Visual Pinball > VP Tools

So, you want to be an author...... here's how.

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Itchigo:
Making a Vp Table, Part 1: Layout

Start by making a general layout. Whether you do this on the fly or from an idea, or drawing, it doesn't matter. I would advise starting with a template if you haven't done this before as they usually have everything coded into them as a start. For our purposes here, we'll be using my own template (Itchigo's 1 Player no bonus EM).

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Start by dragging whatever objects you need/want to their positions. Click on an object in the editor and drag it to it's position. (Flipper, Ramp, Bumper, etc).
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Moving objects: If you have a single object, you can leftclick on it and hold, then drag it to it's new position. To move a wall or target click on it and leftclick and drag to move it- do not drag it by a control point! If you do accidentally hit Edit/undo. The object/control point will return to it's previous place. If you have an object with many walls and many control points you can do this several ways.

1. If you're going a short distance you can:
Hit Magnify (Upper left) this may magnify the picture enough to grab onto it without hitting a control point. Notes about Magnifying, you have to hit select after reaching proper magnification. The more you magnify the slower the program is to react, making exact placement very difficult. Leftclick to magnify more, and rightclick to demagnify, then hit select. When you magnify/demagnify you want to click where you want magnified. That will be the centerpoint of the screen.

2. If magnifying doesn't work for you don't despair. Use your leftclick and drag, "draw a box" around the object. Assuming the object isn't "Locked" in place you can move it highlighted by the arrow keys on your keyboard.
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3. Add an object you can drag, such as a target, wall, or trigger. Draw a box around that and drag everything by the target, wall, or trigger. Then delete the target or trigger when done. I always keep a spare drop target or wall for this purpose on the side.
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Deleting objects: You can delete objects by hitting edit/delete, or you can click on it- it will highlight, then press delete on the keyboard.

Locking objects: When an object is locked you can't drag it. This is useful to keep from accidentally moving things. There is also another use for locking. Only items that are unlocked will move. So if you have an item you want to move but don't want to magnify, lock the items around the one you want to move, leaving that one unlocked. Draw a box around everything and only the unlocked items will move- the rest will stay in place. You can then move them with the arrow keys or mouse.

To lock or unlock an object: Rightclick on it and select unlock/lock. If you highlight a group of objects that some are locked and some aren't, you have to unlock them all, to relock them all. Locked items are highlighted in grey, while unlocked items are highlighted in blue.
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Options: Always have options clicked. (Upper left)
What this will do is whenever you select an object, it will display the properties of that object.

Walls: Think of walls like blocks. They can be stacked if necessary. Two walls, one 50 high and one 25 high, will look like one wall, given the same image.

Things to know with walls are: Has hit event- If you plan on doing anything when this wall is hit, you need this checked. If it's a decorative wall and doesn't do anything, unchecking is fine.

Can drop: Are you planning to drop this wall, like a target? Check this box. Unchecked and calling it in the script will give a "Null" error.

Collidable: Check this will make the wall a solid object the ball will bounce off of. Unchecked and the ball will pass through this object.

Slingshoting walls: Say you want to make a slingshot. Rightclick a control point and select "Slingshot". About slingshoted walls- you need different coding for slingshots as VP DOES NOT recognize a hit on the slingshoted side. Slingshot_Hit, does not work. Slingshot_Slingshot does. See my walls and lights tutorial on Youtube for more info on walls and lights.

To shape walls: Stretch a control point, or to add a point rightclick the wall where you want it and hit "add point". This will create an extra control point to shape your object. You may have to do this many times for complex shapes. When rightclicking you may have noticed the "smooth" option. Use that to make rounded shapes.

Itchigo:
Lights: Lights are shaped the same way as walls. You need to select "Custom" for the light to be able to shape it. Important note: You need a "Custom" light to show an image. A stock light will only light up, and you will need a decal for the numbers. A custom light will show a full image of whatever you want. You also need to select the surface the light is display on. If you want it on the lower playfield, you have to select that from the dropdown. If nothing is selected, the default is the main playfield.
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faralos:
another way to select a large grouping of objects
 is to hold down the key while clicking on each one
 they ALL will stay highlighted as selected objects
 then just moving one will move the entire selected bunch at the same time
 you can also erase control points  or objects the same way
If you have too many control points hold down while selecting the ones you DON'T want
 then 'delete' them as a batch using the delete function in the editor
doing it this way also lets you select objects that may not be next to each other
 but may be across the play field

DeeGor:
Nice info Itch

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