Basic Usage

This section covers the core workflow for using the Assembly Spline Tool to create modular mesh assemblies along spline paths.

Getting Started

Opening the Tool

1. In the World Editor, locate the mode bar at the top

2. Click the Assembly Spline mode button

3. The tool window will open with a row of buttons at the top

4. The first button is “Add New Assembly Spline”

Create a New Assembly Spline

1. Click “Add New Spline” in the tool window

2. The mouse cursor sphere on the map will change from red to purple

3. Left-click on the map to place nodes and draw the spline path

4. Continue clicking to add more nodes - the spline will appear as the user draws

Basic Editing

Moving Nodes

• Mouse method: Click and drag nodes directly on the map

• Gizmo method: Press ALT to toggle the gizmo, then use the translation gizmo handles

Adjusting Spline Width

1. Select a node on the assembly spline

2. Look for the rib handles (left and right controls at the node)

3. Drag the rib handles in or out to adjust the spline width

4. This affects the spacing and positioning of molecules along the spline

Node Editing

• Select node: Click on any node (it will be highlighted)

• Drag node: Click and drag nodes to move them around the map

• Adding new nodes: Hover over free space on the map to add nodes to either end of the spline (whichever is closer)

• Inserting nodes: Hover over the spline to see a highlight sphere and text hint - click to insert a node

• Delete node: Select a node and press DEL

Spline Operations

• Looping a spline: Drag the start or end node close to the other end - a hint line will appear with text markup. Hold SHIFT and release to create a loop

• Joining splines: Drag the start or end node of one spline onto the start or end node of another spline of the same tool type - a hint line will appear. Hold SHIFT and release to merge them into one spline

• Splitting splines: Select a node on the spline, then click the “Split” button under the spline list to divide the spline into two separate splines at that point

• Simplifying splines: Use the “Simplify” button to reduce the number of nodes to a minimum while preserving the core shape

• Flipping splines: Use the “Flip” button to reverse the order of nodes in the spline, effectively flipping the direction. This will also flip the assemblies left to right

Working with Default Kits

1. After creating the spline, the tool automatically loads the default kit

2. The kit components will appear in the Components section of the tool window

3. The user will see the main pole component and bridge wire components

4. As the user draws a spline, this kit will assemble along the spline

Understanding the Kit Structure

1. Molecule Components: The rigid part of the assembly, placed along the spline (e.g., telephone poles, fence posts, etc.)

2. Bridge Components: Stretchable meshes which span from molecule to molecule (e.g., telephone wires, fence boards, etc.)

3. Alias: If bridges appear in more than one place, alias entries are created so they can be distinguished

4. Variation: Components may have different variations (e.g., red, white, clean, dirty, etc.)

5. Root: All assembly kits must contain a root molecule mesh and will always be placed first.

Building Assembly Splines

Adjusting Molecule Spacing

1. Find the Molecule Spacing slider in the spline properties section

2. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the distance between molecules

3. Lower values = molecules closer together

4. Higher values = molecules further apart

5. As the spacing changes, note that the bridge components stretch so as to stay joined at the correct place on each molecule

6. Watch the meshes update in real-time as the user adjusts

Adjusting Bridge Sag

1. Find the Bridge Sag slider in the spline properties section

2. Drag the slider to make the bridges sag (if compatible)

3. Lower values = less sag

4. Higher values = more sag

Distribution Options

1. Round Robin: Cycles through all enabled components in sequence

2. Random: Uses weights and random seed to distribute components

Switching to Different Kits

Loading the Fence Kit

1. In the Kit Management section, click “Load Kit”

2. Browse to or select the fence kit (wooden posts and plates)

3. The fence components will replace the telephone pole components

Kit Comparison

1. Telephone Pole Kit: Poles + wire bridges, good for infrastructure

2. Fence Kit: Posts + wooden plates, good for boundaries

3. Component Lists: Each kit has different molecule and bridge components

4. Spacing Requirements: Different kits may need different spacing

Orientation and Placement

Using Normal Modes

1. The Normal Mode button cycles through three states:

   • Terrain: Uses terrain normal local to each node
   • Local: Uses spline direction and orientation
   • Global: Uses world ‘up’ (0, 0, 1)

2. Start with Terrain mode for natural placement

3. Click the button to switch to Local mode to align assemblies to the spline orientation

4. Click again to use Global mode for world-aligned assemblies

Prerotation Controls

1. Use the Prerotation buttons (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°)

2. 0°: Default orientation

3. 90°: Rotate 90 degrees clockwise

4. 180°: Rotate 180 degrees around Z-axis

5. 270°: Rotate 90 degrees counter-clockwise

Conforming to Terrain

1. Under the spline list, check “Conform to Terrain”

2. The assembly spline will be cast the terrain surface

3. Optionally, set the spline normals to inherit from the terrain.

Spline Management

Enabling/Disabling Splines

1. In the tool window, find the spline list

2. Use the enable/disable toggle for each spline

3. Disabled splines: No nodes visible, but content still shows

4. Enabled splines: Full interaction with nodes and editing

Recovery System

1. Polygon Selection: Use the polygon selection button in the tool to draw a selection area around meshes

2. Scene Tree Selection: Multi-select compatible objects in the scene tree, then right-click and choose “Convert to Assembly Spline”

3. Object Select: Use the object select tool, then right-click and choose “Convert to Assembly Spline” from the scene tree

4. The tool will add a new spline and estimate all properties including prerotation, distribution, spacing, and more

Profile Management

1. Save profile: Click the “Save Profile” button under the spline list to save the current spline’s properties to a JSON file

2. Load profile: Click the “Load Profile” button to load a previously saved profile from disk

3. Profile contents: Profiles contain spline properties (spacing, kit selection, bridge sag, prerotation) but not the geometry itself

4. Copy profile: Use CTRL+C to copy the selected spline’s profile to the clipboard

5. Paste profile: Use CTRL+V to paste a copied profile to another spline, inheriting all properties while keeping the target’s geometry

Export to PNG Mask

The tool includes an “Export to PNG Mask” button in the top button row. This exports the entire tool session to a grayscale 16-bit PNG mask, useful for third-party software importing and exporting.

Next Steps

Once comfortable with these basic workflows, the user can explore:

• Advanced kit management and configuration
• Custom kit creation and validation
• Complex assembly setups
• Integration with Master Spline Tool
• Advanced terraforming operations