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andrewj

Eureka Editor - now available for Windows!

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Eureka is a cross-platform map editor for DOOM and Heretic.

I have just released version 0.95, and I'm excited to announce that this release is the first to support Windows. There is a Windows installer package on the download page.

LINK: http://eureka-editor.sourceforge.net/

Other improvements include:

  • Preferences dialog
  • Key binding system, with GUI in preferences
  • Automatically back-up edited wads (multiple times)
  • Status area on info bar (replaces map name)
  • Prune command for removing unused sectors, sidedefs and vertices
  • Log viewer
Plus several bug fixes and small improvements.

At the moment, documentation is sorely lacking, that is probably the most important thing I need to work on next.

The main way of editing in Eureka is going to vertex mode and using the SPACE, INSERT or middle mouse click to insert vertices -- the first click will insert a plain vertex (or select an existing one) and subsequent clicks will insert linedefs. Closing a linedef loop will create a new sector inside the loop, and drawing a chain of linedefs across a sector will split that sector into two.

Pressing TAB toggles the 3D preview.

Feedback on any aspect of this program will be appreciated (as would a news item, hint hint ;)

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Here's also the OS X release of 0.95: download. Should work with Mac OS X 10.6 and later. May also work with earlier OS but wasn't tested. Requires Intel Mac, 32 or 64-bit.

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Is there a shortcut key for increasing or decreasing sector light level?

Another question: is Eureka aware of external edits? Warning me if the file got modified from elsewhere.

EDIT: WINDOWS FEEDBACK.

- heh, just like with Ubuntu, I got a Windows SmartScreen warning that this app is unrecognized. For reference, this is how it looks:
I get the same warning when attempting to run SVN builds of Eternity, so I guess it's not so important.
- mouse wheel scrolling is slooow, there needs to be a higher value for Windows (at least) scrolling steps :P Also support the SHIFT key for scrolling horizontally.

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printz said:

Is there a shortcut key for increasing or decreasing sector light level?

No, there is no bindable command for adjusting sector light level -- I will put it on the TODO.

Eureka is not aware of external edits. There is some code to check if a wad file has changed (different size or different directory contents), but it is not used yet. I will add it to the TODO too.

You can increase the scrolling steps in Preferences, in the key binding panel, the cursor keys have a function like "Scroll(0, +10)" so change that 10 to something higher.

I have added SHIFT + cursor keys for faster scrolling.

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printz said:

- heh, just like with Ubuntu, I got a Windows SmartScreen warning that this app is unrecognized.


Fun thing with "SmartScreen" is that it sends data to Microsoft about what program you're trying to run. (I think a hash key and a name or something?) The official aim being that malicious programs would be detected earlier. But the net result is that Microsoft knows which programs you're running and when.

And Ubuntu has the same crap?

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Excellent news! I was going to give this a shot on my Linux system at some point but that's great too see that windows users can use it too.

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Just for the heck of it - seems to work fine on Win98SE with KernelEx installed. With KernelEx disabled produces an error of missing export.

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Donce said:

Just for the heck of it - seems to work fine on Win98SE with KernelEx installed. With KernelEx disabled produces an error of missing export.

Ahh that's interesting -- I'll mention that somewhere.

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andrewj said:

I have no plans to support UDMF (in anything really) -- it's not my cup of tea.

Ouch :( Okay…

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Well, damn. The absence of UDMF support is the only drawback of this editor for me. Without it, I doubt I would ever use Eureka Ed for anything other than poking around. Still, I wish you all the best.

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printz said:

Are generalized line types going to be supported?

I hadn't thought about it, but yes I will add it to the TODO.

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The external file defining the port special linedefs is an excellent way to customize the editor to handle the advanced ports.
However, it does not work out that great if it is going to be left at a level of capability where the user must enter the linedef codes by number, and interpret special bits by memory.

For the next step in customization, the external file will need to be able to specify custom bit definitions, custom validity checks, and custom display technique (pseudo code?? or sub-window layout??).

The code would need to be able to pull info from all the unusual storage places used by advanced linedef, sidedef, or sector type. And then decode, display them in a useful manner, and allow modifications to the info using menus of valid values (with names and descriptions).

What has to be done to handle generalized linedef is similar.
If the generalized linedefs can be described by an external file format, then similar alterations by advanced ports could also be supported. Add in the ability to handle not only the type number, but also special bits, and coded uses of texture names and offset values (etc...).

Please consider this in making your TODO list.

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andrewj said:

I have no plans to support UDMF (in anything really) -- it's not my cup of tea.



Too bad.

Despite some ugliness issues with the UI (no doubt thanks to a GUI library with sub-par Windows implementation) it's fast and easy to use and I really prefer it to DoomBuilder which is just far too bloated for quick'n dirty map checks and edits.

If it could support UDMF it'd be the icing on the cake. Well, hopefully someone else can step in later when it's generally working.

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wesleyjohnson said:

For the next step in customization, the external file will need to be able to specify custom bit definitions, custom validity checks, and custom display technique (pseudo code?? or sub-window layout??).


For BOOM generalized linetypes, I was planning to simply create hard-coded dialogs for showing and setting the individual fields.

I'm not aware of source ports which have a similar parametrized range of linedef numbers, though I guess some ranges that EDGE uses (for example) could benefit to be shown and selected with two or three choice buttons.

However I think it is not too bad merely listing them in the linedef browser, and hence a flexible system like you describe where the bitfields are enumerated in the "ugh" file would only be marginally useful.

Also I am not against adding port-specific features in the editor, e.g. an ability to edit fragglescript in the level lump.

P.S. I have thought more about UDMF support, and while I cannot say it's a high priority, I won't rule it out either -- though it does pose many challenges to support it well.

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This is absolutely brillian!!! Keep up your good work.
Also, premade binaries works perfect unter Ubuntu 64bit.


But one question: does Eureka support PNG lumps? I got a resource PWAD with PNG testures between "P_START" and "P_END" markers, but Eureka only shows white, gray and other colored squares instead of the textures itself.

See this image as example:

http://i.imgur.com/fOQ77Li.png


In addition, the texture browser doesn't even show the PNGs in the list, like if Eureka ignored them.



Finally, I got a little suggestion: let Eureka to say which resource file I am using between senssions, as well as which game engine is the map for, so I no need to browse for the resource file every time I open Eureka back.

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Yokai said:

But one question: does Eureka support PNG lumps? I got a resource PWAD with PNG testures between "P_START" and "P_END" markers, but Eureka only shows white, gray and other colored squares instead of the textures itself.

PNG images are not supported yet.

I will put it on the TODO list.

let Eureka to say which resource file I am using between senssions, as well as which game engine is the map for, so I no need to browse for the resource file every time I open Eureka back.

When you save a map, that information is remembered in the wad (in a lump called __EUREKA). So those settings should be restored after you load the map.

Recently I have added an option to load the last map you were working on when Eureka is started.

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andrewj said:

PNG images are not supported yet.

I will put it on the TODO list.


Nice :D

For every Linux User, it is easy to batch convert png to bmp files if needed.

Just run the next shell script:

for img in *.png; do
    filename=${img%.*}
    convert "$filename.png" "$filename.bmp"
done
That will run though all *.png files in the folder and convert them to .bmp using the CONVERT tool, which usually comes will all Linux distros.

andrewj said:

When you save a map, that information is remembered in the wad (in a lump called __EUREKA). So those settings should be restored after you load the map.

Recently I have added an option to load the last map you were working on when Eureka is started.


But how can Eureka know which were the last resource PWADs if that is saved into those resource PWADs?
I mean, if the _Eureka lump is inserted into the resource PWADs, Eureka itself needs to remember somehow what was the PWAD with the _Eureka lump.

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Yokai said:

But how can Eureka know which were the last resource PWADs if that is saved into those resource PWADs?

No, the information is saved into the _map_ PWAD.

If you are editing a map in "masterpiece.wad", when you save the map with CTRL-S the __EUREKA lump is added to that file (or replaced if it already has it). Then the next time you load "masterpiece.wad", the port and resource settings are restored.

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andrewj said:

No, the information is saved into the _map_ PWAD.

If you are editing a map in "masterpiece.wad", when you save the map with CTRL-S the __EUREKA lump is added to that file (or replaced if it already has it). Then the next time you load "masterpiece.wad", the port and resource settings are restored.


Yes, it works. I was thining in something like Slade 2 map editor, that shows a dialog window when the app starts. If you tried Slade 2 once, you will understand what i mean.


Other than that, it seems Eureka is a sector based editor.
I have no problem with that but i have some questions:

- Lets say I have a sector, when I insert another sector outside the first one, how do i "join" the second sector to the first one, so i can do a room-corridor structure where the corridor is a different sector (this is, there is a 2 sides ldef between room and corridor)

- How can i create a column into another sector? I mean to create a hollow into a sector

- How can i create a non-solid sector into another sector, for example a pool of water?

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Yokai said:

Yes, it works. I was thining in something like Slade 2 map editor, that shows a dialog window when the app starts. If you tried Slade 2 once, you will understand what i mean.


I would say to this that Eureka, upon startup, should show the "Recent Files" dialog.
Is this possible for next version? Maybe a configuration option to toggle it at startup?


Also, sorry for double post, but I found the solutions for some of the previous questions, so I will answer myself in case someone else has the same questions:

http://www.doomworld.com/vb/doom-editing/64749-eureka-editor-help-and-tips

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Yokai said:

I would say to this that Eureka, upon startup, should show the "Recent Files" dialog.
Is this possible for next version? Maybe a configuration option to toggle it at startup?

In the next version, the Recent files are a sub-menu under the File menu. I think it is easy enough to use like that.

The next version also has an option to automatically open your most recently edited map.

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andrewj said:

In the next version, the Recent files are a sub-menu under the File menu. I think it is easy enough to use like that.

The next version also has an option to automatically open your most recently edited map.


Nice.

ANother feature suggestion: a button like "new tag". Fo example, right now, when I want to create a sector with an action and a new tag, i need to remember what was the last tag I used. You could set Eureka a button to add a new sector tag that is 1 + highest sector tag used.

This is really needed, otherwise I need to keep cheking the map to see what was the previous tag I used.

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Are generalized line types planned for next release? They're necessary for serious Boom editing.

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A "free tag" feature is a good idea, and should be easy to implement.

I'm not sure about BOOM generalized types, that feature will take a lot of work, but would be nice to have...

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