Mesh Editor
Learn how to use the mesh editor
Mesh Mode
Before you can start edit your meshes you have to activate the Mesh Editor by switching to the Editor Mesh Mode. Learn how to change the Editor Mode in the Tutorial Editor Mode.
Once in Mesh Mode, the Editor will decrease the opacity of all your sprites, making the meshes more visible. In Mesh Mode you can access all the meshes on the Canvas regardless the Layer the objects are in. The Mesh Editor does not considerate the Layers.
Move Mesh Items
Meshes are made of three different types of items : Vertices, Lines, and Shapes.
- Circle Mesh : Filling Shape only
- Line Mesh : Vertices + Lines
- Polygon Mesh : Vertices + Lines + Filling Shape
You can move each item by simply doing a drag and drop with the mouse left-click. Moving a vertex or line will change the global shape of your mesh. Moving the Filling Shape will move the entire mesh preserving its global shape. If you want to move a Line Mesh with multiple segments at once, hold CTRL before to perform the drag and drop.
While the Circle Mesh has two vertices and one line, they do not count because you cannot change the global shape of a circle. You can simply increase or decrease its size.
Add & Remove Vertices
When using a Polygon Mesh or Line Mesh, you can add new vertices. To do so, simply do a mouse Right-Click on any of their lines at the position you want. If you want to remove a vertex, simply click on it with the mouse Right-Click.
It may be a little confusing but, yes you add and remove a vertex with a Right-Click. When you click on an existing vertex it get removed, when you click on an empty space a new vertex is added.
Extrusion
When working on a Polygon Mesh or a Line Mesh you can extrude their Vertices and Lines. Extrusion is a form a duplication. The GIF on the left shows the extrusion of a line. The two vertices forming the line get duplicated and you end up with a new shape.
You extrude a line or vertex by holding SHIFT before to move it
- For Polygon Meshes you can extrude all lines
- For Line Meshes you can extrude all lines and the two edge vertices
Selection and Numpad Controls
While in Mesh Mode you can select a Mesh in order to perform the classic three classic manipulations : Move, Scale, and Rotate.
You select a mesh using CTRL + Left-Click. You un-select by clicking anywhere else on an empty space.
Once a mesh is select, you can move, scale or rotate it with the numpad the same way you would do in the Editor Object Mode
- CTRL + Numpad 6 : Move Right
- CTRL + Numpad 4 : Move Left
- CTRL + Numpad 8 : Move Up
- CTRL + Numpad 2 : Move Down
- CTRL + Numpad 7 : Rotate Left
- CTRL + Numpad 8 : Rotate Right
- CTRL + Multiply : Scale Up
- CTRL + Divide : Scale Down
Bad Mesh
Each time a Line Mesh or Polygon Mesh is modified, the Mesh Editor checks for its validity. When a mesh is not valid, it becomes Red. When you Play or Render your Scene, Red Meshes are not converted into Physic Objects.
- A Line Mesh can become red because two vertices are too close, this can happen during an extrusion
- A Polygon Mesh can become red because its global shape is not convex. Polygons cannot have their lines crossing each other.
