Object or Character Start Node

Just like the Start node on the Mind Map is the root of the game, the Start node on the Node Map is the root node of the selected object or character. This is where you can enable physics for the asset, select its collision shape, define its movement, and so on.

The Start node has only one output, Created, which is always linked to at least one node, a 3D Model node that defines the mesh of the asset.

You may not duplicate or delete the Start node.

Start Node Attributes

Customizing Nodes

There are some types of nodes that you can customize directly on the Node Map. These nodes have an Edit icon in the top-right corner of their title.

There are several ways you can customize a node when you click the Edit icon:

• By adding or removing inputs and outputs directly in the node, as described below.
• By adding or removing attributes in the Options panel.
• By editing its code directly in the JavaScript panel on the right. For details on the JS API, see JS API Reference. 

Adding Inputs and Outputs

To add or remove inputs and outputs in a customizable node:

1. On the Node Map, double-click the node you want to modify.
2. Click the Edit icon in the top-right corner of the node.
3. Click a plus (+) sign that appears at the bottom of the node to add an input or output respectively.
4. To rename an input or output, click Untitled and type the appropriate name.
5. To remove an input or output, mouse over its name and click the X next to it.
   
6. When done, click anywhere on the Node Map to exit the edit mode.
7. Connect the new input or output to the other nodes as needed.

Adding Images

For some nodes, you can also add an image file directly to the node, for example, to the Animation node. Just click the drop-down arrow at the bottom and drag the desire file to the image area.

Adding Attributes

To add an attribute to a customizable node:

1. On the Node Map, double-click the node you want to modify.
2. Click the Edit icon in the top-right corner of the node.
3. In the Options panel on the right, at the bottom, click the Add Attribute button and select the desired attribute.
   
   A new Untitled attribute field of the selected type appears in the panel. For attribute field examples, see Attribute types below.
4. Click the Untitled label, delete the text, and type the name for the attribute and enter the desired value for it.
   
5. Click anywhere on the Node Map to close the edit mode.

Attribute Types

Here’s an example of all attribute fields that you can add to a customizable node.

Removing Attributes

You can remove any attribute from a customizable node, except the Name field.

To remove an attribute from a node:

1. On the Node Map, double-click the node you want to modify.
2. Click the Edit icon in the top-right corner of the node.
3. In the Options panel on the right, click the X next to the attribute that you want to delete.
   
4. Click anywhere on the Node Map to close the edit mode.

Node Anatomy

Whether they are used on the Mind Map or Node Map, all nodes in Buildbox have the same overall layout.

Appearance

• All nodes have a colored title that indicates the category and at least an input or an output below.
• Aside from the colored background, each node title consists of two parts:
  • A node icon in the top-left corner that indicates the type of the node in the same node category.
    NOTE: This is the same icon that is displayed in the Node panel from which you can add nodes to the map, for example, for a Switch node shown above. This icon also appears under your mouse cursor when you drag a node from the Node panel to the Map.
  • The name of the node, which you can change in the respective Options panel, if necessary.

Customizability

Some nodes are customizable, which is indicated by the Edit icon in the top-right corner.

• In object or character nodes, clicking the icon allows you to customize their code by using JavaScript, add attributes, and/or modify inputs and outputs. For details, see Customizing Nodes.
• In World and UI nodes, it opens the respective World and UI workspaces where you can edit the nodes.

Functionality

Nodes must be connected, with each preceding node activating the next node to which it is connected. On the Mind Map, the connectors between World and UI nodes indicate the overall game flow. On the asset Node Map, the connectors between different nodes define the looks and behavior of the asset under specific conditions.

Node connections are made between node outputs and outputs. Here’s what you need to know about them:

• All nodes, except the Start nodes, have at least one input on the left.
• Some nodes may also have one or more outputs on the right.
• A node must have at least one connector linking its output to the input of another node.
• You may not link an output to another output and vice versa, only output to input.
• You can add multiple connectors from one output.

For example, to see how the If Collide and Defeat nodes are used, see Health, Damage, and Defeat.

Node Map Workspace

To define the behavior of an asset in the game in response to the player’s actions, enable physics, as well as modify the associated game flow logic, you may need to add a few nodes on its Node Map.

To access the Node Map of a character or object:

1. On the Mind Map, double-click the 3D World node where you want to modify an asset.
2. Inside the 3D World, on the Asset panel, double-click the asset, for example, the character asset in your game.

The corresponding Node Map appears with the selected asset’s name added to the Navigation bar as a highlighted tab.

The Node Map workspace consists of the following parts:

• A The name of the selected template or project.
• B The Navigation bar.
• C The Node Panel on left.
• D The Helper with context-sensitive help.
• E The Node Map grid.
• F The JavaScript panel if you prefer customizing certain nodes using code. See Adding, Editing, and Deleting Nodes below.
• G The Options panel on the far right.
• H The Preview Mesh.

For details on how to work with the Node Map, such as zooming or dragging the grid, see Workspace Overview.

At the very least, any object or character in Buildbox must have two nodes on the Node Map:

• A Start node, which creates the character or object and enables its physics.
• A 3D Model node, which defines the shape of the asset.
  

Adding, Editing, and Deleting Nodes for an Asset

To add a node to the Node Map:

1. On the Mind Map, double-click the 3D World node where you want to modify an asset.
2. Inside the 3D World, on the Asset panel, double-click the asset, for example, the character asset in your game.
   The Node Map is displayed, with the name of the selected asset highlighted on the navigation bar.
3. In the Node panel on the left, expand the node category from which you want to add a node.
   If you don’t know the category, type the name of the node in the Search field.
4. Drag the node you need from the Node panel to the Node Map.
5. Define the node attributes in its Options panel.
6. Customize the node, if needed, and connect it to the other nodes.

To remove or create a duplicate of a node, right-click the grid and select an option:

To edit the attributes of a node:

• Click the node and make the necessary updates in the respective Options panel.
• If the node has an Edit icon in the top right corner, you can customize the node by editing its JavaScript code and modifying its inputs and outputs. In this case, either click the Edit icon or simply double-click the node. For details, see Customizing Nodes.
  
  To see the Buildbox JavaScript API documentation, on the Buildbox menu bar, go to Help > JS API Reference.

To delete a node with its connectors, select the node and press Delete on the keyboard.

Pinned Node Attributes

Some attributes contain the button that allows you to make the attribute value unique per instance in the Scene Editor. This allows you to set a different value for each instance of the asset in a scene. The following walks you through how to pin the Speed attribute of the Move node:

1. On the Asset’s node map, select the Move node then hover your mouse over the Speed attribute and click the pin icon that appears.
   
2. Click the World tab to go back to the World Editor.
3. Drag the asset from the asset panel to the Scene Editor multiple times to create multiple instances of the asset in the Scene.
4. Select an instance of the asset in the Scene Editor, and in the Options panel, enter a numeric value in the desired Speed attribute field. Repeat this step for each instance in the Scene Editor.
   

When you preview your game, you will notice that even though the same asset is present in multiple instances, each instance will move at a different speed.

Grouping Nodes

A Node Group contains multiple nodes that in a single colored rectangle.

• To create a Node Group, click and drag a bounding box over each desired node, then right-click and select Group Nodes.
  The nodes are now contained with a black rectangle.
• To select the group, click anywhere in the colored area of the group. All of the associated node attributes appear in the Options panel.
• To rename the group, select it and in the Options panel on the right, in the Name attribute, enter a new name.

Previewing Mesh

When you open the Node Map of an asset, the preview of its mesh appears at the bottom of the Options panel. It displays what your asset will look like when you drag it into a scene.

Use the following controls to change the view of the preview mesh:

Buildbox Menu Bar

The Buildbox menu bar is located at the very top of the Buildbox window.

Here is a quick overview of the Buildbox menus and their options.

Buildbox Menu (Mac)

Menu Option	Allows you to
About	View the About Buildbox window with the product installation and license summary.
Services	Select your keyboard preferences.
Hide Buildbox	Minimize the Buildbox window.
Hide Others	Minimize all application windows, except Buildbox.
Show All	View all active windows on the screen.
Quit Buildbox	Save your work and close Buildbox.

File Menu

Menu Option	Allows you to
New	Save changes to the current project file or abandon it altogether and create a new one.
Open	Save changes to the current project file or abandon it altogether and load an existing project file.
Open Recent	View a list of recent projects, which you can choose to open or clear the list.
Save	Save the project with its current file name.
Save As	Save current project with a new file name, thus creating a copy.
Export	Export your project when you are ready to submit your game to the App Store. See also Export a Game Project. Fill in all required information for the desired export option in the project Settings before exporting your project. Select the desired export platform: iOS Android Steam Windows EXE

Edit Menu

Menu Option	Allows you to
Undo	Undo the last operation.
Redo	Redo the last operations.
Align Scenes	Play scenes in a linear sequence in the Preview window.
Randomize Scenes	Play scenes in a randomized sequence.

Run Menu

Menu Option	Allows you to
Preview	Play and test your entire game as it would look after export. See also Preview and Testing.
Preview Selected Scene	Play and test the current scene in the editor as it would look after export. See also Preview and Testing.

Add Menu

This menu is available only in the UI node workspace.

Menu Option	Allows you to
New Image	Add an image object to a UI screen, where you can define its attributes.
New Button	Add an image as a Navigation button to a UI screen.

View Menu

Menu Option	Allows you to
Zoom In	Increase magnification on the grid of the currently displayed editor or map to get a closer view of the screen.
Zoom Out	Decrease magnification on the grid of the currently displayed editor or map to get a wider view of the screen.
Show All	Change the zoom level to show all items in the currently displayed editor or map.
Show Frame	Reset the zoom level and position of the view in the currently displayed editor or map.
Actual Size	Reset the zoom level to the actual view size of the currently displayed editor or map, neither zoomed in or out.
Helper	Show or hide the Helper section that provides help info about the panel, button, or attribute field you are working with, in the bottom left corner of the Buildbox window.
Enter Full Screen (Mac)	View the Buildbox window in the full screen mode.

Scene View Menu Options

The following View options are available only in the Scene Editor in 3D World workspaces.

Menu Option	Allows you to	View Example
Animation Bar	Toggle the visibility of the animation bar at the bottom of the scene editor.
Snap Mode	Allows you to snap the selected object’s position to each grid point when using the move tool.
View Persp/Orth	Switches between perspective (3D) and orthogonal views. In orthogonal view, the camera is set at a right angle, which gives more of a 2D look to the game.
View Align by X	View the scene from the side, aligned along the X axis.
View Align by Y	View the scene from the top, aligned along the Y axis.
View Align by Z	View the scene from the other side, aligned along the Z axis.
View Rotate Left	Rotate the current view slightly to the left.
View Rotate Right	Rotate the current view slightly to the right.
View Rotate Up	Rotate the current view slightly up.
View Rotate Down	Rotate the current view slightly down.
View Rotate 180	Flip the view horizontally, by rotating it 180 degrees.
View Move to Ground	Move the view to the default vertical position.
Reset View	Reset the current view to the default rotation and position.

Tools Menu

Menu Option	Allows you to
Font Editor	Open the Font editor to create a custom font.
Atlases	Open the Atlas Editor.
Remove Unused Sound Objects	Remove any MP3 sound files that were uploaded to Buildbox and not used in the game.
Select	Select any of these tools to use in a 3D World.
Move
Rotate
Scale
Multitool

Help Menu

Menu Option	Allows you to
Report an Issue	Access an online form to report a bug or issue to the Buildbox team.
Report a Feature	Access an online form to report a feature idea or suggestion to the Buildbox team.
Buildbox Documentation	Access product documentation online.
JS API Reference	Access the Buildbox JavaScript API reference online.
Check for Updates	Check if there is a new version of Buildbox available for download.
Get Logs	Save a log file on your desktop. Provide this to the Buildbox Support team for troubleshooting purposes.
Activate License	Switch from a demo version of the software into a fully licensed product.
Tutorial	View a quick walkthrough to familiarize yourself with the Buildbox basics.

Account

There is currently only one option, Sign Out(Your email) that logs you out of Buildbox and
takes you back to the Login screen.

Mesh Manager

The Mesh Manager allows you to view and select desired shapes for your assets in a 3D World.

To access this editor, click the Edit icon in the top-right corner of any Mesh field in the Options panel of an asset, for example, with asset attributes.

The Mesh Manager appears with all available shapes (which are also the basic shapes from the Asset Library) listed on the left.

Changing Object Mesh

• To select a mesh, click Save.
• To discard your changes or simply exit the editor, click Close.

Sprite Editor

The Sprite Editor allows you to view all images added to the project and edit the basic attributes of individual images.

To access this editor, click the Edit icon in the top-right corner of any image field in the Options panel, for example, with asset attributes.

The Sprite Editor appears with all sprites added to the project listed in the panel on the left.

You can use the Search field at the top of the Sprite panel to find the image you want to edit. If there was an image already selected in the options panel, it will be automatically selected.

Editing Sprite Image Attributes

In the Sprite Editor, you can edit the image name and image properties, such as brightness, contrast, hue, and saturation. To edit the sprite file attributes, select the image in the Atlas Editor.

Select the sprite image you want to edit, update its attributes in the Options panel on the right, and click Save.

While previewing the image on in the Editor, drag each slider to achieve the desired effect or enter a numeric value on the right.

Deleting Sprite Images

There are several locations from which you can delete an image:

• To delete an image from a field in the Options panel, click the x icon.
  
• To delete an image from the Sprite Editor list that is no longer in use, you need to optimize the atlas. See Atlas Options.

Atlas Editor

Atlases in Buildbox store all images in your game. To access the Atlas Editor, select Tools > Atlases on the Buildbox menu bar.

This is an advanced Editor that allows you to edit atlases and individual sprite files.

Editing Atlas Attributes

To edit an atlas, select it in the panel on the left and update it as needed in the Options panel on the right.

Editing Sprite File Attributes

To edit an individual sprite from an Atlas, expand the Atlas and select the sprite name in the left pane. Otherwise, click the image in the Editor. The sprite attributes appear in the Options panel.

To edit image properties, such as brightness, contrast, hue, and saturation, you need to open the sprite image in the Sprite Editor and update its attributes in the Options panel.

Logic

The overall game flow is defined by the connections between the nodes on the Mind Map. You may also define additional logic that would allow you to control the game flow dynamically, based on player actions and other events that occur during a game session.

There are several places where you can define logic in a game:

• On the Mind Map, by adding a Random node from the Logic section on the Node panel to the game.
  
• Inside the UI node workspace, by adding the Event Observer or Unlock asset (used in conjunction with the Lock button) from the the Logic section on the Asset panel to the selected game UI screen. For details, see Add Event Observer.
  
• On the character or object Node Map, by adding the appropriate Action nodes that you can use to fine the outcome of object collisions, health, defeat, and so on. For details, see the individual nodes and, for example, Manage Health, Damage, and Defeat.
  

UI Buttons

There are six buttons that you can add to a UI screen in the UI workspace.

To add a button, drag it from the Asset panel to the desired location on the screen in the UI Editor and define its properties in the Options panel on the right.

Button	Icon	Description
Audio		Turns the sound on and off in the game.
Facebook		Creates a like for the logged in user, in their Facebook account.
Navigation		Depending on the function you select for the button, creates a Pause, Back, Restart, Reset Settings, or any other button on the screen.
Purchase		Allows the player to purchase items typically found in a game shop screen or elsewhere in your game.
URL		Opens a web page specified by the URL.
Lock		Appears as an inactive button that needs to be unlocked by purchase, game progress, or other player actions.
Control		Allows you to create a UI button that you can use as a control node. See also Add a Control Button in the UI.