Koopatlas Interface

This tutorial will help you understand how Koopatlas works, and will explain what the various windows and options in the editor do. Click any of the red areas of the image below to scroll to the related paragraph.

''Note: Depending on the Koopatlas version you're using, some functions might not be present or might have been changed. The article reflects the latest revision of RoadrunnerWMC's Koopatlas-Updated fork.''

Canvas
The canvas contains all the map elements rendered as where they will be in the game. Select an item by clicking on it (you must have the layer it's on selected as well). Select a group of items by clicking and dragging across an area. Click and hold any selected items to drag them around the screen. Right-click on the canvas to paint any selected item from the layers tab. Hold right-click and drag when painting items to resize them. Alternatively, click and drag the edges on items that have already been painted to the canvas to resize it in that direction.



At the bottom and far right are scroll bars which allow you to scroll horizontally and vertically.

Objects
The Objects tab is a window that contains tileset elements you can add to your maps. It is a fully customizable window, meaning you can dock/undock it, resize it, put it as a tab along with the other tabs, but also close it completely.



The tilesets are grouped into categories, such as  (outer tiles), and   (inner tiles). There are then sub-categories, such as,  ,  , etc.

Doodads
''Note: While NewerSMBW's tilesets come with Koopatlas, the doodads do not. There are multiple locations where you can download these, however to assist you, I have provided a download link for my slightly better organized Doodads folder here.''

This window allows for editing of doodads in the map file. There are two buttons, Add and Remove. allows you to import a doodad into the map file, while  allows you to remove it from the file. It is a fully customizable window, meaning you can dock/undock it, resize it, put it as a tab along with the other tabs, but also close it completely.



Doodads are image files (preferably PNG due to it's transparency support) that can be imported into the map for decorative purposes. These doodads can then be manipulated in the Doodad Animation Editor, to add more 'life' to the map.

Doodad Animation Editor
Note: This window only appears when a doodad on the map is selected. Similarly to other windows, this one is a fully customizable window, meaning you can dock/undock it, resize it, put it as a tab along with the other tabs, but also close it completely.



This menu allows you to add animations to your doodads by manipulating the image. There are four buttons here,,  ,  , and. Below you can find info on these buttons and info on the values in the above image for animation instructions.


 * Add Animation will add an animation instruction, which will look something like this. KoopatlasAnimEditorInstruction.png
 * Remove Animation will open a window asking which row you want to delete. Row 0 is the topmost row.
 * Add Preset will open a window giving you options of presets you want to use. Selecting one and clicking OK will copy the preset's instructions into the Animation Editor
 * New Preset will open a window where you can name the preset, then it will save the preset into the list of presets, where it can be selected via the  button.

Looping
Looping is an option in the Doodad Animation Editor, and controls how the animation instruction loops. It has three options available.


 * Contiguous: The animation plays one time.
 * Looping: The animation loops infinitely
 * Reversible Loop: The animation plays out, reverses, then plays again. This cycle repeats infinitely.

Interpolation
Interpolation is "a type of estimation, a method of constructing new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points", according to Wikipedia. In Koopatlas' case, this appears to control how the animation looks when playing. It, too, has three options available.


 * Linear: A straightforward and simple animation.
 * Sinusoidal: Smoother and quicker than linear.
 * Cosinoidial: About as smooth as Sinusoidal, but quicker than both.

Frame Len
The frame length is how long the animation takes to complete. It is a numerical value, so it can be as long or as short as you wish.

Type
This is the animation type, which controls how the doodad moves. There are six types of animations. How much they behave is controlled by the next two values.

Note: In case I didn't clarify it enough for you, these aren't for setting up how it looks, these are animated, so angle will make it rotate to that value, X/Y scale will make it scale to that size, etc.


 * X Position: The position the doodad is at on the X-axis (left - right).
 * Y Position: The position the doodad is at on the Y-axis (up - down).
 * Angle: The angle the doodad is at. 0 is upright, 90 is facing east, 180 is upside down, 270 is facing west, and 360 is a full rotation.
 * X Scale: The scale the doodad is at on the X-axis (left - right). 100 is default size.
 * Y Scale: The scale the doodad is at on the Y-axis (up - down). 100 is default size.
 * Opacity: How transparent the doodad is. 0 is completely invisible, 100 is completely opaque.

Start Value & End Value
These are similar enough to only use one section for it. Start Value is the value at the start of the animation, while End Value is the value at the end of the animation. So, if you want to make a doodad to stretch on the y-axis from 0.5x normal size up to 2x it's normal size, you would set the animation type to be, Start Value to be  , and End Value to be.

Delay & Delay Offset
These two work similarly, but have different uses. Delay will set a delay for that period of time at the beginning of every loop, if the animation is set to loop. Delay Offset, however, will only set a delay at the start of the first play of the animation, every loop after will have no delay.

Map Layers
This window controls your layers. It has five buttons in it. The first three with icons are,  , and. These add or remove layers. The next two buttons,  and , can rearrange the layers. Then there's the blue 'play' button, which plays the map animations. The higher layers display above the lower layers. This, like others, is a fully customizable window, meaning you can dock/undock it, resize it, put it as a tab along with the other tabs, but also close it completely.



In Koopatlas, maps are created with layers. These layers can be put in any order as you please. You can theoretically have as many layers as you wish, however the Wii cannot handle large amounts of layers, so don't use an entire layer for one tile or doodad please. There are three types of layers that Koopatlas Maps can have. Tile Layers, Doodad Layers, and one Paths Layer. The paths layer will be discussed in the Path/Nodes Settings + Layers section. These layers can be toggled on and off from visibility by using the checkmark boxes next to the title of the layer. Also be aware you can title your layers however you want, there are no restrictions.

Path/Node Settings + Layers
Note: This section details on the Path/Node Layers window, and everything about path nodes themselves.

This window controls path nodes and layers. There are three buttons,,  , and. The folders can be used to organize your paths, while Select Tileset allows you to select the tileset to paint on the path layers (you will likely want to choose a dirt path tileset). Each path layer can be hidden from view with the checkbox. Path layers that are higher on the list show higher than other paths. Just like all the others, it is a fully customizable window, meaning you can dock/undock it, resize it, put it as a tab along with the other tabs, but also close it completely.



Path Node Settings
There are 4 types of Path Nodes. They are described in detail below the image.


 * End Node
 * Level Node
 * Warp Node
 * World Change Node



The End Node is used for split paths and corners on your paths.

The Level Node is for levels. The number boxes is the level file it loads (example: 1 and 1 loads ), and the checkbox is whether or not it has a secret exit or not.

The Warp Node changed the map, when gone through. The file box is for what KPBIN file it will load (example: ), and the number box is for which Warp Node it will load into (the number of a warp node is on it). Also, the dropdown box has different fade out animations for you to choose.

The World Change Node is for changing a world without changing the entire map (example: NewerSMBW uses one of these to change from W2-W3, W4-W5, W6-W7, and W6-WE). The number box is for setting the World ID of the world you wish to change to, which can be set in the World Editor.

Path Node Movement Options
There are many different ways to move across paths in Koopatlas. When you click on a path, you can click on the Options button to reveal this menu with different movement options such as walking, running, jumping, swimming, entering pipes, and so on. You can also modify Mario's movement speed during these as well!



Path Node Unlock Conditions
When selecting a path, if you Ctrl-Click, you can open a window allowing you to modify the unlock criteria for that path. The box details how to make paths locked and keep them unlocked.



Drop-down Menus
The drop-down menus contain a huge amount of useful options, along with the hotkeys that you can use to call them. There are 7 different menus in Koopatlas.

Help
      

Set Background
The  window is a window that allows you to set what the areas without tiles on your maps will look like. You have to manually type in the filepath. A Koopatlas map background goes in Newer's  folder, and is a BRRES file. NewerSMBW comes with two backgrounds,, and. You cannot customize this window, it is separate from the main Koopatlas window.



World Editor
The World Editor allows modifying the name of the world, the song it plays, the colors of the menu, and the level the title screen uses when in this world. Below you can find descriptive info on these options. You cannot customize this window, it is separate from the main Koopatlas window.



There are two buttons in the window, Add and Remove. These buttons add or remove a row in the World Editor.

World Name
The name of the world. Still needs to be changed in the Level Info Editor as well.

World ID
The number of the world.

Track ID
The ID of the music track the world will play.

Note: The track ID is chosen from the name of the world map themes, which is always .


 * Track ID 0: Yoshi Drums
 * Track ID 1: Yoshi's Island
 * Track ID 2: Rubble Ruins (Desert World)
 * Track ID 3: Mushroom Peaks (Mountain World)
 * Track ID 4: Sakura Village
 * Track ID 5: Freezeflame Glacier
 * Track ID 6: Pumpkin Boneyard
 * Track ID 7: Sky Mountain
 * Track ID 8: Starry Skies (Space World)
 * Track ID 9: Koopa Planet
 * Track ID 10: Koopa Core
 * Track ID 11: Soggy Sewers
 * Track ID 12: Goldwood Forest (Autumn World)
 * Track ID 13: Mini-Mega Island
 * Track ID 14: Crystal Caves
 * Track ID 15: Freezeflame Volcano
 * Track ID 16: Bombard Cliffs
 * Track ID 17: Sky City
 * Track ID 18: Special World

Note: For the sections below, FS stands for File Select.

FS Text 1 & FS Text 2
A gradient between these two colors. Used on the File Select screen for the save file's text.

FS Hint 1 & FS Hint 2
A gradient between these two colors. Used on the File Select screen for the color of the save file.

HUD Text 1 & HUD Text 2
A gradient made between these two colors. Used for the text of the World Name on the in-game HUD for that world.

HUD Hue
The hue of the in-game HUD is the color.

HUD Saturation
The saturation, or intensity of the in-game HUD color.

HUD Lightness
The brightness of the in-game HUD color.

Title Level
The level the Title Screen uses when the file is saved in this world.



The File drop-down contains generic map handling options:
 * New : Creates a new map file.
 * Open... : Allows you to open any map file.
 * Open Recent : Non-functional; would allow for loading of recently opened maps.
 * Save : Saves the current map.
 * Save As... : Saves the current map in a new file.
 * Export... : Exports map file to KPBIN for NewerSMBW usage.
 * Batch... : Export multiple map files to KPBIN in one go.
 * Take Screenshot... : Takes a screenshot of the current map. You can choose between Current Screen, or Entire Map.
 * Export Doodads : Export the map's doodads to a folder.

The Edit drop-down contains several map editing options :
 * Cut : Cuts the currently selected elements.
 * Copy : Copies the currently selected elements to the clipboard.
 * Paste : Pastes the elements in the clipboard into the canvas.
 * Select All : Selects all elements on the selected layer.
 * Deselect : Deselects currently selected elements.

The Layers drop-down contains options for modifying and creating layers.
 * Add Tileset Layer : Adds a new tile layer to the map.
 * Add Doodad Layer : Adds a new doodad to the doodads window/tab.
 * Remove Layer : Removes the currently selected layer.
 * Move Layer Up : Moves the selected layer up one level.
 * Move Layer Down : Moves the selected layer down one level.
 * Move Layer to Top : Moves the selected layer to the top of the layer list.
 * Move Layer to Bottom : Moves the selected layer to the bottom of the layer list.
 * Add Doodad... : Toggles viewing of paths.
 * Add Tileset... : Opens a window for choosing an external tileset file, which will then be copied into Koopatlas'  folder.
 * Change Tileset... : Changes the tileset of the currently selected tile layer.

The Animate drop-down contains options for animating doodads.
 * Play Animations : Plays doodad animations on the map.
 * Reset Animations : Resets doodad animations to the first frame.
 * Load Animation Presets... : Opens a window where you can import a KPA file.
 * Save Animation Presets... : Saves animation presets to external KPA files.
 * Clear Animation Presets : Deletes all animation presets.

The Map drop-down contains options for editing worlds and the map background.
 * Set Background... : Opens a window where you can set the background of the map.
 * World Editor... : Opens the World Editor window.

The Window drop-down contains options for enabling resources to make your map easier to create, as well as zoom options.
 * Show Grid : Shows a grid on-screen to help you count tiles.
 * Zoom In : Zooms in on the canvas.
 * Zoom Out : Zooms out on the canvas.
 * Actual Size : Resets canvas zoom to default.
 * Show Wii Zoom : Displays red borders and guiding lines to help you envision how the map will look in-game.
 * Layers : Opens/Closes the Layers window. Note: The  window is not part of the layers window. If you close it, you will need to restart Koopatlas to reopen it
 * Objects : Opens/Closes the Objects window.
 * Doodads : Opens/Closes the Doodads window.

The Help drop-down contains options for information related to the editor and its usage.
 * About Koopatlas : Opens an information window about Koopatlas.
 * Koopatlas Dopcumentation : Opens a series of online webpages somewhat documenting how Koopatlas works.

This tutorial will help you understand how Koopatlas works, and will explain what the various buttons and options in the editor do.

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