Alright gang! I have some free time, so I thought I'd write up a short guide on building stand along structures like small huts and houses using the layout editor. So ready to begin? Let's have some fun!
We're gonna build this first house using tiles and the editor. If you don't have the editor, you're gonna wanna download it. You can find it here: EQ2 Layout Editor There are some tutorial videos on the website you can check out as well, but for now... Let's check out my guide!
Here's what we're gonna work with:
Note that the Kelethin polished wood items will be used for the second version of this home.
Shopping List:
7 adamantine tile
2 Green Stained Glass Square
7 Halasian room divider
10 Halasian tile
10 Ornate Shadowed Stone Bookcase
2 Green Stained Glass Square
7 Halasian room divider
10 Halasian tile
10 Ornate Shadowed Stone Bookcase
Alright! Let's get started.
Step 1: Select the tile you'd like to use and place it on the floor with the size you would like your floor to be. For this example I am using the largest size of the tile. Also note that I will be using two tiles for the floor of this hut.
Make sure you place the tile straight on a n/s or e/w direction. Angled flooring is harder to work with initially, but don't fret, we'll be learning how to move and rotate final projects too!
Also keep in mind that this hut is going to have some padding with the walls, so be sure you make the tile for the floor large enough to compensate.
Example:
Step 2: Save your layout as test. For this project we will be working with 2 layout files, test and test2. We will also be using the New From Diff tool.
Step 3: After saving your layout file, pack the tile you placed at the size for your floor. Then pack a second tile of the same type and save the file as test2.
Okay! If you have made it through that much, then you're ready to tackle some big stuff. Ready? Yes, we will need rum for this. No we won't need to do calculus, I promise. Bring some cookies back with you. And bacon. Oh, you wanna keep moving? Right, right... I got distracted...
Alright, let's make our floor 2 tiles wide, but don't place these by hand. If you don't already have it open, open your layout editor.
Using the New From Diff feature:
Step 1: Open Layout editor.
Step 2: Go to File on the Layout Editor and select the New From Diff tool.
Step 3: Alright, a box is going to pop up. It'll look like this, but it may not have the boxes filled in. You'll have to hit the select file buttons until you have this same setup. I always keep my test and test2 files strictly for layout editor New From Diff tool. Notice that I overwrite the Test file. You can use a third file instead, but I find this to be easier.
If you've done that right, you're editor will look like this:
Look tiles! Now Let's make our floor two tiles wide. We're gonna learn how to use duplicate and replace!
Duplicating and Replacing items:
Step 1: Select the large tile and right click it. Click on Duplicate. It looks like this:
If you've done that, you should have this:
Step 2: Pack the smaller tile into the moving crate using the check box. Like this:
Step 3: Notice the ItemID box. Do you see it? It'll be the first labeled box on the Editor when an item is selected. Copy the ItemID number for the Halas tile. Or you can simply type it in when we get there.
Step 4: Notice that the tile we duplicated has a note by it that reads: Added by Duplicate. Select this tile and then right click. Like this:
Step 5: A box should have popped up! If you copied that ItemID paste it into the ItemID box that popped up. If not, then just type in the number. Be sure the check box marked Use UID from crate is checked. It should look like this:
Step 6: Hit ok! And you should have two tiles with different UID's now.
Alright! You've mastered the Duplicate and Replace feature. Now for the tough part. Moving the tile. Don't worry, I'll hold your hand!
Moving a tile:
Step 1: Select the duplicated tile.
Step 2: Now for the hard part... If your tile is at size 6, then type in 12 in the Move Amount box. If it's not 6, then just double the size of your tile and type that number into the Move Amount box.
Step 3: Got that? Good! Now let's move it. Check back in game and determine which way you want to move the tile. I am going to be moving my tile west.
Step 4: If you have the Move Amount box filled in with double the size of your tile and the tile you want to move is selected, then hit the West button! That's the arrow with the W on it. Or whichever way you are moving the tile! Got it? Awesome. You should something like this now:
Notice the difference in the numbers. Your numbers might not match mine.
Alright. Hit the Apply Edits button and hit the Save All button on the Layout Editor. Now... Load the Test file in EQ2. If you did all that right, you should have this:
You did all that? Fantastic! Now... we have a floor.
Alright! Now we're ready to tackle the walls! Well, okay, not exactly the walls. We're gonna tackle putting in some edges on the building. These'll help create a house that looks more real. For this I'm going to use the Ornate Shadowed Stone Bookcases and most of this is going to be placing by hand. If you've got a good editor buddy to do the other pieces, this you should be able to do without the editor! Ready? Let's get started!
Adding edges to your home:
Step 1: Gather 10 Ornate Shadowed Stone Bookcases.
Step 2: Pick a corner to start at.
Step 3: Line up the bookcase so that the stone edge is positioned a bit out from the tiles of the floor and ceiling. You should have something like this:
You might have noticed how there's a bit of the bookcase left poking out of the ceiling. I'm actually going to raise up everything for my hut so far, so that the floor sits a bit above the ground. That'll allow me to add some steps later!
If you want to move yours up as well, then use the steps from before to move everything up! Advice here: Be sure to pack both the ceiling and the floor and move them together. This'll make it less work. And if you move them together they will keep that space between them.
Okay, if you've adjusted your Ceiling and floor, you might have to readjust the bookcase. You should have something that looks like this.
Now, I have placed the base of the bookcase flush with the sand of the beach, this'll make it look like an actual facing on the house. You can also sink it a bit into the beach, but hey it's your house! Position it how you like! just be sure to position it slightly out, so that a portion pokes out from the ceiling and floor.
Got that? Okay! Now just 9 more to place! pick up a second bookcase and position it alongside the other one, so that the back overlap just slightly. Like this:
Okay! Now do that again for the other three corners until you have something like this:
What? You have 2 bookcases left? Well of course you do! those are for the door, which we'll build now! Oh no, don't worry it's not hard!
How to make a doorway:
Step 1: Determine where you would like this doorway to be. I recommend using your longest wall to do this on, you'll see why a little later.
Step 2: Place your two bookcases in equal distance from one another. It's important to make sure these are equal in size for when we put up the walls. You should have something like this when you are done.
Got that? Awesome! We're well on our way to getting that house together.
Adding edges to your home:
Step 1: Gather 10 Ornate Shadowed Stone Bookcases.
Step 2: Pick a corner to start at.
Step 3: Line up the bookcase so that the stone edge is positioned a bit out from the tiles of the floor and ceiling. You should have something like this:
You might have noticed how there's a bit of the bookcase left poking out of the ceiling. I'm actually going to raise up everything for my hut so far, so that the floor sits a bit above the ground. That'll allow me to add some steps later!
If you want to move yours up as well, then use the steps from before to move everything up! Advice here: Be sure to pack both the ceiling and the floor and move them together. This'll make it less work. And if you move them together they will keep that space between them.
Okay, if you've adjusted your Ceiling and floor, you might have to readjust the bookcase. You should have something that looks like this.
Now, I have placed the base of the bookcase flush with the sand of the beach, this'll make it look like an actual facing on the house. You can also sink it a bit into the beach, but hey it's your house! Position it how you like! just be sure to position it slightly out, so that a portion pokes out from the ceiling and floor.
Got that? Okay! Now just 9 more to place! pick up a second bookcase and position it alongside the other one, so that the back overlap just slightly. Like this:
Okay! Now do that again for the other three corners until you have something like this:
What? You have 2 bookcases left? Well of course you do! those are for the door, which we'll build now! Oh no, don't worry it's not hard!
How to make a doorway:
Step 1: Determine where you would like this doorway to be. I recommend using your longest wall to do this on, you'll see why a little later.
Step 2: Place your two bookcases in equal distance from one another. It's important to make sure these are equal in size for when we put up the walls. You should have something like this when you are done.
Got that? Awesome! We're well on our way to getting that house together.
Ready for the walls? Let's do this!
Raising the Walls:
Step 1: For this part of the project you will need 6 tiles of your choice for the OUTSIDE walls. These are the walls seen on the outside. For this I have chosen to use Adamantine tiles.
Step 2: Save your layout as Test. Pack the six Adamantine tiles and the tiles used for the floor of the house. Save your layout as Test2.
Step 3: Use New From Diff to pull up your layout in the layout editor.
Step 4: Select the two Halasian tiles in the editor. It should look like this:
Step 5: Duplicate the Halasian tiles until you have a total of 6 added ones. Place the Adamantine tiles in the crate. Like this:
Step 6: Replace the 6 added Halasian tiles with the 6 Adamantine tiles. If you did it right, your editor should look like this:
Now, let's flip those tiles!
Flipping tiles:
Step 1: Select the 6 Adamantine tiles.
Step 2: Type into the Move Amount box 89.95. It's very important to only use 89.95. Using 90.00 or 89.99 will work, but tiles tend to freak out. *9.95 is safe to use without much tile freaking out involved.
Step 3: There are two ways to do this. You can change the pitch or the roll to flip the tile. On a tile like Adamantine tile, you will want to use the pitch in order for the bricks on the tiles to look right. So, after you've done all that, hit the pitch button. I've circled the pitch button in the pic below and pointed to the pitch line you should have changed. You should have something like this:
Step 4: Hit the Apply Edits button and the Save all button. now load the layout in game and you should have this:
Alright, we're not quite finished yet. In fact, we've just gotten started, but don't worry it's not too hard! Now let's tackle getting these tiles into place. You can move these by hand now if you like, but to get the walls just right, you might want to use the editor. So let's get started!
Moving pitched tiles:
Step 1: Select two of the adamantine tiles. If you have not touched anything in the editor, the top two adamantine tiles are the ones you want. Like this:
Step 2: Move these two tiles in the direction of the area you did not build the door on. If that confused you, look at this pic:
You want to move these tiles by the size of the tiles in that direction. Since my tiles are size 6 and this is south for me, I will be moving my tiles south by 6. Like this:
Now this next step is tricky.
Finishing the Walls:
Step 1: Select the third tile down. This should match the halasian tile that is one the left. You can check by jumping on the floor and facing the tiles in the middle. Type /loc If the loc is similar/close to the one on your editor then that should be the right tile.
Step 2: Rotate this tile by 89.95. Move this tile 6 in the direction of the closest smaller wall area. For me this is east. The wall should be smaller, like this:
Step 3: Select the tile just below the previous one. This should be the one that matches the other halasian tile.
Step 4: Rotate this tile by 89.95 and move it 6 opposite the direction you moved the previous tile. Your editor should look something like this:
Step 5: Apply the edits and save the file. Load this file in game and you should see something like this:
Notice that I have a couple of things poking out a bit. I'll fix that in a moment. Also note that I did not have us do anything more than flip the last two tiles. These we are going to hand place. Let's start with fixing the poking out things. For me, I only need to fix one wall.
Fixing a poking out bit:
Step 1: Save the layout file as Test.
Step 2: Pack the offending tile into the crate.
Step 3: Save the file as test2
Step 4: Load the file into the editor using New From Different.
Step 5: Select the offending tile. It should be the only one in the editor.
Step 6: Move the file by 0.05 in the direction you moved it before. It'll by away from the house. In this case, it's east.
Step 7: Apply Edits. Save the file. Load the file in game. If it still needs more, keep bumping it out little by little until it's right, don't worry about any gaps that might form between the wall and the floor as these will be hidden.
I've also noticed that my back wall is poking out too much, so I will use the same steps above and push those walls back north by a little bit. That should fix all the pokiness. You might find that instead of adjusting the tiles, that you'll need to adjust the edges instead. Just use the same steps above to do so.
At this point, you might want to adjust the walls and make sure they are the right height. I've risen my walls up just a tad in order to make it more flush with the ceiling. this will help when we put the roof on later.
Now, let's tackle that last wall!
Adjusting walls surrounding door frames:
Step 1: Move one of the tiles by hand, one of the ones we did not adjust in the editor. Move this in front of the area to the left of the door frame. Like this:
Step 2: Adjust the tile by hand and make it smaller to fit in this space. You do this by holding down shift and using your scroll wheel. make the tile so that it does not poke out of your edges and then make it one smaller. Like this:
Step 3: Slide the tile by hand behind the edges, but so that nothing pokes through. You might want to raise it just slightly as well, so that you don't get any gaps at the top. You can hand raise an item by using the ctrl and scroll wheel.
Now let's do the other side! You can hand size the tile again, or we can be more consistent about it and copy the sizing using the layout editor. how do we do that? Why like this!
Making two objects the same size:
Step 1: Save the layout as Test.
Step 2: Pack the two items.
Step 3: Save the file as Test2
Step 4: Load the file into the editor.
Step 5: You should have this:
Now, we know in the beginning we made these tiles the size of 6. That is the largest any tile goes. So we can determine that the one that needs copying is the smaller one. Select the smaller size and copy the number.
Step 6: Paste that number in the size 6 tile's size box. Like this:
Step 7: Apply the edits. Save the file. Load the file into the game.
Now all you have to do is place that tile in it's spot! But oh no! Did this happen to you too?:
Ack! A gap! Time to fix it!
How to fix a height issue gap thing:
Step 1: Come on you know this one by now! Save the file! Pack the offending item, but also pack the other tile we packed before. the smaller version to our left. Save the file again as Test2 and load it up in the editor with New From Diff.
Step 2: Now copy the up/down of the good tile. But wait, you don't know which is the good tile? That's easy to tell! Look at the locs! Place yourself in game at the approximate place the offending tile is in. Type /loc Which tile is close to that loc? that's the offending tile! So copy the up/down of the other tile and paste it into the up/down of the offending tile. Like this:
Step 3: I know you know this one! Apply edits. Save the file. Now load that bitch up in Eq2 and you should have this:
We've got one last thing before we are done. We've got a gap to fill just under the door frame! Let's do this, yeeeeeah!
Filling a gap under a door frame:
Step 1: Get a matching tile to your outside walls. In this case, Adamantine.
Step 2: You've got some options here. You can: Size it in game, so that it will just fit in the gap and then one more tic of the scroll wheel. Got it? Good. Now place it back on the floor. Or you can size it all the way up to 6. Or you can make it the same size as the two tiles on either side of it. I'm gonna make it the same size as those two tile, so that I can keep the same general look.
Step 3: Save the file as Test. Pack the small tile. Save the layout as Test2. Load up the file using New from Diff in the editor!
Step 4: Flip that tile! Yeah pitch it to 89.95.
Step 5: Apply those edits! Save that biotch! now load it up in game!
Step 6: Hand place this tile in the gap. you will probably have to hand lower it so that it will not stick up out of the floor.
You should now have this:
Alright pumpkins, ya'll should know how to make the outside walls now! Tomorrow, we'll tackle the inside walls and the roof! We're almost there!
Raising the Walls:
Step 1: For this part of the project you will need 6 tiles of your choice for the OUTSIDE walls. These are the walls seen on the outside. For this I have chosen to use Adamantine tiles.
Step 2: Save your layout as Test. Pack the six Adamantine tiles and the tiles used for the floor of the house. Save your layout as Test2.
Step 3: Use New From Diff to pull up your layout in the layout editor.
Step 4: Select the two Halasian tiles in the editor. It should look like this:
Step 5: Duplicate the Halasian tiles until you have a total of 6 added ones. Place the Adamantine tiles in the crate. Like this:
Step 6: Replace the 6 added Halasian tiles with the 6 Adamantine tiles. If you did it right, your editor should look like this:
Now, let's flip those tiles!
Flipping tiles:
Step 1: Select the 6 Adamantine tiles.
Step 2: Type into the Move Amount box 89.95. It's very important to only use 89.95. Using 90.00 or 89.99 will work, but tiles tend to freak out. *9.95 is safe to use without much tile freaking out involved.
Step 3: There are two ways to do this. You can change the pitch or the roll to flip the tile. On a tile like Adamantine tile, you will want to use the pitch in order for the bricks on the tiles to look right. So, after you've done all that, hit the pitch button. I've circled the pitch button in the pic below and pointed to the pitch line you should have changed. You should have something like this:
Step 4: Hit the Apply Edits button and the Save all button. now load the layout in game and you should have this:
Alright, we're not quite finished yet. In fact, we've just gotten started, but don't worry it's not too hard! Now let's tackle getting these tiles into place. You can move these by hand now if you like, but to get the walls just right, you might want to use the editor. So let's get started!
Moving pitched tiles:
Step 1: Select two of the adamantine tiles. If you have not touched anything in the editor, the top two adamantine tiles are the ones you want. Like this:
Step 2: Move these two tiles in the direction of the area you did not build the door on. If that confused you, look at this pic:
You want to move these tiles by the size of the tiles in that direction. Since my tiles are size 6 and this is south for me, I will be moving my tiles south by 6. Like this:
Now this next step is tricky.
Finishing the Walls:
Step 1: Select the third tile down. This should match the halasian tile that is one the left. You can check by jumping on the floor and facing the tiles in the middle. Type /loc If the loc is similar/close to the one on your editor then that should be the right tile.
Step 2: Rotate this tile by 89.95. Move this tile 6 in the direction of the closest smaller wall area. For me this is east. The wall should be smaller, like this:
Step 3: Select the tile just below the previous one. This should be the one that matches the other halasian tile.
Step 4: Rotate this tile by 89.95 and move it 6 opposite the direction you moved the previous tile. Your editor should look something like this:
Step 5: Apply the edits and save the file. Load this file in game and you should see something like this:
Notice that I have a couple of things poking out a bit. I'll fix that in a moment. Also note that I did not have us do anything more than flip the last two tiles. These we are going to hand place. Let's start with fixing the poking out things. For me, I only need to fix one wall.
Fixing a poking out bit:
Step 1: Save the layout file as Test.
Step 2: Pack the offending tile into the crate.
Step 3: Save the file as test2
Step 4: Load the file into the editor using New From Different.
Step 5: Select the offending tile. It should be the only one in the editor.
Step 6: Move the file by 0.05 in the direction you moved it before. It'll by away from the house. In this case, it's east.
Step 7: Apply Edits. Save the file. Load the file in game. If it still needs more, keep bumping it out little by little until it's right, don't worry about any gaps that might form between the wall and the floor as these will be hidden.
I've also noticed that my back wall is poking out too much, so I will use the same steps above and push those walls back north by a little bit. That should fix all the pokiness. You might find that instead of adjusting the tiles, that you'll need to adjust the edges instead. Just use the same steps above to do so.
At this point, you might want to adjust the walls and make sure they are the right height. I've risen my walls up just a tad in order to make it more flush with the ceiling. this will help when we put the roof on later.
Now, let's tackle that last wall!
Adjusting walls surrounding door frames:
Step 1: Move one of the tiles by hand, one of the ones we did not adjust in the editor. Move this in front of the area to the left of the door frame. Like this:
Step 2: Adjust the tile by hand and make it smaller to fit in this space. You do this by holding down shift and using your scroll wheel. make the tile so that it does not poke out of your edges and then make it one smaller. Like this:
Step 3: Slide the tile by hand behind the edges, but so that nothing pokes through. You might want to raise it just slightly as well, so that you don't get any gaps at the top. You can hand raise an item by using the ctrl and scroll wheel.
Now let's do the other side! You can hand size the tile again, or we can be more consistent about it and copy the sizing using the layout editor. how do we do that? Why like this!
Making two objects the same size:
Step 1: Save the layout as Test.
Step 2: Pack the two items.
Step 3: Save the file as Test2
Step 4: Load the file into the editor.
Step 5: You should have this:
Now, we know in the beginning we made these tiles the size of 6. That is the largest any tile goes. So we can determine that the one that needs copying is the smaller one. Select the smaller size and copy the number.
Step 6: Paste that number in the size 6 tile's size box. Like this:
Step 7: Apply the edits. Save the file. Load the file into the game.
Now all you have to do is place that tile in it's spot! But oh no! Did this happen to you too?:
Ack! A gap! Time to fix it!
How to fix a height issue gap thing:
Step 1: Come on you know this one by now! Save the file! Pack the offending item, but also pack the other tile we packed before. the smaller version to our left. Save the file again as Test2 and load it up in the editor with New From Diff.
Step 2: Now copy the up/down of the good tile. But wait, you don't know which is the good tile? That's easy to tell! Look at the locs! Place yourself in game at the approximate place the offending tile is in. Type /loc Which tile is close to that loc? that's the offending tile! So copy the up/down of the other tile and paste it into the up/down of the offending tile. Like this:
Step 3: I know you know this one! Apply edits. Save the file. Now load that bitch up in Eq2 and you should have this:
We've got one last thing before we are done. We've got a gap to fill just under the door frame! Let's do this, yeeeeeah!
Filling a gap under a door frame:
Step 1: Get a matching tile to your outside walls. In this case, Adamantine.
Step 2: You've got some options here. You can: Size it in game, so that it will just fit in the gap and then one more tic of the scroll wheel. Got it? Good. Now place it back on the floor. Or you can size it all the way up to 6. Or you can make it the same size as the two tiles on either side of it. I'm gonna make it the same size as those two tile, so that I can keep the same general look.
Step 3: Save the file as Test. Pack the small tile. Save the layout as Test2. Load up the file using New from Diff in the editor!
Step 4: Flip that tile! Yeah pitch it to 89.95.
Step 5: Apply those edits! Save that biotch! now load it up in game!
Step 6: Hand place this tile in the gap. you will probably have to hand lower it so that it will not stick up out of the floor.
You should now have this:
Alright pumpkins, ya'll should know how to make the outside walls now! Tomorrow, we'll tackle the inside walls and the roof! We're almost there!
Well, it's tomorrow and guess what that means? Time to tackle the inside walls and the roof of this hut! All geared up and ready to go? Got your coffee? Maybe a bit of rum in that coffee? Good, good. Had your bacon for the day? Let's get started then!
Building the inside walls of a Hut:
Step 1: Gather 6 tiles to use for the inside of your hut. If you have more than 6 outside walls, then be sure to get that amount of tiles for the inside. In this case I will be using 6 Halasian tiles.
Step 2: Save the layout file as test. Pack 1 of the outside walls. Just 1! And pack 1 of the tiles to be used for the inside wall. Save the layout as test2.
Step 3: If you don't have it open, open the layout editor and use New From Diff to load up the layout! Your editor should look something like this:
Step 4: Do you remember how to Duplicate and Replace? Good! Here's what you are going to do. Select the adamantine tile used for the outside wall. Duplicate this tile.
Step 5: Now Replace the duplicated tile with the halasian tile using the replace tool like we did in previous steps! You should have this when you are done:
Step 6: Apply the edits. Save the file. Load this file in game! Now you'll see something funky happen as these tiles are stacked on one another. They may flicker or you might only see one of them. Don't panic, that's suppose to happen!
Step 7: Now that we have this in game, we're gonna move this tile a bit! Let's take a look at the inside of our hut first:
Notice how thick the bookcase is. We want to hide this bookcase so that it can't be seen. Int his case we won't have to move our tile too much. Depending on how big your bookcases are, you might have to move your tile a bit more.
Okay! let's move that sucker! We will move it using the editor. I am going to be move my tile in increments of 0.10 south until it's where I want it. It's always best to start small, so 0.10 is a good starting point. Now Let's move it!
Moving a tile:
Step 1: Select the tile in the editor.
Step 2: Enter the amount you want to move it in the Move Amount box.
Step 3: Hit the direction button you want to move the tile in. N = North, S = South, E= East, W = West and the angled arrows go in angled directions respectively.
Step 4: Apply the edits. Save the layout. Load it in-game! Here's how mine looks in game now:
Notice that it's not quite there yet. Keep repeating the steps above until the tile covers those bookcases.
Something of note here: You might notice that currently the wood of the halasian tile is going the same direction as the tiles of the floor. Now for me, that's a problem. I actually would like my wood grain to be going up and down and not side to side. That's a rather easy fix! Here's how I did it:
Turning a tile that is already flipped:
Step 1: Select the tile you want to change.
Step 2: Change your pitch to 0.00. Change your roll to 89.95. Change your rotate to 89.95. Take a look at how your layout file should look:
Step 3: Apply the edits. Save the file. Load in game!
Alright! One inside wall down! 3 more to go! Go ahead and repeat those steps above for the rest of the walls. I recommend working with only two tiles at a time, that way it's easier to work with. You can probably do the back wall together, just make sure you pack the right amount of tiles into the box!
When you are done, the inside of the hut should look something like this:
That was fun! Now let's tackle the roof!
Building the inside walls of a Hut:
Step 1: Gather 6 tiles to use for the inside of your hut. If you have more than 6 outside walls, then be sure to get that amount of tiles for the inside. In this case I will be using 6 Halasian tiles.
Step 2: Save the layout file as test. Pack 1 of the outside walls. Just 1! And pack 1 of the tiles to be used for the inside wall. Save the layout as test2.
Step 3: If you don't have it open, open the layout editor and use New From Diff to load up the layout! Your editor should look something like this:
Step 4: Do you remember how to Duplicate and Replace? Good! Here's what you are going to do. Select the adamantine tile used for the outside wall. Duplicate this tile.
Step 5: Now Replace the duplicated tile with the halasian tile using the replace tool like we did in previous steps! You should have this when you are done:
Step 6: Apply the edits. Save the file. Load this file in game! Now you'll see something funky happen as these tiles are stacked on one another. They may flicker or you might only see one of them. Don't panic, that's suppose to happen!
Step 7: Now that we have this in game, we're gonna move this tile a bit! Let's take a look at the inside of our hut first:
Notice how thick the bookcase is. We want to hide this bookcase so that it can't be seen. Int his case we won't have to move our tile too much. Depending on how big your bookcases are, you might have to move your tile a bit more.
Okay! let's move that sucker! We will move it using the editor. I am going to be move my tile in increments of 0.10 south until it's where I want it. It's always best to start small, so 0.10 is a good starting point. Now Let's move it!
Moving a tile:
Step 1: Select the tile in the editor.
Step 2: Enter the amount you want to move it in the Move Amount box.
Step 3: Hit the direction button you want to move the tile in. N = North, S = South, E= East, W = West and the angled arrows go in angled directions respectively.
Step 4: Apply the edits. Save the layout. Load it in-game! Here's how mine looks in game now:
Notice that it's not quite there yet. Keep repeating the steps above until the tile covers those bookcases.
Something of note here: You might notice that currently the wood of the halasian tile is going the same direction as the tiles of the floor. Now for me, that's a problem. I actually would like my wood grain to be going up and down and not side to side. That's a rather easy fix! Here's how I did it:
Turning a tile that is already flipped:
Step 1: Select the tile you want to change.
Step 2: Change your pitch to 0.00. Change your roll to 89.95. Change your rotate to 89.95. Take a look at how your layout file should look:
Step 3: Apply the edits. Save the file. Load in game!
Alright! One inside wall down! 3 more to go! Go ahead and repeat those steps above for the rest of the walls. I recommend working with only two tiles at a time, that way it's easier to work with. You can probably do the back wall together, just make sure you pack the right amount of tiles into the box!
When you are done, the inside of the hut should look something like this:
That was fun! Now let's tackle the roof!
There are a variety of items that can be used to make the roof of a house. You can double up on tiles and make a flat roof. Or use other items, but I personally like to use dividers. Dividers provide edges to the roof that give a house that roof look. It's like the edges we added to the hut, but without having to use extra items. That's always a good thing!
Building a Roof:
Step 1: Gather 4 dividers of your choice. I will be using the halasian dividers. We may only use 2 of these dividers, but it's good to have a few extras!
Step 2: Size up your divider against the house. Keep in mind that this divider will be tilted on it's side, so you don't want it to be too big or your house will look like it has a giant garden gnome hat! Take a look:
I've sized this divider to be as wide as the house, but... as you can see its gonna be way too big.
I place my divider next to the house and since I know I will be using two on this place, I am going to size it to fit to cover half the house. Take a look here:
The divider on the right is normal sized when you first place it. See how my divider only sticks up a little bit from the top of the house? That's about all we need.
Step 3: Size the second divider and position it so that the edge the two meet at overlaps. Like this:
You might notice that in that above pic, I have placed the dividers on top of the house. Go ahead and do that once you have the dividers at the right height. You'll want to place them, so that they meet at the center of the door frame. This'll give us symmetry and symmetry is good in house building!
This will also make the next few steps a lot easier.
Step 4: Save your layout as test. Pack your two dividers. Save the layout as test 2. Load the layout up in your editor!
Step 5: Alright, here's where the magic happens! Change the pitch on your dividers to 45.00. You can change it to be more or less depending on how you want the tilt to be. If you want it flatter, make your number closer to 89.95. Placing a divider at 89.95 will allow it to lay flat. I recommend for roofs to stick around 45.00 as that's around the position of a true roof. Anything else might look funky.
Your layout file should look like this:
Step 6: Apply edits. Save file. Load file in game! This should happen:
Step 7: Now adjust you dividers. Move them so that they stick out just a bit from the hut like this:
We're not done yet, but hang in there!
Building the other side of the roof:
Step 1: Save the layout file as test. Pack the roof we just built as well as two more dividers. Save the file as test2. Load this in the editor using New From Diff.
Step 2: Duplicate the roof we made before using the Duplicate and Replace tools.
Step 3: Change the pitch on the duplicated dividers to -45.00 Your layout editor will look like this:
Step 4: Apply edits. Save file. Load in game and you should see this:
Okay! We're on our way to making that roof happen!
Remember how to move items using the layout editor? Good! Now you'll want to move the two duplicated dividers the opposite direction of the others until you have something like this:
I had to move mine around 15 south.
You might have noticed that we left a gap in the top. Now we're gonna get rid of that gap!
Getting rid of the gap in your roof:
Step 1: Be sure to only have those 4 dividers in your layout editor. If you happened to have closed it or something, then use New From Diff to put these back into the editor.
Step 2: Adjust the dividers using the move amount box and the N/s e/w buttons by sets of two until the tops of the dividers meet and look like this:
Or you can stop when they look like this:
Either way works, I personally like the first!
Be sure to use equal amounts. If you move one set of dividers by 0.10, move the other set the opposite direction by the same amount. Keep them equal.
When you are done, you should have something like this:
The last thing you might want to do, so to sink the dividers a little bit, this will help it mesh with the walls a bit more. At this point, you might end up making the dividers bigger or adjusting them to fit your house just right. And now you have a roof! But we're not finished yet...
Another way to build the roof:
Step 1: Gather 4 dividers.
Step 2: Size these dividers like we did before, but this time place 2 on one side of the roof and 2 on the other side.
Step 3: Save the layout and pack all 4 dividers once you have adjusted them to be as even as possible. Save the layout as test2 and load this up in the editor.
Step 4: Change the pitch on one set of dividers to 45.00 and the other to -45.00 until you have this:
Step 5: Adjust each set of dividers until you have this:
Step 6: Sink the dividers until you see the tops up the outside walls peak through the roof. Then bring them up until the walls stop poking out of the top of the roof. It should look something like this if you did it all right:
This is a bit easier that the steps above, but I suggest trying it both ways and seeing which works best for you! We've got a few more things left to do and then our hut will be finished!
Building a Roof:
Step 1: Gather 4 dividers of your choice. I will be using the halasian dividers. We may only use 2 of these dividers, but it's good to have a few extras!
Step 2: Size up your divider against the house. Keep in mind that this divider will be tilted on it's side, so you don't want it to be too big or your house will look like it has a giant garden gnome hat! Take a look:
I've sized this divider to be as wide as the house, but... as you can see its gonna be way too big.
I place my divider next to the house and since I know I will be using two on this place, I am going to size it to fit to cover half the house. Take a look here:
The divider on the right is normal sized when you first place it. See how my divider only sticks up a little bit from the top of the house? That's about all we need.
Step 3: Size the second divider and position it so that the edge the two meet at overlaps. Like this:
You might notice that in that above pic, I have placed the dividers on top of the house. Go ahead and do that once you have the dividers at the right height. You'll want to place them, so that they meet at the center of the door frame. This'll give us symmetry and symmetry is good in house building!
This will also make the next few steps a lot easier.
Step 4: Save your layout as test. Pack your two dividers. Save the layout as test 2. Load the layout up in your editor!
Step 5: Alright, here's where the magic happens! Change the pitch on your dividers to 45.00. You can change it to be more or less depending on how you want the tilt to be. If you want it flatter, make your number closer to 89.95. Placing a divider at 89.95 will allow it to lay flat. I recommend for roofs to stick around 45.00 as that's around the position of a true roof. Anything else might look funky.
Your layout file should look like this:
Step 6: Apply edits. Save file. Load file in game! This should happen:
Step 7: Now adjust you dividers. Move them so that they stick out just a bit from the hut like this:
We're not done yet, but hang in there!
Building the other side of the roof:
Step 1: Save the layout file as test. Pack the roof we just built as well as two more dividers. Save the file as test2. Load this in the editor using New From Diff.
Step 2: Duplicate the roof we made before using the Duplicate and Replace tools.
Step 3: Change the pitch on the duplicated dividers to -45.00 Your layout editor will look like this:
Step 4: Apply edits. Save file. Load in game and you should see this:
Okay! We're on our way to making that roof happen!
Remember how to move items using the layout editor? Good! Now you'll want to move the two duplicated dividers the opposite direction of the others until you have something like this:
I had to move mine around 15 south.
You might have noticed that we left a gap in the top. Now we're gonna get rid of that gap!
Getting rid of the gap in your roof:
Step 1: Be sure to only have those 4 dividers in your layout editor. If you happened to have closed it or something, then use New From Diff to put these back into the editor.
Step 2: Adjust the dividers using the move amount box and the N/s e/w buttons by sets of two until the tops of the dividers meet and look like this:
Or you can stop when they look like this:
Either way works, I personally like the first!
Be sure to use equal amounts. If you move one set of dividers by 0.10, move the other set the opposite direction by the same amount. Keep them equal.
When you are done, you should have something like this:
The last thing you might want to do, so to sink the dividers a little bit, this will help it mesh with the walls a bit more. At this point, you might end up making the dividers bigger or adjusting them to fit your house just right. And now you have a roof! But we're not finished yet...
Another way to build the roof:
Step 1: Gather 4 dividers.
Step 2: Size these dividers like we did before, but this time place 2 on one side of the roof and 2 on the other side.
Step 3: Save the layout and pack all 4 dividers once you have adjusted them to be as even as possible. Save the layout as test2 and load this up in the editor.
Step 4: Change the pitch on one set of dividers to 45.00 and the other to -45.00 until you have this:
Step 5: Adjust each set of dividers until you have this:
Step 6: Sink the dividers until you see the tops up the outside walls peak through the roof. Then bring them up until the walls stop poking out of the top of the roof. It should look something like this if you did it all right:
This is a bit easier that the steps above, but I suggest trying it both ways and seeing which works best for you! We've got a few more things left to do and then our hut will be finished!
Now, we currently have this empty space... It looks like this:
What are we going to do with this space? Well, there's a lot of things we could do with it! But first, let's fill this space with a tile! We'll be learning how to make a tile into a diamond shape to fill this space!
How to make Diamond Shaped tiles:
Step 1: Gather 2 tiles. I have chosen to use Green stained glass tiles for this. Save the layout as test. Pack the two tiles. Save the layout as Test2
Step 2: Change both tile's pitch to 45.00 and the roll to 89.95. Your editor should look like this when you are done:
Step 3: Apply edits. Save the file. Load it in game and you've got triangles! Or diamonds once they are lifted from the floor. Like this:
Pretty cool huh? Now let's get those up in that empty space. At this point, you can chose to move these in game and adjust them that way. As long as you don't pick them up or pack them, the tile will keep this shape through sizing and placing. However, since this is a layout editor walk through, we're gonna put your skills to the test!
How to fill the gap on your hut:
Step 1: Save the layout as test. Pack the two stained glass tiles as well as the outside wall tiles just below the gaps of the roof. Save the layout as Test2 and load this up in the editor.
Step 2: Use Duplicate and Replace to duplicate the outside wall tiles and replace them with the green stained glass.
Step 3: Change the pitch on the green stained glass tiles to 45.00 and the roll to 89.95 and the rotate to 0.00.
Step 4: Apply the edits. Save the file and load this in game. You should see this:
Yup, that tile is a bit big for the space, but keep going!
Step 5: Raise the tile up until it pokes through the roof. Like this:
Step 6: Size the tile down and keep sinking it until it fits right into that gap without poking out of the sides or the top of the roof. Mine went from size 6 to size 4 without having to raise or lower them. If you did it right, you should end up with this:
If one of the sides ended up like this:
Then you may have to adjust that tile by a couple of small increments until it disappears! Otherwise, your hut is now finished! Unless you did not build it where you want it to stay...
What are we going to do with this space? Well, there's a lot of things we could do with it! But first, let's fill this space with a tile! We'll be learning how to make a tile into a diamond shape to fill this space!
How to make Diamond Shaped tiles:
Step 1: Gather 2 tiles. I have chosen to use Green stained glass tiles for this. Save the layout as test. Pack the two tiles. Save the layout as Test2
Step 2: Change both tile's pitch to 45.00 and the roll to 89.95. Your editor should look like this when you are done:
Step 3: Apply edits. Save the file. Load it in game and you've got triangles! Or diamonds once they are lifted from the floor. Like this:
Pretty cool huh? Now let's get those up in that empty space. At this point, you can chose to move these in game and adjust them that way. As long as you don't pick them up or pack them, the tile will keep this shape through sizing and placing. However, since this is a layout editor walk through, we're gonna put your skills to the test!
How to fill the gap on your hut:
Step 1: Save the layout as test. Pack the two stained glass tiles as well as the outside wall tiles just below the gaps of the roof. Save the layout as Test2 and load this up in the editor.
Step 2: Use Duplicate and Replace to duplicate the outside wall tiles and replace them with the green stained glass.
Step 3: Change the pitch on the green stained glass tiles to 45.00 and the roll to 89.95 and the rotate to 0.00.
Step 4: Apply the edits. Save the file and load this in game. You should see this:
Yup, that tile is a bit big for the space, but keep going!
Step 5: Raise the tile up until it pokes through the roof. Like this:
Step 6: Size the tile down and keep sinking it until it fits right into that gap without poking out of the sides or the top of the roof. Mine went from size 6 to size 4 without having to raise or lower them. If you did it right, you should end up with this:
If one of the sides ended up like this:
Then you may have to adjust that tile by a couple of small increments until it disappears! Otherwise, your hut is now finished! Unless you did not build it where you want it to stay...
Now for something fun... That hut not where you want it? Want to turn it a bit or something? We can do that. And guess what? It's pretty fuckin' easy. Note: if you used a larger tile under the door frame, this may have to be hand placed again later.
How to move groups of items:
Step 1: Save the layout as test. Pack all the items you want to be moved. Save the layout as Test2.
Step 2: Okay! Let's put this hut... Out in the middle of the water! Select everything in the editor. Now for this we are going to move the hut using really LARGE increments. Since we are moving a long distance, I am going to be using 20 as a good starting point. Ready? Let's do it!
This is after a move of 40:
And finally, I have moved it 160 south:
This is where I will keep mine! if you want to move it east and west, go right ahead! Get it where you want it. You may also want to move it up and down until it sits right where you want it to on the water.
Now, our hut is facing us and honestly, that's really boring! Let's spice things up a bit and rotate it!
How to rotate a group of items:
Step 1: If you still have everything in the layout select it all. If you don't, use New from Diff to get everything for the hut back into the layout and then select it all. After select right click and go down to the Group Mod option, like this:
A box will pop up that looks like this:
We will be working with the middle section that I have circled.
Step 2: Go back into EQ2 and go inside your hut, find about the middle of the hut and type /loc You will see a loc in the form of: 2.45, -4.90, 170.08 The first number is always your E/W, the second is your Up/Down and the third is your N/S E/W is your X location. N/S is your Y location. Type in these numbers respectively into the group mod box under the Rotate Group Around Point section. You will only need the first and last numbers.
Next type in the amount you want to rotate the house at. I like to start with 45! It should look something like this now:
Step 3: Hit the rotate button. The box will disappear. Now Apply edits. Save file. Load in game and... This happens:
From this
To this
Ta da! Your hut has been angled and with no fuss! That was fun huh? Now if this is not where you want to stop, then keep on rotating! Using a negative rotate will turn the house the other direction. Toy around with it until you get just what you want. Remember each time you want to rotate the group of items you will have to select them all and right click to bring up the Group Mod option. DO NOT use the rotate button!
How to move groups of items:
Step 1: Save the layout as test. Pack all the items you want to be moved. Save the layout as Test2.
Step 2: Okay! Let's put this hut... Out in the middle of the water! Select everything in the editor. Now for this we are going to move the hut using really LARGE increments. Since we are moving a long distance, I am going to be using 20 as a good starting point. Ready? Let's do it!
This is after a move of 40:
And finally, I have moved it 160 south:
This is where I will keep mine! if you want to move it east and west, go right ahead! Get it where you want it. You may also want to move it up and down until it sits right where you want it to on the water.
Now, our hut is facing us and honestly, that's really boring! Let's spice things up a bit and rotate it!
How to rotate a group of items:
Step 1: If you still have everything in the layout select it all. If you don't, use New from Diff to get everything for the hut back into the layout and then select it all. After select right click and go down to the Group Mod option, like this:
A box will pop up that looks like this:
We will be working with the middle section that I have circled.
Step 2: Go back into EQ2 and go inside your hut, find about the middle of the hut and type /loc You will see a loc in the form of: 2.45, -4.90, 170.08 The first number is always your E/W, the second is your Up/Down and the third is your N/S E/W is your X location. N/S is your Y location. Type in these numbers respectively into the group mod box under the Rotate Group Around Point section. You will only need the first and last numbers.
Next type in the amount you want to rotate the house at. I like to start with 45! It should look something like this now:
Step 3: Hit the rotate button. The box will disappear. Now Apply edits. Save file. Load in game and... This happens:
From this
To this
Ta da! Your hut has been angled and with no fuss! That was fun huh? Now if this is not where you want to stop, then keep on rotating! Using a negative rotate will turn the house the other direction. Toy around with it until you get just what you want. Remember each time you want to rotate the group of items you will have to select them all and right click to bring up the Group Mod option. DO NOT use the rotate button!
Oh guess what! We're not finished yet! i know you thought we were! We're gonna add on a dock and a porch covering.
I've tinkered a bit with my hut, so here is what I will be starting with:
Notice that I did replace the tile under the door frame!
How to add on a dock:
Step 1: Gather 2 Dividers. Size these against the hut until you got a good size to work with. I've made mine about as wide as my roof dividers.
Step 2: Save the layout as test. Pack the two dividers into the crate. Save as Test2. Load this up in the editor.
Step 3: By now you've got to be an expert on the editor! Pitch these suckers by 89.95 and then rotate them by 179.95.
Step 4: Apply edits. Save file. Load in game! Now... you might notice these dividers are not showing! At this point you can chose to edit the dividers in game or keep using the editor to adjust your dock! Resize the divider, flip it some more, raise and lower it until it's where you want it! For me, I have decided to go with 1 single divider and place it so that my hut now looks like this:
Next I want to add a small overhang to the roof!
Adding an overhang/porch roofing:
Step 1: Gather 2 dividers. Size these up to be a bit smaller than your current roof. Here's the sizing I went with:
Step 2: Save the layout as test. Pack the two dividers into the crate. Save as Test2. Load this up in the editor.
Step 3: Pitch both dividers at about 75.00. You might tinker with the pitch until you get a good pitch you like.
Step 4: Apply edits. Save file. Load in game! Again at this point you can chose to tinker with the divider in the game or in the editor, but fiddle with them and tinker until you get them where you want them. You CAN chose to do all this before you move the hut as well!
When you are done, you should have something like this:
Now it's time to spruce up that hut and decorate it like a normal home!
I've tinkered a bit with my hut, so here is what I will be starting with:
Notice that I did replace the tile under the door frame!
How to add on a dock:
Step 1: Gather 2 Dividers. Size these against the hut until you got a good size to work with. I've made mine about as wide as my roof dividers.
Step 2: Save the layout as test. Pack the two dividers into the crate. Save as Test2. Load this up in the editor.
Step 3: By now you've got to be an expert on the editor! Pitch these suckers by 89.95 and then rotate them by 179.95.
Step 4: Apply edits. Save file. Load in game! Now... you might notice these dividers are not showing! At this point you can chose to edit the dividers in game or keep using the editor to adjust your dock! Resize the divider, flip it some more, raise and lower it until it's where you want it! For me, I have decided to go with 1 single divider and place it so that my hut now looks like this:
Next I want to add a small overhang to the roof!
Adding an overhang/porch roofing:
Step 1: Gather 2 dividers. Size these up to be a bit smaller than your current roof. Here's the sizing I went with:
Step 2: Save the layout as test. Pack the two dividers into the crate. Save as Test2. Load this up in the editor.
Step 3: Pitch both dividers at about 75.00. You might tinker with the pitch until you get a good pitch you like.
Step 4: Apply edits. Save file. Load in game! Again at this point you can chose to tinker with the divider in the game or in the editor, but fiddle with them and tinker until you get them where you want them. You CAN chose to do all this before you move the hut as well!
When you are done, you should have something like this:
Now it's time to spruce up that hut and decorate it like a normal home!
Thank you so much for posting this! I found it a few months ago, then spent over an hour trying to find it again! Wish there were more out there like this for us new to the editor.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for posting about ayout editor!
ReplyDelete