Animator

Use the VoxEdit Animator to create Compound or Animated assets in The Sandbox.

Creating Compound & Animated Assets

Simple assets (models) are the pieces that make up compound and animated assets. Use the Animator to create static or animated assets with poses, or animations, and add motion if desired. Upload to use them in Game Maker.

While simple assets are built in the X, Y, and Z axes and have a "blocky" appearance, compound and animated assets are able to have a smoother or more complex design.

Requirements

• A structure, or skeleton

• One or more poses, or animations

• (Animated assets) motion applied to one or more animations

The Modeler is seamlessly integrated with the Animator for easy model editing.

About

What Can I Make: Compound Assets

What Can I Make: Compound Assets

You can combine multiple models into a compound asset. It may have one or more poses of the models included, called animations. However, in compound assets, animations do not have motion (they are not animated).

Game Maker logic can dynamically display specific animations that are built into your asset, and it can change during the game.

Example

A fence could have normal and broken animations, where there's no movement, and the models are posed in different locations per animation.

Animations must use all models in the asset. Some creators hide models inside of larger ones to get around this limitation. Example: A plant that has different unanimated states of growth.

Compound assets have a collider around each model used in the asset. A useful asset example is a small building players can walk into. Learn more: Unanimated Building: Player Entry

Compound Assets

Compound assets are made in the Animator by combining simple assets (see Build a Rig).

Furniture

Landmarks

Statues

In the Animator, simple assets are models that can be moved and rotated to design smoother details and shapes. A hierarchy, or Skeleton, controls how the models can move and rotate in relation to each other.

Combine models in the Animator

The Animator and Modeler are integrated to make it easy to edit the models in your compound asset.

What Can I Make: Animated Assets

What Can I Make: Animated Assets

You can combine multiple models into a compound asset, set multiple poses (animations) of the models included, and apply motion keyframes for each one. Not all animations need to be animated).

Game Maker logic can dynamically display specific animations that are built into your asset, and it can change during the game.

Example

An NPC can wave hello until the player interacts. Then it can change to a talk animation while dialogue is displayed and change to an idle animation when the conversation is done.

Animations must use all models in the asset. Some creators hide models inside of larger ones to get around this limitation. Example: A plant that is animated to grow in front of the player.

Animated assets have a collider around the whole asset, meaning players can NOT enter (unless collisions are removed). A useful asset example is a building that players can NOT walk into that have animated elements to bring it to life. Learn more: Animated Building: No Entry

Animated Assets

Once a compound asset is rigged together, you can create multiple animations (poses) and apply motion to each one with an easy timeline tool.

NPC

Chest

Templates have models, animations, and motion built in to create custom assets quickly. All you need to know is how to edit simple assets to make a new animated asset with a template.

Template used: Medium Human

Template used: Door

How Do I Use My Creation?

How Do I Use My Creation?

Once your model is ready, you can upload it to your Workspace, create details to describe it, and give it attributes to define how it will be uniquely useful in The Sandbox Game. Then it's ready to test in Game Maker!

Learn more about Rarity & Attributes.

Getting Started

Open the Animator

Open the Animator

In VoxEdit's Home screen, select the Animator in the left menu. Then:

Create a new asset

Open a previous asset file

Open a recent file (click on a thumbnail)

Animator Window Tips

Animator Window

Tool Tips

↙️ Hover your mouse over anything in VoxEdit for tool tips at the bottom left.

Performance Data

↘️ See performance data at the bottom right (moved from the Viewport).

Dropdown Menu

⬆️ See Controls & Shortcuts for Dropdown Menu details.

Viewport: Your Project Space

Viewport

The Viewport is the central area of the screen where you can view and work on your project.

See Viewport Controls to learn how to:

• Take a screenshot

• Position your project

• Adjust camera sensitivity

• Change lighting and background colour

The front of your project is indicated by a large white arrow outside of the asset (oriented to the positive Z axis). Note the colour coded axes on the Gizmo and on the selected node.

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Panels

Learn how the Animator's panels work below. See Panels & Custom Layouts to personalise VoxEdit.

Menubar

About

The Menubar helps you save, translate, and visualize your project.

Default

Controls

Controls

Save

Save

CTRL+S

Commit to changes. ℹ️ Use File -> Save As to save another version of your project.

Nodes

Select Node

Select nodes of your asset.

Move Node

Change the position of the selected node along the X, Y, or Z axis.

Rotate Node

Change the orientation of the selected node along the X, Y, or Z axis.

Translation

World

Set the world as the translation frame of reference.

Parent

Set the parent node as the translation frame of reference.

Object

Set the object as the translation frame of reference.

Transformation

Flip

Flip the entire asset along the X, Y, or Z axes.

AutoSLERP

Enable/disable AutoSLERP. Use this to automatically calculate in-between rotations for smoother, constant speed.

Align to Axis

Reset scene transformations. This aligns the rig to the closest axis at a right angle.

Visualization

Show/Hide Rig

Toggle the visibility of the rig skeletons. This shows/hides connections between nodes, with lines that are thicker at the parent node and thinner at the child node.

Model Check

Toggle a mode with high contrast colours to check for quality issues, such as Clipping or Z-fighting.

Show/Hide Node Bounding Boxes

Toggle visibility of the node bounding boxes. This helps visualise collisions of each model attached to nodes in your rig. Trim the volume if a node's collision box is larger than the linked model.

Emissivity

Toggle brightness of glowing colours with bloom. When disabled, the glow from emissive colours used in your rig's models will not be visible.

Focus (Reset View)

F

Focus the camera to the default start position.

Library

About

The Library stores all of the simple models you've imported or created for your asset. You can import .VXM files (made in VoxEdit) or .VOX files (made in other programs like MagicaVoxel).

Default

Controls: Main

Controls: Main

Trim

Trim volumes of selected models to optimize colliders.

Edit

Edit the selected model (no asset ghost).

Duplicate

Add a copy of selected models to the Library.

Delete

Remove selected models from the Library.

Duplicate models to vary parts in your asset. Duplicate and flip a model for mirrored symmetry (e.g., arms).

Menu

New VXM

Add a new empty model to the Library.

Import VXM

Import a model from another project.

Import VOX

Import a 3D voxel file made in another program, such as MagicaVoxel.

Delete Unattached

Remove all models from the Library that are not linked a node.

Delete Backup Models

Declutter your Library if backup models are not needed.

Trim Volume

Edit Model

Duplicate Model

Delete Model

To edit with the asset's ghost shown, click the edit button next to the node in the Skeleton.

SELECT MULTIPLE MODELS (LIBRARY or VIEWPORT)

• Add or remove individual models: Hold the CTRL key as you click on each model.

• Select a range of models: Hold the SHIFT key as you select the first and last models in a group.

Controls: Right Click a Model

Controls: Right Click a Model

Duplicate Model

Rename Model

Edit a model's name.

Replace Model

Use a different model in your files (affects the rig if linked).

Export as VOX

Save the model in .VOX format for use in programs such as MagicaVoxel.

Delete Model

Link a Model to a Node

• Drag and drop a model onto the correct node in the Viewport.

• Open the menu for the correct node in the Skeleton for the Link VXM option.

Controls: Shared Palettes

Controls: Shared Palettes

Up to 5 palettes may be shared for easy editing across models in an asset made in the Animator, but any model may also have a custom palette of its own (indicated by the icon).

Apply a Palette to a Model

Select one or more models, click the star icon, and select a palette to apply.

This model is using a custom palette

Change Saved Palettes

Apply a palette number to a model, edit the model, customize the palette or load a new one, and save.

Changing a model's palette will change used colours based on corresponding colour swatch location.

Modifying a palette in one model will change colours across any models where the palette is applied.

Use the Modeler's #palette-1 and #materials-1 panels to modify palettes to save and use in your project.

VoxeEdit Quick Tips - How to use Shared Palettes

Skeleton

About

The Skeleton displays the structure of your compound or animated asset's rig. It is a hierarchy of how the pieces of your asset fit together and are allowed to be moved.

Each item in the skeleton is a node. Models may be linked to nodes, giving the rig shape in the Viewport.

Learn more: Build a Rig

Default

Controls

Node Controls

If a node has child nodes (and influences their position and rotation), these controls appear on the left. A child node is indented below a parent node to show its depth in the hierarchy. The World node is the root node for your project.

Expand Node

View the node's child nodes.

Collapse Node

Hide the node's child nodes.

Menu Controls

Open a node's menu to make changes related to that node and/or its child nodes.

The World node has limited controls due to its position in the hierarchy as a controller of your whole project.

Create a Child Node

Add a node that will be controlled by the position and rotation of this node.

Duplicate Node

Duplicate this node on the same level. The copy will have the same parent node.

Rename Node

Change the name of the node with up to 24 characters. No nodes may have the same name.

Select Hierarchy

Select the node and all nodes beneath it in the hierarchy.

Export Hierarchy

Save this node and all nodes beneath it in the hierarchy as a separate project.

Import Hierarchy (VXR, VOX)

Import the node structure of another project beneath this node.

Link/Unlink VXM from Node

Attach a model to this node or unattach a model from it. ℹ️ You can also drag and drop a model from the Library onto a node in the Viewport.

Delete Node

Remove the node and all nodes beneath it in the hierarchy (its child nodes, their child notes, etc).

Inspector

About

The Inspector allows you have more granular control of a node's position and rotation by entering a value. You can also toggle collisions on or off for one or more selected nodes.

Default

Controls

Controls

Select a node and apply settings:

Position

Enter X, Y, and Z values to move the selected node(s) to a new location.

Rotation

Enter X, Y, and Z values to rotate the selected node(s) to a new orientation.

Collides

Toggle the collisions of the selected node on and off.

Timeline

About

The Timeline allows you to add motion keyframes to an animation, or pose, of your asset.

Default

Controls: Main

Controls: Main

The time 00:00 (0) indicates the position of the orange vertical line, known as the playhead.

Timeline Controller

Back	Previous	Play/Pause	Next	Forward

Controls: Nodes

Controls: Nodes

Search & Filter

Search for a node name

Filter options:

All/Per Node

All Nodes (top)

Single Nodes

Collapse

Hide/Show

Lock/Unlock

Mute/Unmute

Offset

Colour (for organization)

Menu

New Keyframe

Animations List (Poses)

About

The Animations List includes all poses built in your asset. Motion may or may not be applied to each. A search makes finding animations fast for assets that have many.

Default

Controls

Controls

New Animation

Add a new animation to the list (duplicates the selected animation).

Import Animation

If rigs are compatible, you may import an animation from another project.

Clean Animations

Remove all animations except the selected ones.

OPTIMISE YOUR WORKFLOW

Create a new animation when the nodes in the Viewport match (or are close to) the starting positions and rotations needed for the new animation. This avoids repositioning, saving you a lot of time!

Menu

Set as Default

Duplicate Animation

Rename Animation

Export Animation

Delete Animation

Advanced: Inverse Kinematics (Hidden)

About

Inverse Kinematics is a hidden panel for advanced users to create more realistic movements and set poses, or animations, more quickly. You can find it in the View menu at the top of the screen.

Learn more: Use Inverse Kinematics

Default

Controls

Controls

Enable IK

• Enabled - Adjusting the position or rotation of a child node influences the position and rotation of the parents it is attached to.

• Disabled - The parent-child relationship behaves normally, where a parent node influences all of the child nodes attached to it (known as Forward Kinematics, or FK).

Anchor

IK Controller

Constraints

Roll Start: Size:

Add

Yaw Pitch Radius