What is this tool?

The Decal Spline Tool provides a workspace for placing decals — such as repeated road detailing (e.g., a line of arrows), cracks, or grime — along an editable path. From the tool window, the user can create or import decal splines, pick materials from a component list, and manage multiple decal splines in the session.

Practical buttons, checkboxes, and sliders on the tool window allow the user to control spacing, jitter, rotation, and scale variance, with all adjustments recorded to history for safe experimentation. A save button allows the user’s creations to be saved to the map.

Splines are created and edited using mouse interactions - left-click to place nodes, drag to move them, and use keyboard shortcuts for additional operations. The Decal Spline Tool can be used standalone or linked to Master Splines for coordinated editing with other tools.

What you can create

Decal Spline Tool in Action

Key concepts

Splines: Paths which can be created and edited to define the route where decal patterns will be distributed along editable paths.

Nodes: Points along a spline which can be positioned and edited with the mouse, allowing precise control over the spline’s shape and path.

Templates and Instances: Templates are decals with their properties defined, while instances contain the geometric information for each individual placement. One template can have many instances along a spline.

Spacing: Control over the distance between decal instances along the spline.

Variation: Control over jitter, rotation, and scale variance to create natural-looking, non-repetitive patterns.

Undo/Redo History: All adjustments are recorded to history for safe experimentation, allowing the user to try different settings and easily revert changes when needed.