Overview
The Viewport window displays the scene which is rendered by the Engine, but viewports are more than passive observation points. This is where a large majority of the level design tasks take place, such as object placement, terrain editing, and in-editor play testing. They are also dynamic and flexible tools for a user to understand the 3D relationships among objects in a level.
It is possible to split the main viewport into several sub-viewports. Using the Viewport Context Menu, users can customize the layout and set viewing options. Access the Viewport Context Menu by right clicking on the Viewport Header.
Viewport Header
The Viewport Header displays the name of the active viewport, allows you to open the viewport context menu by right clicking, use the Viewport Search, toggle helpers on/off or maximize an active viewport.
From left to right:
- Active Viewport Name.
- Viewport Search.
- Field of View Setting.
- Screen Ratio Setting.
- Viewport Resolution setting.
- Information Toggle (r_DisplayInfo).
- Helpers On/Off Toggle.
- Maximimize Viewport Toggle (only used when multiple viewports are active).
You can right click on the Viewport Header to access the Viewport Context Menu.
Viewport Search
The Viewport Search provides an accessible search field, allowing user to quickly find interested objects and filters out the rest.
- You can move the focus to the search input field by using the hot key combo of Ctrl+Shift+F.
- You can search by type or by name, and choose a boolean logic among 'AND' and 'OR'.
- You can hide/freeze not-matched objects or just select matched ones.
- By clicking the 'x' button, you can clear the input field and quickly restore the viewport to the original state.
Viewport Resolution
You can pick a Viewport Resolution from this menu or set your own Custom resolution by manually entering values:
Helpers Toggle
This button allows you to hide all helper objects or turn them back on (Shift+Space).
Every object in the game has a bounding box or an icon, which shows where it is and what its function is. With hundreds of objects in a level, this can become confusing.
You can also toggle helpers via the Display menu with Show/Hide Helpers.
Show Pivots
With show helpers turned on, holding the spacebar key and hovering the mouse over the object will show all the pivots for the object. If you hold down the spacebar key, you can also easily select objects.
Maximize Viewport Toggle
The Maximize Viewport Toggle switches any active viewport between its normal size and fullscreen size.
Viewport Context Menu
The Viewport Context Menu provides numerous options for configuring the viewport, such as activating wireframe, showing icons, camera selection, etc.
Menu Option | Description |
---|---|
Wireframe | Renders the scene in wireframe mode. |
Point mode | Renders the scene in point mode. |
Labels | Displays object names on objects close to the current camera view. |
Show Safe Frame | Displays a Target Aspect Ratio frame to show what is visible in game mode. |
Show Construction Plane |
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Show Trigger Bounds | When helpers are enabled, show Trigger Bounding Boxes of certain entities, even when they're not selected.
|
Show Icons | When set, helper icons for objects will be shown. |
Show Size-based Icons | Alternative method of rendering helper icons. Icons will dynamically scale size based on distance. |
Show Helpers of Frozen Objects | Option to hide helpers completely for frozen objects, as opposed to the default icon dimming. |
Target Aspect Ratio | Sets the target aspect ratio which can be used with the Show Safe Frame function. |
Create Camera from Current View | Create a Camera entity based off the current perspective camera position and rotation. |
Default Camera | Selects the default perspective camera, as opposed to cameras created by the Camera entity. |
Sequence Camera | Selects the sequence camera for the active Trackview. |
Lock Camera Movement | Locks camera movement for Trackview cameras. |
Camera | Sets the current view to the view of a Camera entity within the level. |
Maximized | Maximizes the currently selected view for multiple viewports. |
View | Contains various view options. See below for more information. |
Configure Layout | Choose from one of several preset layout configurations. |
The View Menu
The View menu allows you to turn various windows and toolbars on or off as well as open the various Sandbox Editors and the Database View.
If you close a window and want to open it again, you can use the View -> Open View Pane menu.
Menu Items
Top
Shows a top down view of your level, consisting of bounding boxes and line based helpers. Terrain Geometry will not be shown.
Front
Shows a front view of your level, consisting of bounding boxes and line based helpers. Terrain Geometry will not be shown.
Left
Shows a view of your level from the left side, consisting of bounding boxes and line based helpers. Terrain Geometry will not be shown.
Perspective
Shows a view of your level using the default camera perspective, showing all level content. This is the most commonly used view mode.
Map
Shows a overhead map of the level with helper, terrain, and texture information.