Solid Tool
As of CRYENGINE 3.5.6, the Solid tool has been deprecated. The more advanced Designer Tool takes its place.
Overview
Solids are basic 3D models created in Sandbox Editor without any need of other 3D programs like Max or Maya.
They can be used as placeholders, basic structures for gameplay concepts or test maps, measurement examples, or as basic final structures (like platforms, walls, roofs, ceilings, etc).
- Creating Simple Structures with Solids
- Creating Complex Structures with Solids
- Importing Solids in DCC Tools
The Solid Tool has the ability to merge more than one solid into a single object, as well as the ability to create boxes, cones, spheres and cylinders.
Additional features include improvements to the highlighting of a selected solid as well as detailed information on the size of all sides of a selected solid.
Creating a Solid
In the RollupBar, select the Solid Tool. Make sure that the Follow Terrain or Follow Terrain and Snap to Objects is also selected before placing the solid.
Furthermore, make sure that the correct type of solid (Create Solid Parameters) for your needs is selected before placing it.
Drawing a Box
To draw a simple 4-sided box, click and drag the left mouse button to draw the base of the box.
After letting go of the mouse button, move the mouse up and down to pick the correct height.
Clicking the left mouse button a second time sets the height of the box and finalizes the creation of the solid.
Drawing a Cone, Sphere, or Shape
Drawing cones, spheres, and cylinders is done in the same way as a box, except that the Num Sides property influences the shape.
Click and drag to place the base/radius of the shape, move the mouse up/down to find the correct height, and then click to close the shape.
A cone with 4 sides.
A cone with 15 sides.
A cylinder with 40 sides.
A sphere with 50 sides.
Geometry Flags
There are several property flags that can be set to change the physical properties of a shape.
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Cast Shadows | Turns shadows from the object on/off. |
SupportSecondVisarea | Normally, objects are considered to be in only one visarea. This option allows them to be added to multiple visareas if their bounding box overlaps them, at the cost of some performance. |
Outdoors Only | When this option is set, the object will not be rendered when inside a visarea. |
Good Occluder | DEPRECATED - By enabling this property, the engine assumes that the tagged object is a potential occluder and very quickly draws them into a hierarchical Z-Buffer. |
Rain Occluder | Rain won't pass through object. |
View Distance Ratio | Defines how far from the current camera position the object can be seen. |
AI Exclude From Triangulation | When this option is set, this object will not be considered part of the AI triangulation system. |
AI Hideable | When this option is set, AI will use this object as a hiding spot, using the specified hide point type. |
No Static Decals | When this option is set, decals will not project onto the object. |
Exclude Picking Material | When this option is set, the Material will be excluded. |
Occluder |
Editing Mode
If you want to change the shape of a solid get into the "Editing Mode" by selecting a solid and clicking on the "Editing Mode" button.
A menu opens with the following options:
Sub Object Edit | |
|---|---|
Vertex | Affects Vertices |
Snap to Grid | Moves the selected vertices to the grid. |
Delete | Deletes the selected vertices. |
Pivot to Vertices | Moves the pivot point to the selected vertices. |
Pivot to center | Moves the pivot point to the center. |
Face | Affects Faces |
Split | Splits the selected face in two faces. |
Delete | Deletes the selected face. |
Like in 3D editing programs like Max or Maya you can select in which way you want to modify the geometry of the solid:
Selection Type | |
|---|---|
Vertex | Edits the vertices of the selected shape. |
Edge | Edits the edges of the selected shape. |
Face | Edits the faces of the selected shape. |
Polygon | Edits the polygons of the selected shape. |
| Selection | |
|---|---|
| Select by Vertex | |
| Ignore Backfacing | Ignores the faces on the back of the structure (in the current viewport). |
| Select by Sub-Material ID | Type in the MatID number and click select. |
| Soft Selection | |
| Enable Soft Selection | |
| Falloff |
| Display Selection | |
|---|---|
| Display Backfacing | should the faces on the back of the structure rendered in the viewport |
| Display Type | |
| Wireframe | Displays only visual edges of the currently selected solid. |
| Flat Shaded | Displays polygons within the currently selected solid as flat color. |
| Full Geometry | Displays all attributes of the currently selected solid. |
| Display Normals | |
| Display | When checked, normals on each polygon within the selected solid are displayed. |
| Length | Specifies the length of each normal shown |
Misc
Reset XForm
Resets all transform functions on the object.
UV Mapping
Solids have to be textured if you use them as final assets, for simple structures (like a platforms, walls, roofs, ceilings, etc.). Also for game-play concepts or test maps, textured solids are a plus (to have different textures for roof, ceiling, floor and wall elements!).
You can apply a material by clicking on the MTL field in the Solid Tool menu:
Like for 3d models in Max and Maya, UV mapping is crucial to apply the material in a proper way (customize the scale and the offset of the texture until it looks right!)
For using the UV mapping options just select a brush and click the UV Mapping button (in the Misc. field) – it opens up a menu like that one you see below!
In the table you will find a short description of the options in the Texture Mapping field!
Mapping | |
|---|---|
Absolute Offset | "Absolute", the parameters is set to solid directly. |
Relative Scale | "Relative", the values is added to the existing parameters in Solid. |
Pick from Selected Face | Pick settings from the selected surface. |
Apply | Applies settings to selected surfaces. |
Alignment | |
Fit Texture | Fits texture to selected surfaces. |
Tiling X | Changes texture tilling on selected surfaces in the X direction. |
Tiling Y | Changes texture tilling on selected surfaces in the Y direction. |
Reset | Resets texture settings on selected surfaces to default. |
Face Material | |
MatID | Sets number of MatID. |
Select | Selects all surfaces with that MatID. |
Assign | Assigns MatID to selected surfaces. |
General Workflow for UV Mapping
There are two ways to apply materials to solids:
1. By using assigning and using of specific MatID's (similar to cgf. asset creation)
How to set the material IDs of a solid:
- Select solid
- Click the "UV Mapping" button
- Go to the "Face Material" field
- Select the sides were the material should be applied (hold control for selecting several sides)
- Set MatID to 1 (or any other ID number) and click "Assign"
- Go to the "Mapping" field and click "Relative Scale"
- Modify the Offset and the Scale of the applied material (only numbers below 1 are accepted e.g. 0.1)
How to apply a material to a solid:
- Select solid
- Go to Material Editor and assign a material (it has to be a Multi-Material if you have several MatID's)
- Click the "UV Mapping" button
- Go to the "Face Material" field
- Set MatID to 1 (or any other ID number) and click "Select"
- Go to the "Mapping" field and click "Relative Scale"
- Modify the Offset and the Scale of the applied material (only numbers below 1 are accepted e.g. 0.1)
2. By using solids with just one single material applied on, so you likely need e.g. for every wall, roof, floor/ceiling two blocks one for the interiors and one for the exterior side!
Merge
Hold control and select two solids (but one solid have to overlap or border the other one)
Save to CGF
Saves the currently selected solid object to an external CGF file.
Snap to Grid
Snaps the object to the terrain.
Clip Tool
Besides the regular "Editing Mode" there is another tool to edit the shape of our solids!
The purposes of the clip tool are:
- To cut a solid into two pieces (i.e. two solids) (Split)
- To cut (and delete) one side of the solid (Clip Front, Clip Back)
How to use the Clip Tool:
- Select a solid and click the Clip Tool button (in the Misc. field)
The following menu will appear:
By clicking one of the buttons in the "Clip Plane" (Clip Front, Clip Back, Split) you will see a yellow colored helper plane.
In the "3D Clip Plane" field you see two radio buttons – they define if the plane is created between:
- 3 points = one point for every axis (X,Y,Z)
- 2 points = one point for the X and the Y direction and a Angle (another way to define a point in the Z direction – it's basically like a fixed point on the Z axis)
As an example I will visualize the results of using the Clip Tool on a cylinder in the screenshots below:
CSG
Constructive solid geometry (CSG) is a general technique used in solid modeling – not just in CryENGINE also in other 3D applications. CSG allows a modeler to create a complex surface or object by using Boolean operators to combine objects.
Often CSG presents a model or surface that appears visually complex, but is actually little more than cleverly combined or de-combined objects, like it is shown in the following picture.
The Solid Tool provides three classical CSG operations:
For the following examples we will use a solid box and a sphere:
Union
- Hold control and select two solids and click the Union button.
You will get something like that:
Caution: one solid has to overlap or border the other one.
Difference
- Hold control and select two solids (the first selected solid will be your base solid i.e. you will intersect the second selected solid from your base) and click the Difference button.
If you select the box first (as your base) you will get something like that:
Select the sphere first (as your base) you will get something like that:
Caution: The intersected solid should be smaller than your base and should be (at least partly) inside the base! Otherwise it will cause crazy results!
Intersection
- Hold control and select two solids and click the Intersection button.
You will get something like that:
Caution: one solid has to overlap or border the other one)
FAQs and Tutorials
Tutorials
Tutorial 1: Creating Simple Structures with Solids
Describes the basic functions of the Solid Tool! Shows on a quick example how to use the Solids tool to create a simple structure that can be later fully configured in 3ds Max or Maya (see Tutorial 2).
Tutorial 2: Importing Solids in DCC Tools
Export a solid created in the Sandbox Editor into DCC tools like 3ds Max or Maya.
Tutorial 3: Creating Complex Structures with Solids
Describes workflows that are necessary for creating more complex structures that will work as, basic structures for game-play concepts or test maps, or as basic final structures (like platforms, walls, roofs, ceilings, etc).
FAQ
What's the difference between clipping solid structures with the "Brush Clip Tool" and with a CSG Operand (CSG Intersection, CSG Difference) => just make a block that is bigger than our target object and do an Intersection or Difference command!
That resulting internal structures of the solids don't have any differences. So you can use any methods depending on the situation.
What's the difference between the action of the "Merge" button in the Solid Menu and the "CSG Union" button operand?
These two things seem alike but are different."Merge" is just merging more than 2 solids and all polygons of each solid get reserved after operation.
On the other hand "CSG Union" remove polygons inside the resulting solid. So if you want to makes some overlapped solids one, it would be better to use "CSG Union". Otherwise use "Merge".
Why does editing solids in the "Editing Mode" (after changes with CSG operands (Union, Intersection, Difference)) cause problems (broken structures)?
The following example pictures showing a wall (made from a solid box) and an opening for a door made with another box (CSG Difference).
If a user tries to offset the door opening (at least a bit) after the Intersection operation is already done (the opening is already in the wall) it may cause problems if he uses the face, polygon or edge mode.
The editing mode is not complete because it causes some problems about not convex hull solid so only the vertex mode will work!
How can i subtract arc shaped openings (i.e. for windows or gates)?
One way to get arc shaped windows/gates is using a box and a cylinder like it is shown in the picture below. If you will have many windows or arcs it is recommended to create an arc shaped prefab solid to make those openings!