HeroBlade panels tutorial
From HEWIKI
This is a beginner-level tutorial that explains:
- Opening and closing HeroBlade panels
- Docking HeroBlade panels
- Configuring the HeroBlade client to make it easy to work.
If you haven't yet, it is recommended to first work through the tutorial Getting started with HeroBlade.
Contents |
Tutorial: Docking HeroBlade panels
- Caveat: Panel locations and dockability are highly configurable, so if your computer has been used to run HeroBlade before, the panels may (initially) show up in a different location than as described in this tutorial. To proceed with the tutorial, simply find the panel wherever it currently is, and proceed from there.
- For best results, before starting this tutorial, you may wish to ensure that all panels are initially turned off, by going to the Settings dropdown and selecting 'Close All Panels'.
- If you do not currently have the Area Organizer open, open the Editor dropdown and select "Organizer."
- Note that at the top right of the Organizer Panel there is a "X" close box and a small arrow. The arrow tells you if the panel is currently docked or not. The "X" button will close the panel.
- Pointing Up: Panel is docked
- Pointing Down: Panel is not docked
- Next, go to the Panels menu and open the Area Panel.
- Look at the bottom of the Area Panel, and you should see that there are now tabs for both the Area Organizer and Area panels, so you can click on a tab depending on which panel you wish to be visible.
- Note: If others have been using HeroBlade on this computer, the panels may be in a different location.
Docking indicators
- Now, we'll see another way to configure the panels:
- Open the Area Panel, and ensure that the arrow is pointing up indicating that it is docked.
- Click in the title bar of the Area Panel, and drag it diagonally down and to the right by about an inch. The Panel should undock, and now be a free-floating window which can be placed anywhere, even outside of the HeroBlade window itself!
- Now click in the title bar of the Area Panel again, and, without letting go of the mouse button, drag the window around the HeroBlade screen. Note how Docking indicators appear at each edge of the screen, as well as in the center. Release the mouse button anywhere you like in the main viewport.
- It is not necessary to drag the Panel back to the left side of the screen. For example, try docking the panel to the right of the window, and the Area/Organizer tabs should now appear on the righthand side
- If it is not already, dock the Area/Organizer panel somewhere.
- Now, go to the Panels menu, and open the Assets Panel. Depending on your settings, it should appear either next to where the Organizer and Area panels are docked, or it will be docked elsewhere. It might also appear on top of them, which would mean that a new tab would appear at the bottom for the Assets Panel.
- Panels can also be docked relative to other panels, since when one panel is dragged over another, a separate Docking Indicator will appear which is relative to just that panel. With experimentation, panels can be docked in whichever way might be most useful for your own workflow. In the example below, seven panels are docked together.
- To create a tab for a panel that is already open, drag it into the center of the docking indicator on top of another panel.
- To separate docked panels from each other when they are in the "tabbed" format, click on one of the tabs at the bottom. For example, click on the "Assets" tab and, without letting go of the mouse, drag it into the viewport. The Assets panel should now detach from the other panels, and you can place it anywhere you want.
Examples
Example #1
An example of how seven panels might be docked together. This is only an example, and not necessarily how you may wish to do it; however, for practice, you may wish to see if you could duplicate the above configuration. For more detailed help, highlight the blank area below:
There are multiple ways to do this, but one way is: Close all panels. Open the Assets Panel, and dock it to the left side of the screen. Open the Environment Panel, and drag it over the Assets panel to get a docking indicator, then dock it to the bottom of the Assets panel. Open and dock the Area Panel to the bottom of the Environment panel. Dock the Organizer Panel to the left of the viewport, and it should now appear to the right of the Assets panel. Dock the Physics panel to the bottom of the Organizer panel. Dock the Animation Panel to the right side of the Physics Panel. Dock the Terrain panel to the left of the viewport, and there you go!
There are multiple ways to do this, but one way is: Close all panels. Open the Assets Panel, and dock it to the left side of the screen. Open the Environment Panel, and drag it over the Assets panel to get a docking indicator, then dock it to the bottom of the Assets panel. Open and dock the Area Panel to the bottom of the Environment panel. Dock the Organizer Panel to the left of the viewport, and it should now appear to the right of the Assets panel. Dock the Physics panel to the bottom of the Organizer panel. Dock the Animation Panel to the right side of the Physics Panel. Dock the Terrain panel to the left of the viewport, and there you go!
Example #2
In this example, the Assets, Terrain, Properties, and Physics panels are tabbed in a panel on the far left. The Area, Scene Analysis, and Environment panels are tabbed in the second panel. The Errors, Organizer, Console, and Chat panels are in "hover" tabs on the lefthand side of the screen, where they are only open when the mouse is hovering over them. This configuration might be useful for situations such as modifying terrain textures and dynamic details, where it is advantageous to have both the Terrain panel and Environment panel open at the same time, while other panels are out of the way.
Next step
For your next step, you may wish to try the Building areas tutorial.
