Halo 2 Sapien Game Window

The Game Window

The Game Window is used to place and modify objects in the scenario. It also allows preview of these additions in the scenario. The Game Window displays the scenario as it would appear in the game. The Game Window runs most Halo 2 game subsystems, including sound and physics.

 

 

Halo 2 Sapien Game Window

 

Located along the bottom of the Game Window is the status bar. It displays the coordinates of the cursor and camera position.

Halo 2 Sapien Controls

The following table lists the default controls and key commands used in Halo 2 Sapien, including shortcut keys for menu items. There are many other contextual key commands and controls that are specific to the type of object being edited or manipulated (such as lights).

 

To	Do this
Select an object in the Game Window	Left-click it
Add objects to a selection	Hold down CTRL while left-clicking the objects
Deselect an object or objects	Left-click the ground or a wall
Move a selected object	Click and drag the object or object handle
Select multiple objects	Click and drag a selection box around them
Jump to and zoom in the camera on a location	Double-click the location in the Game Window with the left mouse button
Jump to an object selected in the Hierarchy pane	Double-click the object in the Hierarchy pane or in the Game Window
Place a new instance of a selected object	Right-click the location you want to place it
Access camera controls	Click the wheel button anywhere in the game window
Display the Debug menu	Hold down the wheel button while pressing HOME
Change the camera movement speed	Rotate the mouse wheel, or tap SHIFT
Rotate the camera yaw in the Game Window	Hold down the wheel button and move the mouse left and right
Rotate the camera pitch in the Game Window	Hold down the wheel button and move the mouse forward and backward
Move the camera forward in the Game Window	Hold down the wheel button and press W
Move the camera backward in the Game Window	Hold down the wheel button and press A
Pan the camera left in the Game Window	Hold down the wheel button and press S
Pan the camera right in the Game Window	Hold down the wheel button and press D
Move the camera up in the Game Window	Hold down the wheel button and press R
Move the camera down in the Game Window	Hold down the wheel button and press F
Delete the selected object	Press DELETE
Open the developer console in the Game Window	Press TILDE (~)
Reset the map	Press ALT+R
Copy object transform values	Press CTRL+K
Paste object transform values	Press CTRL+L
Create a new scenario	Press CTRL+N
Open an existing scenario	Press CTRL+O
Save a scenario	Press CTRL+S
Reset object Z	Press CTRL+ALT+Z
Import comments	Press CTRL+SHIFT+L

The Hierarchy Pane

The Hierarchy Pane is the main interface for selecting and placing assets in the scenario. It’s similar to a Windows Explorer window, with the asset type tree in the left pane. Individual asset information is in the right pane. The folders are not actual file folders that reside on the hard drive; they are simply visual representations of the assets contained within the scenario. There are three buttons within the Hierarchy Pane: Edit Palettes, New Instance, and Delete.

 

 

Hierarchy View Window.

 

The Asset Type Palette

Sapien and the Halo 2 engine load only the game assets needed for each scenario. To load a specific asset, it must be added to the asset set. Individual assets are added through the Asset Type Palette. The Asset Type Palette is the list of assets Sapien and Halo 2 load into memory when a scenario is launched.

To add an asset type to a scenario

1.      In the Hierarchy Pane, click Edit Palettes to display the Asset Type Palette.

2.      On the Object Class menu, select the category of the object to add to the scenario, and then click Add.

3.      Browse to the location of the correct tag, click Add Tags, and then click Done.

There is no visual representation of assets within the scenario in the Hierarchy Pane. To verify your scenario assets, refer back to the list in the Asset Type Palette.

Note: Any asset added to the palette will always be loaded when the scenario is launched, even if the scenario does not contain that asset.

After the assets have been added to the Scenario palette, they can be placed within the scenario. To place an object, select the category in the Hierarchy pane—for example, objects\scenery—and then right-click in the Game Window to place the scenery object. After placement, use the Properties palette to set the type (only asset types on the palette are available).

For more information on placing objects, see the Placing Objects section.

The Properties Palette

The Properties palette is used to edit a selected object in the scenario. It displays the properties of the currently selected object in the Hierarchy pane. See the individual help sections for information on which properties may need to be configured on each particular object.

Note: Some boxes in the Properties palette are grayed out. These values are informational and are not editable.

 

 

Properties Palette Window.

Tool Window

The Tool Window displays the properties of the Asset Manipulation Gizmo. These options change the way Gizmo functions in selecting and positioning objects within the scenario.

 

 

Tool Window.

 

Local Axes: Sets the axes on the Gizmo to match the rotation of the object. If this is not checked, the Gizmo axes are positioned universally and do not move with changes to an object's position.

Gravity: Disables the movement handles on the Gizmo.

Active Marker Handles

Center Position: Toggles the free move handle (center handle) of Gizmo.

Translation: Toggles the move handles of Gizmo.

Rotation: Toggles the rotation handles of Gizmo.

Custom: Only used when setting trigger volumes. Allows resizing specific faces of trigger volumes (otherwise the whole volume is scaled).

Creation Options

Random Yaw: When checked, objects placed in the scenario (via right-click) have a randomly generated yaw setting.

Random Pitch: When checked, objects placed in the scenario (via right-click) have a randomly generated pitch setting.

Random Roll: When checked, objects placed in the scenario (via right-click) have a randomly generated roll setting.

View Options

Lock Selection: Locks the currently selected object so that another object cannot be selected.

Don't Draw Objects: Disables drawing objects in Sapien.

Draw Transparent Geometry: Renders transparent geometry, such as glass, in the Game Window.  

Only Draw Selected Items: Renders the currently selected object in the Game Window.