La-Fabrik/docs/user/editor.md

Editor User Guide

The map editor is available at /editor. It is a browser-based tool for editing the runtime map, cinematic manifest, dialogue manifest, and SRT subtitle files without manually jumping between JSON and subtitle files.

Purpose

Use the editor when you need to:

• move, rotate, scale, add, or delete objects from public/map.json
• inspect the raw JSON generated by the editor
• preview and edit cinematics from public/cinematics.json
• create, preview, and validate dialogue entries from public/sounds/dialogue/dialogues.json
• edit FR/EN SRT subtitle files per voice

The map editor reads the same map data as the runtime scene:

• public/map.json contains the current hierarchical runtime map.
• public/models/{name}/model.glb contains the matching 3D model for each object name. model.gltf is still supported as a fallback during migration.
• Missing models are displayed as gray fallback cubes, so incomplete maps remain editable.

Map Node Format

public/map.json is hierarchical. Group nodes such as Scene, blocking, vegetation, or agriculture organize the map. Editable object nodes still use the same transform fields:

Field	Description
name	Model folder name in public/models/{name}
type	Object category
position	Object position as [x, y, z]
rotation	Object rotation as [x, y, z], expressed radians
scale	Object scale as [x, y, z]

Panel Layout

The right panel is split into dropdown groups:

• Editor: map transform tools, shortcuts, selection, view mode, JSON preview, and file actions.
• Cinematics: editor for public/cinematics.json.
• Dialogues: editor for public/sounds/dialogue/dialogues.json.
• SRT: editor for subtitle files in public/sounds/dialogue/subtitles/.

Only the Editor group is open by default. Open the other groups when you need audio or cinematic tooling.

Map Editing Workflow

1. Open /editor in the local app.
2. Click an object in the scene to select it.
3. Choose a transform mode: translate, rotate, or scale.
4. Drag the transform gizmo in the 3D view.
5. Keep Snap terrain on move enabled when placing objects on the terrain.
6. Use Center on object or Reset camera from the View section when navigating large maps.
7. Adjust scale numerically from the Selection section if the gizmo is not precise enough.
8. Check the JSON inspector if you need exact values.
9. Use undo or redo if the transform is not correct.
10. Export the JSON or save it to the dev server.

Adding And Deleting Nodes

Use Add Node to create a new editable object under the blocking group.

• The new object starts as a fallback cube at [0, 0, 0].
• Name it with the model folder name you want, for example maison1.
• If public/models/{name}/model.glb or model.gltf exists, saving and reloading will display the matching model.
• If no matching model exists, the node stays editable as a gray cube.

Use the trash button in Selection to delete the selected node from the map tree.

Controls

Action	Input
Select object	Click object
Deselect	Esc or click empty space
Lock selection	Lock button in Selection
Clear selection	X button in Selection
Translate mode	T
Rotate mode	R
Scale mode	S
Undo	Ctrl+Z
Redo	Ctrl+Y
Locked view movement	WASD, ZQSD, arrows
Move up	Space
Move down	Shift

Selection

The Selection section shows the selected object name and its index in public/map.json.

• Click an object to select it.
• Click empty space or press Esc to clear the selection.
• Use the X button to clear the selection explicitly.
• Use the Lock button to protect the current selection while editing.
• Use the scale fields to edit X/Y/Z scale precisely.
• Use the trash button to remove the selected object.

Terrain Snapping

Snap terrain on move is enabled by default. When you move an object, the editor samples the terrain height at the object's X/Z position and updates its Y position.

This is intended for map objects that should sit on the ground. Disable it when you intentionally need a floating object.

Lock terrain is also enabled by default. The terrain stays visible, but terrain clicks are ignored so normal objects remain easier to select. Disable it only when you need to select or transform the terrain node itself.

When selection is locked:

• clicking another object does not change the selection
• clicking empty space does not clear the selection
• pressing Esc does not clear the selection
• the X button still clears the selection intentionally

View Mode

The Lock view action switches the editor into a movement mode closer to the runtime player camera. Use it to navigate larger scenes while keeping the transform tools available.

The camera action switches between Center on object and Reset camera. Selecting an object also focuses the camera on that object automatically.

JSON Inspector

The JSON section shows the editable node data:

• When no object is selected, it shows the full map node list.
• When an object is selected, it highlights the JSON lines for that object.

Use it to verify exact numeric transform values before saving or exporting. The JSON inspector is read-only; transform values are changed through the gizmo in the scene.

Saving Changes

Export JSON

Export JSON downloads the current hierarchical map tree as map.json. Use this when you want to manually replace public/map.json.

Save To Server

Save to server is available only during local development. It writes the edited hierarchical map back to public/map.json through the Vite dev-server endpoint.

The button is hidden in production builds because production persistence is not implemented.

Editing Dialogue Subtitles

The side panel includes two separate audio text tools:

• Dialogues edits the dialogue manifest, which links dialogue IDs to audio files and SRT cue indexes.
• SRT edits the actual subtitle text and cue timings.

The important model is: one dialogue entry points to one cue inside one SRT file. The SRT file is grouped by voice and language, not by dialogue.

Dialogue Manifest

Use the Dialogues panel to edit public/sounds/dialogue/dialogues.json without opening the JSON file manually.

Each dialogue entry contains:

Field	Meaning
id	Unique dialogue ID used by cinematics and runtime triggers
voice	Voice file group: narrateur, fermier, or electricienne
audio	Runtime audio path, usually under /sounds/dialogue/
subtitleCueIndex	Cue number inside the selected voice/language SRT file
timecode	Optional global runtime trigger time, in seconds from scene start

Available actions:

• Reload reloads the manifest from disk.
• Add creates a local dialogue entry for the current voice and assigns the next available SRT cue index.
• Save writes the manifest through the local Vite dev server.
• Preview dialogue plays the selected dialogue and shows subtitles in the editor overlay.
• Create FR SRT cue creates the matching French SRT cue if it is missing.
• Delete dialogue removes the selected entry locally.

After using Add, save the manifest to keep the new dialogue entry. The generated SRT cue is written immediately to the French SRT file, but the dialogue manifest is still only local until Save is clicked.

New dialogue audio paths start as placeholders such as /sounds/dialogue/new_dialogue_24.mp3. Replace them with real MP3 paths before validating the final asset set.

Recommended workflow for a new dialogue:

1. Open Dialogues.
2. Click Add.
3. Choose the correct voice.
4. Replace the generated id with a readable stable ID.
5. Replace the placeholder audio path with the real MP3 path.
6. Check the generated subtitleCueIndex.
7. Click Create FR SRT cue if the cue does not exist yet.
8. Click Save.
9. Open SRT, edit the cue text and timings, then save the SRT file.
10. Run Validate from the SRT panel.

SRT Editor

Use the SRT panel to edit one subtitle file at a time.

1. Choose a voice: narrateur, fermier, or electricienne.
2. Choose a language: FR or EN.
3. Edit the SRT text directly in the textarea.
4. Use the audio preview to check the selected dialogue.
5. Use Set start, Set end, -100ms, and +100ms to adjust the selected cue timing against the audio.
6. Use Save SRT during local development, or Export SRT to download the file manually.

Each SRT file belongs to one voice, not one dialogue. Cue indexes must match the subtitleCueIndex values referenced by the dialogue manifest.

SRT timings are relative to the dialogue audio file, not to the global game timeline and not to the cinematic timeline. For example, 00:00:01,000 means one second after that dialogue audio starts.

Validating Dialogue Assets

Use Validate in the SRT panel to check the dialogue manifest and linked assets.

The validation checks:

• public/sounds/dialogue/dialogues.json
• referenced dialogue audio files
• French SRT files
• subtitle cue indexes referenced by the manifest

Missing English SRT files are warnings, not errors, because the runtime falls back to French subtitles. This is intentional until the English translation workflow is ready.

Editing Cinematics

Use the Cinematics panel to edit public/cinematics.json.

Each cinematic contains:

• an id
• an optional global timecode
• two or more camera keyframes
• optional dialogue cues synchronized to the cinematic timeline

Camera keyframes define:

• time: seconds relative to the cinematic start
• position: camera position [x, y, z]
• target: point the camera looks at [x, y, z]

Dialogue cues define:

• time: seconds relative to the cinematic start
• dialogueId: an entry from public/sounds/dialogue/dialogues.json

Recommended workflow for a cinematic:

1. Open Cinematics.
2. Select an existing cinematic or click Add.
3. Set a stable id.
4. Add or adjust camera keyframes.
5. Keep keyframe time values increasing from start to end.
6. Add dialogue cues when a dialogue must start during the camera sequence.
7. Click Preview cinematic to test the camera path in the editor canvas.
8. Click Save when the manifest is correct.

Available actions:

• Reload reloads the cinematic manifest from disk.
• Add creates a new local cinematic with two camera keyframes.
• Save writes public/cinematics.json through the local Vite dev server.
• Preview cinematic plays the selected camera animation in the editor canvas.
• Add keyframe and Remove edit the camera path.
• Add dialogue and Remove edit dialogue cues linked to the cinematic.
• Delete cinematic removes the selected cinematic locally.

Cinematic dialogue cues are the preferred way to synchronize a dialogue with a cinematic. Avoid also giving the same dialogue a global timecode, or it can be triggered twice.

Use dialogueCues when the dialogue belongs to a cinematic. Use a dialogue timecode only for simple global scene timing outside a cinematic.

Current Limitations

• The editor only modifies existing nodes.
• It does not create or delete objects.
• It does not edit model files or textures.
• It does not provide production persistence.
• Fallback cubes indicate missing models; they are editor placeholders, not exported assets.
• SRT saving is a local Vite dev-server helper, not a production backend feature.
• Dialogue and cinematic saves are local Vite dev-server helpers, not production backend features.