This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Working with the Game Editor
Now that we’ve familiarized ourselves with Studio’s homepage, let’s click on the Baseplate template to get started. This opens the game editor (Figure 2.6).
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FIGURE 2.6 The game editor enables you to create, modify, or test your game.
The game editor is, as the name suggests, a place where you can create, modify, or test your game. At the top of the game editor, you see different tabs on the menu bar (Figure 2.7).
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FIGURE 2.7 Roblox Studio menu bar.
Home tab: A concise tab of all the features that are frequently used. These features are on the Home tab for easy access.
Model tab: Has more building tools apart from move, scale, and rotate. It’s also where you can create spawn locations and special effects such as fire and smoke.
Test tab: Helps for testing your game. There are two options underneath: Run and Play. Run will run a simulation of what will happen to the bricks and surrounding elements, and Play will let you play your game.
View tab: Lets you toggle the different windows available in the Roblox Studio. If you need to use a window that is closed, you can find them under the View tab.
The main windows are Explorer and Properties, which are discussed detail in later in this section.
The Actions section has several display features. You can take screenshots or record videos here and also toggle between full screen and windowed views.
Plugins tab: An add-on to Studio. These are generally not included by default. Plugins add new custom behavior and features. You can either install plugins made by the Roblox community or create your own plugins.
Below the menu bar is a ribbon bar (Figure 2.8). The tool options change as you move between menu bar tabs.
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FIGURE 2.8 Roblox Studio ribbon bar.
In the following sections, we explain some of the editor’s basic features and most frequently used features and discuss how to prepare your project for publishing on Roblox.
Arranging the Game Editor Workspace
Since this is the first time you are opening the game editor, extra windows that you don’t require right now will automatically open on the left side. To organize the workspace in an optimal way, close the extra windows so you have more space to create.
By default, the Explorer and the Properties windows will be open (Figure 2.9), aligned one beneath the other on the right side.
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FIGURE 2.9 Workspace arrangement with the Explorer and Properties windows one below the other.
Working with the Explorer Window
The Explorer window is the hierarchical representation of all the objects used in your game. It is the most crucial window because it lists all the organizing, viewing, and testing features of a Roblox game.
It uses the concept of parenting to organize all the objects. The object Game is hidden at the top of the hierarchy. For example, in Figure 2.10, you can see Workspace parent has the following children nested underneath: Camera, Terrain, and Baseplate.
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FIGURE 2.10 Objects nested under Workspace in the Explorer window.
If you want to create more child objects, you can hover over Workspace and click the plus symbol to the right (Figure 2.11). This will list all the objects that you can create. You can also drag and drop it into the desired parent object.
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FIGURE 2.11 Add more children to your Workspace.
One of the most important children you will work with is a part, which is the foundational building block of Roblox. These physical 3D objects are also known as bricks, and when they are in the Workspace, they can interact with each other.
Creating a Part
To create a part, from the Home tab, navigate to the Insert menu in the ribbon bar and click Part (Figure 2.12).
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FIGURE 2.12 Create a part.
A part will appear at the exact center of your camera view (Figure 2.13). Use the camera controls shown in Figure 2.14 to move your camera, rotate the view, and zoom in and out.
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FIGURE 2.13 Part appears in your baseplate and in your Explorer.
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FIGURE 2.14 Camera controls.
To give your new part a name, do the following:
Double-click the part in your Explorer window.
Rename the part. Roblox convention is for parts to be named in PascalCase, which means the first letter is capitalized—for example, EndZone or RedBrick.
Note that your name can contain spaces, but we won’t use spaces at this point in case we want to be able to access the part via code later.
You can use the Explorer to select and work with parts even if you can’t see them in the game editor window.
Working with the Properties Window
When you add a part to your Workspace, you’ll notice the Properties window (Figure 2.15) fills with information.
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FIGURE 2.15 The Properties window lists all the details about the newly added part.
Like any object, a part has properties such as size and color, and the Properties window shows all these details about how an object looks and behaves. In the next chapter, we’ll go into further detail about properties of a part and how you can manipulate them.