Tools to Use: Creating & Editing Models

on this page: starting out | chipping off and editing faces | extruding | copying and pasting | repairing and reducing | coloring and adding texture

Starting Out

Find it: Tools > Content Editor Tool Palette (Editors), Appearance Tool Palette (Looks)

PEP Creator
Select VRML object or other imported shape, click PEP creator button.

The object becomes a PEP object, and can now be edited using Cosmo Worlds's PEP editing tools (listed here).

PEP Editor
Select a PEP object and press Ctrl-e or click the PEP editor button:

A red box appears around the object while in PEP editing mode.

PEP Selection
After clicking PEP Editor button, you can click on a point, edge, face, or any combination of the three for editing. Click and drag to select a group with a marquee. Shift and click to select multiple points, edges, faces by selecting them individually.

Chipping Off and Editing Faces

Chip off
Select face to "chip off." Click Chip Off Selected Polygons button.

Pull selected face away from object.

Divide Faces
Select a polygon face, click a button to split face into smaller triangles or quads. You can now edit the new angles (extrude, chip-off, paste to another PEP object, etc.).

Extruding Polygons and Edges

Extrude Polygon
Select polygon. Click extrude button.

Move selection by dragging.

Extrude Edges
Select edges. Click Extrude Edges button:

Move selection by dragging.

Copying and Pasting Faces

Choose from a variety of functions for cutting, copying, and pasting. See Merging, Combining, or Joining PEPs for details.

Repairing and Reducing

Polygon Copier
Use to rebuild a PEP object to create a more efficient model (one with fewer Polygons). This one has its own interface.

Normal Doctor
Use after editing a PEP object to specify render style, back-face culling, and polygon ordering.

Polygon Reducer
After using Polygon Copier and Normal Doctor (if necessary), use the Polygon Reducer to finalize the object's number of polygons.

PEP Jack
Use to rotate and scale selected points, edges, and polygons. Create joints for rotation (e.g. doors).
To use, select points, edges, faces to be rotated. Press the Rotating/Scaling Points button.

Grab tool at center and drag to place (snaps to object's points as you drag it). Drag green knobs to twist/rotate points, or drag white cubes to resize points.
To put away tool, press its button again.

Coloring and Adding Texture

Color-per-Vertex Editor
Apply color to polygon. Paint color on with the editor.

Texture Editor / Material Palette
Apply texture, material to object. A more effecient way to spruce up a model is to add color.
Buttons are Texture Editor , Material Editor , Material Palette