"Getting Started and Folder Structure"
(List of 5 Learnt Aspects)
Immediately after unarchiving the downloaded CryEngine 3 Free SDK, are several folders.
1. Editor Folders
"Bin32" and "Bin64" folders are where your executables, game files and Editor are. If running a 64-bit operative system, then it is recommended that the "BIn64" Editor is to be used; it loads faster and allows much more memory usage than the "Bin32" Editor.
2. Game Folder and other Folders
The "Editor" folder are where the files for the editor are stored. The "Engine" folder are where the shaders get stored; and other engine related files.
The "Game" folder is the most important. Inside the ".pak" files are where the whole game is located. Everything from animations, CGF files (assets) to sounds, materials, particles, textures etc. These .pak files can be opened with WinRAR, WinZIP (any archiving program); there is an "Objects" folder inside each of these .pak files which contain more folders and files holding the vast majority of the objects of the build. "Objects" folders can be extracted to "unlock" the materials and transfer them into your level if you want to work with them.
3. References (When running into problems)
Use the crydev.net forums for references. There are many articles, guides and tutorials in the forums. Posting on the forums for assistance is also good.
For Official Documentation such as manuals, fundamentals and guides - Refer to sdk.crydev.net or freesdk.crydev.net for more information.
4. For Exporting Textures and Assets
Install exported plugins for 3D Studio Max, Adobe Photoshop and Maya.
It is recommended that the "SettingsMgr.exe" is booted at least once before you start working. Open up the executable file and make sure there is a green light. This means that the engine detects the RC. It compiles your CGFs when you export assets and also complies CryTiff textures into 3DS textures (it is important that this is working). Make sure the root directory is pointing to the build you are using (e.g. 64 Bit Editor). Click on the icon with the "..." to look for the "RC" if the light is red. You'd want to make sure that your plugins are installed properly before you start working.
5. Installing Exporter Plugins (CryTIF Plugin and 3DS Max Tools)
For the CryTIF Plugin:
First, go into the "Bin 32" folder and find the following 3 files:
zlibl.dll
jpeg62.dll
libtiff3.dll
Copy these 3 files and paste them on the root of the Photoshop folder (Most commonly, C Drive/Program Files (x86)/Adobe/Photoshop CS5). Return to the "Tools" folder in your CryEngine folder and copy the CryTIF Plugin for Photoshop. If your Photoshop is the 64 Bit version, copy the 64 file. If it is the 32 Bit version, copy the 32 file.
For the 3DS Max Tools Plugin:
You will need to go into the "Tools" folder again.
Make sure to copy the right file for the right version of 3DS Max (Check this if in doubt: http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Installing+the+3ds+Max+Tools ). E.g. I am using the 3DS Max 2012 Version so will copy the "CryExport14_64.dlu" file into the 3DS Max 2012/Plugins folder.
For CryMax Tools:
Open CryMax Tools folder and load "copyTomax.bat". A black window will pop-up. Then type the letter of the Drive that 3DS Max is installed in (e.g for C: Drive, you'll type in "c") and it will install itself for you. So now when you re-open 3DS Max, there will be a new menu with a panel of useful features such as de-bugging and creating collision proxies.
After installing both Plugins, check to make sure the light is green.
For installing other Plugins: http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Installing+Exporter+Plugins .
Now the Editor is ready to be booted up.
"Overview of the CryEngine 3 Sandbox User Interface"
(10 Tips and Tricks)
1. Viewports
On the top left, you can see the text "Perspective"; meaning the current viewport is in a "Perspective" mode. The "Perspective" mode is the viewport that will be used almost all the time. Right click on the text "Perspective" to open up more options. You can access the "Wireframe" mode too. Under the "View" tab, you can access the Top, Front and Left viewports (But they are uncommonly used). The majority of the work will be done in the "Perspective" view.
1.1 Customising Viewports (Locking Aspect Ratio for Videos)
"Safe Frame" mode is for video specific reasons. E.g. Working with cinematics and wanting to lock a specific aspect ratio. To access the "Safe Frame", right click the text "Perspective" to open more options.
2. Accessing Specific Features
Specific features can be accessed usually in 2 or more ways.
E.g. The "Wireframe" mode can be activated through the text "Perspective" and also in the "Display" tab along the top toolbar. Or you can just press the shortcut key "F3".
3. Resolution
The numbers to the right of the text "Perspective" is the resolution that the viewport is currently showing. If you right click the numbers, there are options to change resolution - The standard resolutions are shown but you can also insert custom numbers by clicking on the "Custom..." button. Again, if working on cinematics, altering resolution might go a long way. The resolution updates in real time.
4. "By Name" Function
Say you want to isolate a part of the environment e.g. a bunch of rocks around your level. For example, the entity you want to isolate is called DecoRockForest so if you type "Rock" in the search bar, everything in the level is hidden apart from the Rocks or any other entities that have the name "Rock" in it. Another example, if you want to isolate say an entity called the "Lighthouse", you would just type "Lighthouse" in the search bar and then everything is hidden apart from the Lighthouse, the vegetation and the terrain (I suppose this only works for entities, brushes etc).
5. Selection
There is a status bar at the bottom. On the very left, "No Selection" means that no objects are currently selected. As you select an object, it will change to "1 Object(s) Selected" or something. If you have multiple objects selected, it will also show how many objects are currently being selected. The "Lock Selection" button will lock the current objects that you have selected; and so then you can only work with the objects you have selected.
6. Speed of the Perspective Viewport Camera
The "Speed" input box shows the speed of the Perspective Viewport Camera. The default speed is 0.1 (it is pretty slow); if you wanted the Perspective Viewport Camera to move quicker, change the speed to 1.0 (increase the number e.g. 10 is even faster). For slower speeds, decrease it under 0.1 (e.g. 0.085, 0.05 etc). You can add custom parameters, add any number to adjust the speed.
7. The Terrain Button
On the right of the "Speed" input box, there is a icon. This is the "Terrain" button. It would have been better if I had discovered this earlier. Clicking on the icon (enabling the feature) means you can't go through the Terrain and to the water underneath it, it will be solid and impermeable. If the button is not on (disabling the feature) then you are able to go through the Terrain (and as you go through the Terrain, you'll find that the Terrain seems like a thin slice of pixel). This only works for terrains, not entity etc.
8. AI Physics
Pressing Control + G will drop your character into the world and you're "in game". "In game" mode allows you to move around as if you were playing the game; all the entities are physicalised e.g. the boat is now physicalised and rocks to the currents of the water, the fish is also visibly swimming. If you turn it off, the boat stops moving and fish are nowhere to be seen.
9. Go to Position
When the dialog box opens, there are X, Y and Z co-ordinates; these are the exact world co-ordinates of where the camera is in this exact moment.
If you press "Go to position" and input some numbers into the X, Y and Z co-ordinates, it will bring you to the exact world co-ordinates corresponding to the numbers you have put in.
The co-ordinates are also shown in the statistics in the first line; "CamPos" means camera position, and X, Y, Z are the co-ordinates. If you copy the co-ordinates of the camera, move to another position, then press "Go to position" and enter the co-ordinates, you will find yourself back at the position you were currently in.
10. Console
To enable this, go to the "View" tab on the top toolbar and press "View Console". The console bar will appear on the very bottom of the game window. The console allows you to input comments
If you don't know the comment that you want to use by heart, and you want to turn off the sound in the editor. Double click on the Input bar and a dialog box, called the "Console Variables" containing all the valid comments will pop-up. Or you could just press the "..." button on the bottom right-hand corner to access the same window.
Once you're in the window, you don't have to type the comment into the Console, instead you could just change the values in the window. On the bottom of the window, there is a search bar.
Apart from the comments, the Console displays any errors, warnings or anything that is wrong with your level.
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