i need help with the basics of UnrealEd

On PU look for the UnrealED FAQ (left side). It is dated but has a basic tutorial near the end.
For a really thorough but lengthy tutorial which doesn't make a good reference later but teaches well, go to unrealkingdom.com and look on the right side (last time I checked)for something called the Portal SE (second edition). Each chapter covers a topic. This is a tutorial though and not something with an index to refer to later.

Here are the absolute basics:
Fire up UnrealEd
Hit New Level if one loads
Using the menu item along the top (for which the buttons are shortcuts):
Select Brush>Parametric solids>Rectangle
(always use multiples of 2 for dimensions)
Confirm the dimensions you want (leave for this at 256x256x256)OK
You see a red brush in the world
(This is what you would move around to position a room/block)
Now go Brush>Subtract
You will see a cratered room appear.
click on a wall in 3D view and watch turn blueish. Now go right(browse textures) and pick a texture to put on the wall. Play with right clicking on walls and selecting textures to get comfy.
Now use your mouse to click and drag on the window to get different views and see other walls.
Now click on the red brush in grid view.
Hold CTRL down and drag the brush away. Underneath is the brown(yellow when selected) brush that was created when you substracted the red brush from the 'solid' but invisible world.
Use Brush>Subtract to carve out another block. If it intersects with the first notice how it does so and how the walls are divided. You can use the Parametric solids>Rectangle choice to change the size of the red carving brush.
Now make the brush smaller than 256x256x256 and position it in the three views so that it is inside one of your "rooms".
Brush>Add
You will see a block added into the world. texture the same way. Move away the red brush and you will see that added brushes are blue(light blue). Try adding a red brush that overlaps the edges of a room to see how it only adds into areas you have carved, not the 'solid' outer void /~unreal/ubb/html/smile.gif.
To finish this experiment. Right click inside the original room on the grey grid. You should get the option to Add light here. Pick it and a little torch will appear. You may see it lighting the room in 3-d window. Finally go right select browse classes >Navigation Point>PlayerStart. Click on it(but close the script window when if appears). Now place one in your room like the light by right clicking on the grid in a good spot. Choose Add PlayerStart here. You'll see a joystick.
Now you must pick Options(top)>Rebuild make sure auto BSP is checked (does the lights) and hit Rebuild Geometry. This compiles your level. Notice areas that have no lights and are not connected to areas with lights are dark now. Now you can save it and then play it by hitting Ctrl-P.
These are the basics. Try using other parametric solids. Right click buttons to see what they say they do and experiment on the red brush(select it bright). Ctrl-Z undoes something. Select items and hit Delete to get rid of things (immediately Rebuild(F8) after this to update the geometry or you won't see changes in the 3D window).
Find more tutorials. Good luck!

[This message has been edited by Githianki (edited 12-01-1999).]

thanks man that was a real eye opener for me. I have a question of you though. How can you change the dimensions of the cube room you've created? like move one of the corners of the cube so it doesn't look like a cube anymore?


Dr.Quake
"The doctor is in"

Ah, vertex manipulation. Be careful with this, it's very buggy and will crash your PC.

Just click on a corner, hold alt and drag it. Make a temp level and mess with it for a while. Remember to rebuild after the changes to see what the effects are.

Well... part of the suggestion above is that it is the bare bones basics.

If you carefully follow it you'll see that:

a) you can play with the dimensions in the brush building dialogue box.
b) you can carve away (or add in) different shapes using brushes of different sizes and shapes (besides Parametric solids|Rectangle there are others).
c) you can use rotation, resize, etc. to adjust the red builder brush before you add/subtract it.

These are all fairly easy to do if you go over what I put up and experiment with UnrealED.

Other things you can do (which you will have to find tutorials for /~unreal/ubb/html/smile.gif) are:

a) vertex manipulation. as Wanderer said Not recommended if it can be avoided.
b) use a modelling program to make dxf brushes you can import to use in UnrealED.
c) manipulate brushes after the have been added or subtracted into the world. Not recomended unless you know what you are doing.
d) intersections/deintersecions. These use existing geometry to sculpt your builder brush. An advanced topic but not hard to master or use.

Who knows there maybe others but those are the main ways.

I never really said avoid vertex manipulation altogether. It's just that there are certain things that if you do, will cause problems (ie: several vertices in the same spot). Besides, not everybody has an external program to do fancy architecture.

This is the time the 2d-shape editor comes in handy. Found under Windows=>2d shape editor. Also experimental, but then again, wasn't all of Unreal?

thanx to the both of u for the help I really apreciate it.


Dr.Quake
"The doctor is in"