how you name the file so as not to overwrite another texture file that others might have.

as for a better texture browser, ive been wishing for that myself. im sure somewhere in the UnrealEd community is someone who could whack together an external texture browser that loads all the textures youve got and let you find things easier. when you start mapping it takes forever to remember where the hell you saw that cool ceiling texture, or whatever.

any takers on this?

- P

[i-spie]

A texture bouser?....Something that would load all your packages in your texture folder and creat thumbnails and group them if desired...like if you selected "floors", it would show you ALL the floor textures in your folder?....sounds too simple to be possible.....*sigh*