Scene editing
Three views work on your project's scene file:
| View | Area | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Scene Hierarchy | Left | List, add, copy, delete and reorder scene records. |
| Scene View | Editor | See records in a viewport and move them. |
| Live Scene | Right | Run your real scene scripts and renderer in a panel. |
All three share the selection with Inspector, where you edit a record's fields. Scene file format: Scenes.
Which scene
Studio edits the scene named by paths.scene in your project file, or else
the files entry named scene in your asset registry. Edits change the open
document only; save with Ctrl+S. Each action, Inspector change or drag is one
Undo step, and comments and formatting in the file are kept.
If the scene file becomes invalid while you edit it, the views keep showing the last valid version, marked Stale scene, and Output shows the error.
Scene Hierarchy
Lists the scene's records in file order. Each record shows its name and kind (Camera, View model, Actor spawn, Directional/Point/Spot light, Enemy spawner, World system, Scene entity). A record with a script shows a row for it; click that row to open the script.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Click a record | Selects it and shows Scene View. |
| New Record menu | Chooses what Add creates: Entity, Actor, Directional light, Point light or Spot light. |
| Add | Adds that record at the end and selects it. |
| Duplicate | Copies the selected record (named name copy). |
| Delete | Deletes the selected record, without asking. Use Undo to restore it. |
| Up / Down | Moves the selected record. |
New records get sensible defaults: an entity at the origin with no model; an actor using the first registered actor (change it with ACTOR in Inspector); a light 2 units above the origin, angled down, with shadows on.
Scene View
Draws each record as an editable stand-in: models from your models file (box parts only), flat planes for records with a material and size, an actor's preview model or a box, and boxes for cameras, lights and other records. Selected lights also show their direction, range or cone. The scene's lighting is applied. Scene View does not run your scripts or native code.
Toolbar
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| 2D | Toggles a flat top-down XY view. Opens in 2D automatically for scenes with sprite actors and no camera. |
| Fit scene / Frame selected | Frame the whole scene / the selection. |
| Move | Shows axis handles for moving the selection. |
| Rotate light | Shows rotation rings on a selected light (3D only). |
| Snap | Snaps moves to 0.25 units in 3D, 10 in 2D, and rotation to 15°. |
| Collisions | Shows collision radii. |
| Grid menu | Grid spacing, or off. |
Mouse and keyboard
| Input | 3D | 2D |
|---|---|---|
| Click a record | Select it | Select it |
| Drag a handle | Move along that axis, or rotate a light | — |
| Drag a record | Orbit | Move it in X and Y |
| Drag empty space | Orbit | Pan |
| Middle-drag, Ctrl+drag | Pan | Pan |
| Wheel | Zoom toward the pointer | Zoom toward the pointer |
| Arrow keys | Orbit (Shift: pan) | Pan |
| F / Shift+F | Frame selected / fit scene | Same |
| Esc | Cancel a drag and put the record back | Same |
Click the viewport first to use the keyboard. A drag writes to the scene file once, when you release the mouse.
Animation clips made for the scene in
Model Animation play back in Scene View on records
that have an id. Playback never changes the scene file.
Live Scene
Runs a separate copy of your project's scene inside the panel, with your scene scripts and the full renderer.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Run / Restart scene | Starts the scene from your saved files, or restarts it. Save first to include your latest edits. |
| Stop | Stops it. |
Click the image to send keyboard input to the scene; click any Studio control to take it back. Mouse input goes to the scene while the pointer is over it. Material edits from the Material Editor, including unsaved paint strokes, show up immediately. Nothing that happens in Live Scene changes your scene file.
Live Scene is not the same as Play, which runs your whole game with full input; see Play and debug.
Scene View, Live Scene and Play compared
| Scene View | Live Scene and Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Shows | Stand-ins for records | What your game code creates |
Runs scene scripts (load, start, update, …) | No | Yes |
| Uses | The open document, including unsaved edits | Saved files |
The engine does not automatically create a record's model, material,
size or collision when the game runs; your game code does. So changing those
fields updates Scene View but may not change what Live Scene or Play shows.
See Scenes.
Limits
- Scene View draws only box parts of models.
- Positions are limited to ±100000.
- Live Scene runs your scripts for real, including file and network access. Only open projects you trust.