RED Functionality Overview

While some is universal, much of RED's functionality is broken up into 6 modes - Brush Mode, Face Mode, Vertex Mode, Texture Mode, Object Mode, and Group Mode.

Universal Functions

Hotkeys

See Universal Hotkeys

View Ports

The main portion of Red's interface is divided into four view ports. The view ports are how you see and interact with the world in Red. Each of the view ports is identical and can have any view assigned to it but at least one view port must be assigned to Free Look. You could, for example, have 4 Free Look view ports if you wished. This would, however, take a bit if CPU power to render. You can select a view port to be active by simply moving your mouse over it. There will be a red line on the outer edges of the view port to show it is active. You can "solo" any view port by moving your mouse over it and press "F4". This will stop rendering all the other view ports. You can "un-solo" and set all view ports to their default size by press "F5". The view ports can be arbitrarily resized by moving the center of the view port frame.

There are 2 types of views - Free Look and Orthographic. Free Look is the 3D view of the world and you can move in any direction. in this view. An Orthographic view is a wire frame view of the world and you can only move in 2 axes. The default are (clockwise from upper left) Top, Left, Front and Free Look. Right clicking over the view port's name (in the upper left corner) will bring up view port pop-up menu with the following options:

View Select: This allows you to assign a view to the view port you are currently in.
Show Grid: This toggles the grid on or off in that view port. The grid settings under General Preferences overrides this setting.
Show Links: This toggles object links on or off in that view port. This will show all links between all objects whether they are selected or not.

Status Window/Console

In Red, the status window displays information output by the editor. Whenever you rebuild your level, the build information is displayed in this window. When you select a brush in brush mode, it's dimensions, UID and time index are displayed here and when you select and object, it's UID and script name are displayed in this window. Also, if you have Holes in your level, the status window will turn red to indicate this.

Toolbar

Across the top of the RED window sit the following toolbar options:

Mode: This menu selects between Brush, Face, Vertex, Texture, Object or Group mode.
Coordinates: This menu selects global and local coordinates. Global coordinates are based upon the world axis. Local coordinates are based upon the axis of the currently selected brush or object. Default is global.
Grid: This menu changes the increment you can move brushes or objects. Default is 1.00.
Rotate By: This menu changes the increment you can rotate brushes or objects. Default is 15°.
Camera Speed: This menu changes the speed the camera moves at. Default is 10.

Additionally, the following options are available in the Dash Faction and Pure Faction versions of RED.

Save: Save the level.
Pack: Create a level packfile.
Lighting: Calculate lightmaps and lighting.
Play: Play level in single player mode from player start. (NOTE: Save and create a packfile before you click this button)
Play (camera): Play level in single player mode from the current free look view port camera position. (NOTE: Save and create a packfile before you click this button)

Menus

File Menu

New: Creates a new level file.
Open: Open a level.
Save: Save the current level file.
Save As: Save the current file with a new file name.
Recently Loaded Files: Lists the 9 most recently open level files.
Auto-Save: Toggle Auto-Save function.
Play Level: Play level from player start point.
Play Level From Camera: Play level from your current camera location.
Open Dialogue Text: Opens level's text table file
Export as VRML: Export level in VRML format. Used for importing level geometry into programs like Max, Lightwave, etc.
Create Level Pack file: Generates pack file (.VPP) for level. You have to create a Level Pack File in order to play your level.
Exit: Closes editor.

Edit Menu

Undo: Undo previous operation. The max number of operations you can undo is 16. When you save a level, the undo buffer is cleared.
Redo: Redo previous operation.
Cut: Cut currently selected brush(es) and/or object(s).
Copy: Copy currently selected brush(es) and/or object(s).
Paste: Paste currently selected brush(es) and/or object(s).
Delete: Delete currently selected brush(es) and/or object(s).
Morph: This allows you to change the type of a selected entity, item or clutter object. This can also be done through the object's Property dialog box.
Properties: This brings up the property dialog box for the currently selected brush(es) or object(s). You cannot see properties for brushes and objects at the same time. You cannot see properties for multiple objects that are not the same type.
Level Properties: This brings up the Level Properties dialog box.

Level Menu

Remove lightmaps: Remove all lightmaps from the level.
Calculate Lightmaps: Recalculate lightmaps for the level.
Calculate Lighting (no shadows): Recalculate lighting without shadows for the level.
Calculate Lighting: Recalculate lighting for the level.
Calculate Maps and Light (no shadows): Recalculate lightmaps and lighting without shadows for the level.
Calculate Maps and Light: Recalculate lightmaps and lighting with shadows for the level.
Rebuild with hole lines: Always check for Holes after Building the level.
Check for holes: Check levels for Holes.
Remove hole check lines: Removes all Hole check lines.

View Menu

Show Just Textures: Renders level without lightmaps but displays textures.
Show Textures w/Lightmaps: Render level with lightmaps and textures.
Show Just Lightmaps, no Textures: Render level with lightmaps and don't show textures.
Show Rooms in Different Colors: Renders rooms in different colors.
Show Everything See-through: Render level in wire frame view.
Render Nothing: Turn off rendering anything.
Render Everything: Set this flag so you will set a green tint on selected faces which makes texturing much easier.
Render Current Room Only: This helps you make sure that any Portals you have placed are working correctly.
Don't Draw Portal Faces: Not implemented.
Draw See-thru Portal Faces: Not implemented.
Draw Non-see-thru Portal Faces: Portal faces are rendered.
Draw Sky (Like in game): Render level with skybox (if it has one).
Use Multitexturing (If Possible): Not implemented.
Show objects as Bounding Boxes: Render all objects as bounding boxes. This can give you a significant increase in rendering speed.
Show Path Node Connections: This will show connections between selected nav points.

Tools Menu

Verify All Textures: Checks all texture to make sure there are no corrupt bitmaps, that no textures are larger than 256 x 256, and that all textures have dimensions that are a power of 2.
Select Objects: Brings up the Select Objects dialog box.
Hide Objects: Brings up the Hide Objects dialog box.
Generate Report: Brings up the Red Report Generator dialog box.
Preferences: Brings up the Preferences dialog box.

Help Menu

Help Topics: Brings up RED help file (if available).
About RED: Displays current version of editor.

Brush Mode

BSP Brushes make up the bulk of a Red Faction level. They define rooms and objects within those rooms. Brushes are often used in custom levels as a substitute for static meshes because RED does not support adding additional meshes without developing a seperate mod. Brushes can be edited in several ways. The 2 most useful ways are vertex editing and face editing. Brush sizing is measured in realistic meters, while player models such as Parker are roughly 1.90 meters tall.

Shapes:

Box
Cone
Cylinder
Face
Mesh
Sphere
Wedge

Face Mode

Vertex Mode

Texture Mode

Textures are what you see on the polygons (faces) in a level. Textures are applied to all surfaces of a polygon in RED editor. When calculating/adding lightmaps, another texture map (called a lightmap) is added to each surface of your level (except for "Full Bright" faces). This is done by baked grayscale images which tells the surfaces how illuminated they should be. RED supports "Smoothing Groups" for the lightmaps to make lighting appear seamless on rounded surfaces.

Tools:

UV Unwrap (TODO)

Object Mode

When in Object Mode you can create, place, and perform operators on objects in your level. Objects are defined as anything that is not world geometry (terrain). Things such as lights, triggers, player start, events, power-ups, crates, special effects (fire, smoke, etc.) can all be found in Object Mode. Objects can be place by double-clicking the left mouse button or by right-clicking in one of the orthographic views and selecting "Place object here" from the pop-up menu.

Selecting Objects

Objects can be selected in many ways. The most common way it to left-click when your mouse pointer is over an object. it will then highlight to show that it was selected. The editor also allows you to select many objects at once. To select multiple objects, hold down the CTRL key while left clicking on objects. Those objects selected will highlight.
You may also box-select objects. This entails drawing out a virtual box that will select any objects that are inside this box. To box-select, you must left-click in an open area (one that has no objects under the mouse pointer). Then, while continuing to hold down the left mouse button, you move the mouse pointer. This starts to create your virtual box. Once again, any objects that are contained within this box will be selected.
To delete selected objects, use the delete key.
Selected objects can also use the Cut, Copy, Paste functions. When you copy/paste an object, it will appear in the same spot and rotation as the original object and will become your newly selected object. You may then move it's position to the desired location. Another way to paste objects after a copy would be right-clicking in one of the orthographic views and selecting "Paste object here" from the pop-up menu.

There are many objects available to be used inside of RED. All objects in RED can be classified into the following categories:

Group Mode

What is a group?

A group is a collection of one or more brushes and/or objects. A brush and/or object can exist in more than one group. A group is defined by a group name. There are 3 basic types of groups. Master groups (which are predefined), user groups and mover groups. Groups are used to make handling multiple brushes and/or objects easier and more efficient. You can save and reload single groups and multiple groups.

Group Mode Operators

Create: Creates group from all selected brushes and objects.
Dissolve: Removes the selected group from the group list. Does not delete the actual brushes and/or objects from the level.
Add To: Adds the selected brush(es) and/or object(s) to the group currently highlighted in the group list.
Remove: Removes the selected brush(es) and/or object(s) from the the group currently highlighted in the group list.
Save: Allows you to save a group or you can save multiple groups as one group (and still retain the individual groups. More on this later).
Load: Allows you to load a saved group.
Rename: Allows you to rename the currently selected group.
Lock: Allows you to lock the brush(es) of the currently selected group.
Unlock: Allows you to unlock the brush(es) of the currently selected group.
Duplicate: Similar to copy and paste. Allows you to select a group (or groups), copy them and still maintain the group relationship for the copy.
Keyframe: Turns the selected group into a mover group.
Reconnect: If you move a translating mover group, you have to press this after you have moved it. It reconnects the selected mover group's keyframes to the mover groups geometry.