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5 EVERYTHING ABOUT INSERT AND DELETE...


5.1 ...IN CUBE-MODE

5.1.1 MAKING GROUPS

In order to insert a large number of cubes in Devil, a Group must first be created. This happens by tagging the Cubes to be copied; lightsources, Things and existing Walls between cubes are automatically copied. Once all objects to be copied are tagged, a Group can be produced with the menu option `Groups->Make group'. A new window for a new level (normally entitled Group 2) is opened in Devil and all the tagged objects are copied into it. You can move and edit this group just as you are used to doing in the main editing window as Devil does not differentiate between group and main windows (both are level windows.)

Each Group possesses a Connection-side, which is the side which is to be joined to the current side during insertion. This side is determined during creation of the Group by the current Side of the current Cube, which for that reason, is also copied at creation even if it is not tagged. The Connection-side can still be changed afterwards via the menu option `Edit->Set connection side/Exit'.

5.1.2 INSERTING GROUPS

You need to be in Cube mode to insert Groups. The `Insert' button in the Cube window inserts the Group which is specified in the list labeled `Group:' The inserted Group will be orientated so that the Connection-side - which is the side with a brown Side tag marker in the middle of its side and a brown Edge marker on one corner - is aligned with the current Side, and the Point on the Connection side indicated by the brown Edge marker is placed on top of the current Point of the current Side. The Group Preview option, which can be used to display the first cube of a group to be inserted, is discussed in Section 7.6

Translators Notes:

* You cannot change the Edge of the "Connection side" once it has been set, so use Edge-mode cycling (`e') in the current level window to make the correct point current. (The colors of the lines of the current side (yellow, purple, brown) don't change, just the green line indicating the current Edge.

* When orientating the inserted Group, Devil will first place the above-mentioned two points on top of one another and then attempt to align the level according to the two Edges emanating from these points as far as this is possible. Unless the current level and the Group to be inserted were both created with the same size grid, you should consider turning the grid off before inserting the Group to improve the chances of correct orientation and to prevent distortion of the inserted group as it is "fitted" to the current level grid setting.

If `Insert' is pressed using the left mouse-button, all objects in the Group are simply copied into the current level; if the right mouse-button is used, not only is the Group copied into the current level, but Devil also tries to join the current Side with the Connection-side of the Group. `Insert' with the left mouse-button simulates the `Edit->insert' menu option, `Insert' with the right mouse-button simulates `Edit->fast insert'. The `Edit->Insert special' and `Edit->Insert fast,special' menu options do the same, only you must also specify a scaling factor with which the group is to be enlarged when it is inserted (if a factor smaller than one is specified, the Group will be correspondingly minimized).

Translators Note:
When preparing to insert a Group, remember that the sides appear "reversed" with respect to each other. In the diagram below, the current Edge is indicated in the Main window by the green line, the brown Connection side markers are show in the Group window and the third picture is the result of the insert and join.

Group insert example diagrams:


5.1.3 READING .BLK FILES

You can read the files generated by the Descent Block Builder. To be more specific, Devil can read levels stored in an ASCII-format, so you can create your own small programs to create complicated levels. The format Devil uses is the same as the format used by the Descent Block Builder (at least I hope so). I've used it because I don't want to introduce even more file formats than there are already, although it is not exactly what I would have done...

See Section 8.7 for the .BLK file format.

The `Groups -> Read blk-file' option brings up the file dialog where you may specify the path for files with a .BLK suffix. The BLK-file will be loaded into a new level window called ASCII level.

5.1.4 CUBE DELETION

The removal of cubes is a simple matter: Left mouse-button on `Delete' deletes the current cube, right mouse-button deletes all tagged cubes. The default-side will be inserted on sides where a deleted cube was joined with one not deleted. With cubes with Walls on their sides, the Wall will also be deleted if the second cube of the Wall is not deleted. Additionally there is also the menu option `Edit->delete special'. With this, when in Cube-mode, all objects tagged at that time will be deleted. The idea behind this function is it be able to quickly remove an incorrectly inserted group.

5.2 ...IN SIDE-MODE

5.2.1 CUBE INSERTION

A cube can be inserted by clicking the left or right mouse-button on `Insert', as long as there is no connection with another cube on the current side. If the left mouse-button is pressed, the inserted cube is made up of the four points of the current Side and then four further points which are displaced from the current side about the depth of the current cube (just try it out !). If the right mouse-button is pressed, the side opposite to the current side is created in `standard format' (20*20) (see Section 7.1.3). The textures used are the same as those in the current cube, and the Edge light values will be the same.

Translator's Note:

You are able to insert more than one cube from a single side. This can be observed by inserting a cube, distorting it from it's original position, then inserting another. (You will need to insert twice, once for a Side, the second for another cube.) This "feature" is, in fact, supported by Descent and has been utilized to create interesting `4-D' sections in custom levels.

5.2.2 SIDE INSERTION

A Side can be inserted to remove the connection between two cubes. For the current side this is achieved by clicking the left mouse-button on the `Insert' button, for tagged sides, use the right mouse-button. The default-side is always inserted and the corresponding light-values and textures are copied from the default Side. In order to really separate both cubes from each other, all four points should actually be duplicated wherever they are shared by both cubes. The reverse occurs in Devil, where not only the connection between the cube and the current side is removed, but also all other connections between the cubes which lie left, right, up and down from the current side. The menu option `Edit->Insert special' as well as `Edit->Insert fast special' in trying to avoid this, have the drawback that the cube will still always have common points after inserting a side.

5.2.3 SIDE DELETION

The `Delete' button attempts to create a connection between the current side and a `nearby' side (left mouse-button) or all tagged sides with `nearby' sides (right mouse-button). `Nearby' means that Devil searches for another point for each of the four points of the side, which must not be further away than the `Conn. dist.' as specified in the Internal window. If Devil can find an unambiguous other point for each of the four points and if all of those four points belong to the same side, then both sides of the two cubes are joined with each other. The menu option `Edit->Delete special' joins the current side with a tagged side, the requirement for this function is that exactly one side must be tagged. The two sides will be joined if, for every point on one side, a point can be found on the other side which is not further away than the `Uconn. dist.' specified in the Internal window.

5.3 ...IN EDGE-MODE

You cannot insert or delete points in Point mode, only in Edge mode. Points can only inserted, but cannot be deleted. It is only possible to insert points with connected sides. If a point is inserted on a connected side, a side is inserted on all adjacent sides of the current cube which contain this points (therefore max. three). Actually these points are duplicated so that, after inserting the point, it is possible to move a point of the current cube without distorting other cubes.

5.4 ...IN WALL- AND IN THING-MODE

There are no peculiarities in these two modes, i.e., using the left or right mouse-button on `Insert' inserts an object, the left mouse-button on `Delete' deletes the current object and with the right mouse-button on `Delete' all the tagged objects are deleted. The special functions in the menu have no particular meaning with respect to Insert and Delete.


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