Blast Off

So you’ve decided to explore the Core Editor universe? Well strap in because we will be having an epic adventure!

Overview

This lesson will cover the basics of the Core Editor and end by adding a cool skybox to give the project a galactic feel.

Opening the Core Editor

When Core is first launched, it will usually place the player in the Core Home world by default. Use the Escape keyboard button to open the Core PLAY menu. Then navigate to the CREATE tab at the top. Click the Create New button. Add a name for the project and click the Create button to launch the Core Editor.

Navigating the Core Editor

The Core Editor should now be open!

The Core Editor is made up of different windows which can be resized and repositioned freely. All of the windows can be opened from the Window tab in the top menu bar.

Try moving, removing, and adding windows. After experimenting with the windows, you can reset the layout by opening the Window tab in the top menu bar and selecting Reset View to Default.

Viewport Window

The Viewport window is where you can see a preview of the project. You can rotate your view in the scene by holding down the right mouse button and dragging the mouse.

You can move around the scene by holding down the right mouse button and using the following keyboard buttons in combination:

• W – forward
• A – left
• S – backward
• D – right
• E – upwards
• Q – downwards

You can also move faster by holding down the Shift key and move slower by holding down the Ctrl key.

Try flying around the Viewport window.

Hierarchy Window

The Hierarchy is a window that has a directory with all the objects (meshes, spawn point, settings) inside the scene. If you ever get lost in the scene or need to find a certain object, then the Hierarchy window can be helpful.

Open the Hierarchy window and find the Spawn Point object in the Hierarchy and click it with the right mouse button. Select the Focus Selected option and the scene should snap to the Spawn Point object. Another way to do this is selecting the Spawn Point object in the Hierarchy and pressing the F keyboard button.

Core Content Window

The Core Content window is another useful window that has a plethora of content ready for creators to drag and drop into their scene. It has primitive shapes, functional items, effects, and much more.

Open the Core Content window and explore the categories on the left side to get a sense of what is available.

In the Core Content window, open the Sky categories and then open the subcategory Templates. This will contain some prebuilt skies that can be directly added to the project. Drag and drop the Sky Sci-fi 01 template into the scene window. You may notice the sky now has stars, planets, and moons.

Deleting Default Sky

The sky does have some desired elements but it probably doesn’t look like the desired moon environment. The main reason is because there are actually two skies being mixed: the default one and the scifi one recently added.

In the Hierarchy, right click the Default Sky group and select the Delete option. It can also be deleted by selecting it in the Hierarchy and pressing the Delete keyboard button.

The sky should now be much darker and have a galactic feel!

Deleting Sky Components

By looking around in the sky, you may notice there is a big planet, nebula, and two moons. Some of these components should be deleted to achieve a realistic “on the moon” environment.

Deinstance the Template

The Sky Sci-fi 01 group is known as a template which is a saved definition of a group of objects. In order for the sky to be freely editable, it will need to be deinstanced.

Right click the Sky Scifi 01 group in the Hierarchy and select Deinstance Template.

Expand Children Objects

Expand the Sky Sci-fi 01 in the Hierarchy by pressing the arrow next to its name. There should be multiple objects within the group that are known as children objects.

Delete the Objects

Delete the Moons and Nebula children objects from the Sky Sci-fi 01 group.

The sky should now have one planet, a sun, and stars.

Properties Window

The Properties window allows the creator to change certain options about a selected object such as position, lighting, collision, or material.

Sky Dome Properties

The Sky Dome is a component that controls the colors of the sky, distant fog, and clouds.

Select the Sky Dome object in the Hierarchy and open the Properties window.

Set the Brightness property down to 0. This will make the sky look like an empty void with stars.

Sun Light Properties

The Sun Light is a component that controls the color of the sun and the light the sun projects. It also controls the placement of the sun object in the game.

Select the Sun Light object in the Hierarchy and open the Properties window.

• Set the Rotation property to X: 0 Y: -30 Z: 60.
• Set the Intensity property to 3.
• Set the Light Color property to white.
• Set the Sun Disc Color property to a pale yellow.

Skylight Properties

The Skylight is a component that controls the overall light in your project.

Select the Skylight object from the Hierarchy and open the Properties window.

• Set the Ambient Image property to I Want To Believe.
• Set the Intensity property to 3.
• Set the Tint Color property to white.

Planet Properties

Select the Planet object and open the Properties window.

Set the Planet Appearance property to Earthlike.

Summary

The Core Editor is a collection of windows that allows creators to explore the scene, add from a library of content, and tweak settings for certain objects.

Press the Play button at the top or press the = keyboard shortcut to playtest the project.

Tip: Press F11 to playtest the project in full screen.