Level Editor UI and Navigation
The in-game Level Editor is the primary authoring environment for Unturned™ custom maps. It is a development mode within the game client that exposes terrain sculpting tools, object placement workflows, spawn point configuration, and every gameplay-relevant editing feature that a map requires. The editor runs on the same engine as the game, which means that what the modder sees in the viewport is what players will see at runtime with the exception of editor-only overlay elements such as selection highlights, grid lines, and tool indicators.
This article covers the editor's user interface and navigation controls at the depth required for a modder who has completed project setup and needs to operate the editor efficiently. It documents every toolbar icon group, every panel region, every camera control, and the editor settings menu. The article does not cover terrain editing, object placement, or spawn table configuration; those topics are addressed in the subsequent articles in this series.
Prerequisites
- Unturned™ installed through Steam on the same computer. The Level Editor launches from the game client and cannot be run independently.
- A map project created through the editor following Custom Map Creation: Project Setup.
- Familiarity with basic WASD movement controls and mouse look, which transfer directly from gameplay to the editor viewport.
- A mouse with a scroll wheel. Several editor operations depend on scroll-wheel input that cannot be performed through keyboard shortcuts alone.
- A display resolution of at least 1280 by 720. The editor toolbar and panels are designed for a minimum horizontal resolution of 1280 pixels.
What you will learn
- How to launch the Level Editor from the main menu and from the command line.
- How to identify every toolbar icon, panel, and viewport element in the editor interface.
- How to navigate the editor viewport using keyboard, mouse, and scroll-wheel controls.
- How to adjust camera speed and understand the relationship between zoom level and movement speed.
- How to open, close, and arrange the editor panels (object browser, inspector, terrain panel, foliage panel).
- How to configure the editor settings menu including grid visibility, panel layout defaults, and performance options.
- How to diagnose and resolve the most common first-time navigation and UI issues.
Background: how the in-game Level Editor works
The Unturned™ Level Editor is a development mode within the game client that exposes authoring tools not available in normal gameplay. When the editor is launched, the game loads a map's terrain data, object placement data, and configuration files into memory and renders them in a viewport with an overlay toolbar. The editor runs on the same engine as the game, meaning the same rendering pipeline, the same physics system, and the same asset loading system.
The editor does not have an undo system for all operations. Heightmap sculpting strokes, object deletions, and terrain material changes are committed to the level file when the map is saved. The 57 Studios™ cohort recommendation is to save frequently and to maintain backup copies of the Level folder before making large-scale changes.
The editor operates on the map's file structure directly. When the modder places an object, the editor writes to Objects.dat. When the modder sculpts the terrain, the editor writes to the heightmap and splatmap files in Level/Terrain/. These files are the canonical representation of the level; the editor is a visual front-end for editing them.
As shown in the flowchart above, the editor reads the level data from disk, presents it in the viewport, and writes changes back to disk on save. There is no intermediate project file format; the saved state is always the on-disk state.
Launching the Level Editor
There are two methods for launching the Level Editor: through the main menu and through launch parameters for direct access.
Method 1: Launch from the main menu
This is the standard method used by most modders for day-to-day editing sessions.
Step 1: Launch Unturned™ from Steam and wait for the main menu to appear.
Step 2: Click the Play button on the main menu. The play mode selection screen opens.
Step 3: In the play mode selection screen, click Edit Level. The map selection dialog opens, displaying a list of available maps. The list includes vanilla maps shipped with the game and any custom maps found in the Maps/ folder under the Unturned™ user data directory.
Step 4: Select the target map from the list. The editor begins loading the selected map. A loading bar appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen showing the progress of terrain data loading, object deserialization, and asset bundle loading.
Step 5: Once loading reaches 100 percent, the editor viewport appears. The map is now ready for editing.
On-screen appearance: The loading screen displays the map name, a progress bar, and tip text. After loading, the main menu background is replaced by the editor viewport with the toolbar overlay at the top of the screen.
Method 2: Launch with command-line parameters
Direct launch bypasses the menu selection for experienced modders who know the exact map name.
Step 1: Open the Steam Library, right-click Unturned™, select Properties, and navigate to the General tab's Launch Options field.
Step 2: Enter the following launch parameter:
-editlevel=<MapName>Replace <MapName> with the exact folder name of the target map. For example, a map with the folder name MyCustomMap uses -editlevel=MyCustomMap.
Step 3: Launch Unturned™ through Steam. The game skips the main menu entirely and loads directly into the Level Editor viewport for the specified map.
Failure mode: If the map name is entered incorrectly, the game loads the main menu normally with no error message. The modder does not know whether the parameter was parsed and the map was not found, or whether the parameter was ignored entirely. The cohort recommendation is to verify the exact folder name matches the Maps/ directory listing before using launch parameters.
Failure mode: editor not opening
The most common first-time issue is that the Edit Level button does not appear in the Play menu, or clicking it does nothing. This occurs when Unturned™ is installed without the editor component, typically because the installation was done through the Unturned Dedicated Server tool rather than the full game client. The Level Editor is part of the full game client, not the dedicated server. Verify that Unturned™ is installed on the computer.
A second cause is a corrupted or missing editor asset bundle. If the editor UI assets are damaged or absent, the Edit Level option appears but clicking it produces no response. The fix is to verify the game files through Steam: right-click Unturned in the Steam Library, choose Properties, go to Installed Files, and click Verify integrity of game files.
Editor UI tour
The Level Editor interface consists of five principal regions: the viewport, the toolbar, the object browser panel, the inspector panel, and the status bar. Each region serves a distinct function in the editing workflow.
The viewport
The viewport occupies the majority of the screen and shows the map from the editor camera's current position and orientation. The viewport renders the terrain with all applied material layers, all placed objects, foliage, roads, water planes, and lighting. Editor-only overlays such as selection highlights, grid lines, and snap indicators are rendered on top of the game scene.
On-screen appearance: The viewport looks like the game running in first-person mode with an overlay toolbar at the top. Selected objects are outlined with a colored highlight. Grid lines appear when snap is enabled.
The toolbar
The toolbar is a horizontal bar at the top of the screen containing icon buttons grouped by function. The toolbar spans the full width of the screen and is always visible while the editor is active.
The toolbar groups and their icons are:
| Toolbar group | Icons | Function |
|---|---|---|
| File operations | Save, Load, New | Save the current level, load a different level, create a new level |
| Selection mode | Select, Move, Rotate, Scale | Switch between interaction modes for placed objects |
| Snap settings | Snap toggle, Snap value | Enable or disable grid snapping and set the snap increment |
| Viewport controls | Camera speed slider, Speed value | Adjust the camera movement speed |
| Terrain tools | Heightmap, Paint, Materials | Open the terrain editing sub-panels |
| Foliage tools | Foliage paint, Foliage erase | Open the foliage editing sub-panels |
| Road tools | Road place, Road select | Open the road editing sub-panels |
| Object tools | Object browser | Open the object browser panel |
On-screen appearance: The toolbar is rendered as a semi-transparent bar with monochrome icon buttons. Active tools are highlighted with a brighter color. Hovering over an icon shows a tooltip with the tool name and keyboard shortcut if one exists.
The object browser panel
The object browser panel is a dockable panel that lists every object available for placement on the map. The panel appears on the left side of the screen by default and can be resized or closed. The object browser is covered in detail in Object Browser and Inspector.
The inspector panel
The inspector panel shows the properties of the currently selected object, terrain tile, or spawn point. The panel appears on the right side of the screen by default and updates in real time as different objects are selected. The inspector panel is covered in detail in Object Browser and Inspector.
The status bar
The status bar is a thin strip at the bottom of the screen that displays contextual information about the current tool or selection. When no tool is active, the status bar shows the current camera position in world coordinates. When a selection tool is active, the status bar shows the number of selected objects and their combined bounding box dimensions. When a terrain brush is active, the status bar shows the brush size, strength, and the current height value at the brush cursor position.
On-screen appearance: The status bar is a single-line text strip at the bottom of the screen. The text updates in real time as the mouse moves or as tools are changed.
Camera navigation
The editor camera controls are similar to the game's third-person camera controls but with additional speed adjustment and zoom capabilities.
Keyboard and mouse controls
| Input | Camera behavior |
|---|---|
| W | Move forward in the camera's facing direction |
| S | Move backward in the camera's facing direction |
| A | Strafe left |
| D | Strafe right |
| Space | Move upward (gain altitude) |
| Left Shift | Move downward (lose altitude) |
| Mouse movement | Rotate camera pitch and yaw. Hold the right mouse button to enable mouse-look (the cursor is hidden and the camera follows mouse movement). |
| Scroll wheel | Zoom the camera in and out. Scrolling forward zooms in, scrolling backward zooms out. |
| Middle mouse button (hold and drag) | Pan the camera on the horizontal plane without changing its facing direction. |
Camera speed control
The camera speed slider is located in the Viewport controls group on the toolbar. The slider ranges from 1, the slowest setting, to 10, the fastest setting. The effective movement speed depends on the current zoom level. At maximum zoom-in the camera is always slow regardless of the speed setting. At maximum zoom-out the camera is always fast.
The default speed setting is 3, which is appropriate for navigating interior spaces and tight object clusters. For navigating large outdoor areas on a Medium or Large map, the cohort recommends increasing the speed to 7 or 8.
On-screen appearance: When the camera speed is changed, the toolbar displays the current numeric speed value next to the slider. There is no other visual indication of speed changes in the viewport.
Zoom behavior
Scrolling the mouse wheel zooms the camera toward or away from the point under the cursor. The zoom is not a discrete step function. It is a continuous blend between the camera's current position and the zoom target point. Zooming in all the way places the camera approximately one meter from the target point. Zooming out all the way places it approximately 500 meters away on a Medium map.
At maximum zoom-in, the camera enters a micro-positioning mode where movement keys produce very small displacements. This mode is useful for placing objects with precision near other objects.
Focus on selected object
Pressing F focuses the viewport camera on the currently selected object. The camera moves to center the selected object in the viewport at a distance appropriate for the object's size. This is useful for locating a selected object that is off-screen or for centering the viewport after a large camera movement. If no object is selected, pressing F has no effect.
Teleport command
The editor console supports a teleport command that moves the camera to absolute world coordinates. Open the console with the tilde key and enter:
teleport X Y ZReplace X, Y, and Z with the target coordinates. For example, teleport 0 10 0 moves the camera to the center of the map at a height of 10 units.
Failure mode: camera stuck or unresponsive
If the camera does not respond to WASD input, the most likely cause is that the editor viewport does not have keyboard focus. Click anywhere inside the viewport to restore focus. If the camera still does not respond, the right mouse button may be held in an unintended mouse-look mode. Release the right mouse button and press it again to reset the mouse-look state.
If the camera moves but in the wrong direction (strafe instead of forward, upward instead of backward), a modifier key may be stuck. Press each modifier key (Space, Shift) once to reset their states.
Failure mode: mouse cursor missing
When the right mouse button is held and the camera enters mouse-look mode, the cursor is hidden to prevent it from intersecting with the viewport rendering. Releasing the right mouse button restores the cursor. If the cursor is missing without the right mouse button being held, click the viewport once to restore focus, then press Esc to exit any active tool mode.
Editor panels and layout
The Level Editor supports four primary panels that can be opened, closed, resized, and repositioned. The panel layout persists between editor sessions for the same map.
Opening and closing panels
| Panel | Keyboard shortcut | Toolbar button | Default position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object browser | O | Object browser icon | Left side |
| Inspector | I | Inspector toggle icon | Right side |
| Terrain panel | T | Heightmap / Paint / Materials icons | Floating (docks to last position) |
| Foliage panel | F (not to be confused with focus) | Foliage paint / Foliage erase icons | Floating (docks to last position) |
| Level settings | L | Gear icon | Floating modal |
| Water panel | W | Water icon | Floating modal |
| Lighting panel | None | Lighting icon | Floating modal |
Resizing panels
Panels are resized by clicking and dragging the edge of the panel. The object browser and inspector panels can be widened to show more information or narrowed to allocate more screen space to the viewport. The minimum panel width is approximately 200 pixels. The maximum panel width is approximately half the screen width.
Panel docking behavior
Panels snap to the left or right edge of the screen when dragged near the edge. A panel snapped to the left edge occupies a vertical strip from the toolbar to the status bar. Multiple panels can be stacked on the same edge; they appear as tabbed sections within the same panel region.
On-screen appearance: When a panel is undocked, it floats above the viewport with a title bar showing the panel name. When docked, the panel is integrated into the screen edge with no title bar. Tabbed panels show the active tab name at the top of the docked region.
Failure mode: panel not visible
If a panel appears to be missing, the most likely cause is that it was closed in a previous session and the layout was saved without it. Press the panel's keyboard shortcut (O for object browser, I for inspector, T for terrain panel) to reopen it. If the panel opens but is positioned off-screen, reset the panel layout through the editor settings menu.
Editor settings menu
The editor settings menu is accessed through a gear icon located at the right end of the toolbar, distinct from the Level Settings gear icon. The editor settings menu configures the editor's behavior rather than the level's metadata.
Settings categories
| Category | Settings | Description |
|---|---|---|
| General | Language, Measurement units | Set the editor UI language and the unit display format (metric or imperial) |
| Viewport | Field of view, Render distance, Shadow distance | Configure the viewport rendering quality |
| Grid | Grid visibility, Grid color, Grid opacity | Configure the snap grid overlay appearance |
| Panels | Auto-hide panels, Panel transparency, Reset panel layout | Configure panel behavior and reset panel positions |
| Performance | Terrain LOD bias, Object culling distance, Foliage visibility | Configure editor performance settings |
| Controls | Camera sensitivity, Invert Y axis, Mouse smoothing | Configure camera control preferences |
Grid settings
The grid overlay is controlled through the Viewport settings category. The grid visibility toggle enables or disables the grid lines on the terrain surface. The grid color setting changes the color of the grid lines from the default white to any RGB color. The grid opacity setting controls the transparency of the grid lines from 0 (invisible) to 1 (fully opaque).
Performance settings
The editor performance settings control how much detail the viewport renders during editing sessions. Reducing the Terrain LOD bias value decreases the quality of distant terrain rendering but improves frame rate. Reducing the Object culling distance hides objects beyond the specified distance from the camera, improving frame rate in densely populated areas. Reducing the Foliage visibility distance hides foliage beyond the specified distance.
The cohort recommendation for performance settings on a system with less than 8 GB of RAM is to set Terrain LOD bias to 0.5, Object culling distance to 200, and Foliage visibility to 100.
Failure mode: editor runs slowly
If the editor viewport updates at a low frame rate during navigation or editing, the most common cause is that the performance settings are configured for maximum quality rather than balanced performance. Open the editor settings menu, navigate to the Performance category, and reduce the Terrain LOD bias, Object culling distance, and Foliage visibility settings as recommended above.
A second cause is that the map is Large or Insane size and the system does not have sufficient memory to render the full terrain and object set at the current quality settings. Reduce the viewport render distance in the Viewport settings category and close any panels that are not actively needed.
Viewport rendering modes
The editor supports three viewport rendering modes that control how the terrain and objects are displayed.
Shaded mode
Shaded mode is the default rendering mode. The viewport shows the terrain, objects, and foliage with full lighting, material textures, and shadow rendering. This mode provides the most accurate preview of the map's in-game appearance.
Wireframe mode
Wireframe mode renders the terrain and object meshes as wireframe overlays. This mode is useful for inspecting mesh topology, detecting hidden geometry, and identifying z-fighting between adjacent surfaces.
Collider mode
Collider mode renders the collision geometry of terrain tiles and objects as colored overlays. This mode is useful for verifying that collision volumes match the visual mesh and for detecting gaps in collision coverage where players or items could fall through the world.
Switching rendering modes
Rendering modes are switched through a dropdown in the Viewport settings category of the editor settings menu. The current rendering mode is displayed in the status bar.
On-screen appearance: In wireframe mode, the terrain and objects appear as a network of lines with no solid surfaces. In collider mode, collision volumes are overlaid in green (terrain), blue (static objects), and red (dynamic objects).
Understanding the coordinate system
The editor uses a left-handed coordinate system where the X axis runs east-west, the Z axis runs north-south, and the Y axis runs vertical (up is positive Y, down is negative Y). The world origin is at coordinate 0, 0, 0, which is typically located at the center of the map.
Coordinate display
The current camera position in world coordinates is displayed in the status bar when no tool is active. The format is:
Camera: X: 125.4 Y: 35.2 Z: -68.7When an object is selected, the inspector panel displays the object's position in the same coordinate system.
Map boundaries
The map boundary is defined by the map size selected at creation. The boundary extends from negative to positive values in X and Z. For a Medium map, the boundary extends approximately 2048 units in each direction from the center. The camera cannot move beyond the map boundary in the editor. Objects placed at the boundary edge show a red tint on the placement preview.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Edit Level button missing from my Play menu?
The Edit Level button is only available in the full Unturned game client, not in the Unturned Dedicated Server installation. Verify that you have installed Unturned from Steam and not Unturned Dedicated Server. If the full client is installed and the button is still missing, verify the game files through Steam to repair any corrupted editor assets.
How do I reset the editor panel layout to the default?
Open the editor settings menu by clicking the gear icon at the right end of the toolbar. Navigate to the Panels category and click the Reset Panel Layout button. The object browser panel returns to the left side, the inspector panel returns to the right side, and all floating panels are closed.
What does the F key do in the editor?
The F key focuses the viewport camera on the currently selected object. The camera moves to center the selected object in the viewport at a distance appropriate for the object's size. If no object is selected, pressing F has no effect.
Can I change the editor camera speed while zoomed in?
Yes. The camera speed slider works independently of the zoom level, but the effective movement speed is always reduced at maximum zoom-in regardless of the slider setting. If you need fine positioning at a specific location, zoom in fully and use the micro-positioning mode that activates automatically at maximum zoom.
How do I move the camera up and down in the editor?
Press Space to move the camera upward (gain altitude). Press Left Shift to move the camera downward (lose altitude). The movement speed for vertical movement is the same as horizontal movement at the current camera speed setting.
Why does my mouse cursor disappear when I enter the editor viewport?
This is normal behavior when the right mouse button is held and the camera enters mouse-look mode. The cursor is hidden to prevent it from intersecting with the viewport rendering. Releasing the right mouse button restores the cursor. If the cursor is missing without the right mouse button being held, click the viewport once to restore focus, then press Esc to exit any active tool mode.
Can I use the editor with a controller or gamepad?
No. The Level Editor only supports keyboard and mouse input. All operations require a mouse for brush strokes, selection, and tool activation. Gamepad input is not recognized by the editor interface.
How do I know what map size I am editing?
The map size is displayed in the Level Settings panel, which is opened by pressing L or clicking the gear icon in the File operations group on the toolbar. The Size field shows the map size preset. The status bar also displays the map name when the editor first loads.
What is the difference between the editor camera and the game camera?
The editor camera supports speed adjustment, zoom, and free-flight movement through terrain boundaries. The game camera is constrained to the player character's position and orientation. The editor camera can move through terrain and objects without collision, while the game camera respects collision boundaries.
### Why do some toolbar icons appear grayed out?
Toolbar icons that are grayed out are not available in the current editor context. For example, the terrain editing icons are grayed out when no terrain tile is selected. The object browser icon is grayed out when the browser is already open. Click on a terrain tile or close the object browser to restore the corresponding toolbar icons to their active state.
How do I enable or disable the grid overlay in the viewport?
The grid overlay visibility is controlled through the editor settings menu. Click the gear icon at the right end of the toolbar, navigate to the Grid category, and toggle the Grid visibility checkbox. The grid opacity and color settings in the same category allow further customization of the grid appearance.
Why does the status bar show incorrect position values?
If the status bar displays position values that do not match the object's actual position in the inspector panel, the status bar may be displaying the camera position rather than the selected object's position. Click on the terrain to deselect all objects. The status bar then shows the camera position. Select an object to confirm the status bar switches to showing the object position.
Can I change the field of view of the editor camera?
Yes. Open the editor settings menu and navigate to the Viewport category. The Field of view setting controls the camera's horizontal field of view in degrees. The default value is 90 degrees. Reducing the field of view to 60 degrees produces a zoomed-in perspective useful for inspecting objects at a distance. Increasing the field of view to 120 degrees provides a wider perspective useful for overview navigation.
How do I quickly return to the map center after navigating away?
Use the teleport console command. Open the console with the tilde key and enter teleport 0 10 0. This moves the camera to the center of the map at a height of 10 units. Alternatively, place a temporary object at the map center and press F to focus on it when needed.
Why does the editor toolbar appear blurry or low resolution?
The toolbar icons are rendered at the game's display resolution. If the display resolution is set below 1280 by 720 pixels, the toolbar icons may appear blurry because the editor UI is designed for a minimum resolution of 1280 by 720. Increase the display resolution in the game's graphics settings to improve toolbar clarity.
Why does the viewport go black when I open a Large map?
A black viewport after loading a Large map typically indicates that the system's GPU does not have sufficient video memory to render the full terrain and object set at the current quality settings. Reduce the render distance and shadow distance in the editor settings menu, then reload the map. If the issue persists, close other GPU-intensive applications before opening the editor.
Rendering mode limitations
Wireframe mode does not show material textures or lighting. Collider mode does not show the visual mesh. To inspect the complete state of a placed object, switch between rendering modes and compare the wireframe, collider, and shaded views. Discrepancies between the visual mesh and the collision volume are easiest to detect in this comparison.
Failure mode: rendering mode switch has no effect
If switching between rendering modes produces no visible change in the viewport, the most likely cause is that the editor viewport is in a degraded rendering state due to low performance settings. Increase the Terrain LOD bias or render distance in the editor settings menu, then switch modes again. If the issue persists, restart the editor and reload the map.
Understanding the coordinate system
- Save the map before every significant navigation or viewport operation. The editor has no universal undo function.
- Adjust the camera speed based on the current task. Use slow speed (2-4) for interior work and fast speed (7-10) for outdoor navigation.
- Use the F key to focus on selected objects rather than manually navigating to them. This is faster than scrolling and panning.
- Keep the editor console open (press tilde) during sessions that involve new or unverified assets. Console error messages are the fastest way to identify problems.
- Reset the panel layout when panels become disorganized rather than manually repositioning each panel.
- Close panels that are not actively needed to allocate more viewport space for the current task.
- Test rendering modes (shaded, wireframe, collider) during object placement to verify that placed objects have correct collision geometry.
- Keep a backup of the Level folder from the previous session before making large-scale changes that require extensive camera navigation across the map.
Advanced considerations
Multi-monitor setups
The Level Editor spans a single monitor and does not support splitting panels across multiple displays. On a multi-monitor setup, run the editor on the monitor with the highest resolution and use the secondary monitor for reference materials, file management, or console output.
Editor console commands for navigation
The editor console supports several commands that supplement the camera navigation controls:
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
teleport X Y Z | Moves the camera to the specified world coordinates |
help | Lists all available console commands |
debug | Toggles debug visualization overlays |
Map boundary visualization
The map boundary is not rendered by default in the editor viewport. To visualize the boundary during terrain editing, place temporary marker objects at the four corners of the map and delete them before final export. The boundary is the same as the terrain tile extent, which is visible as the edge of the terrain mesh.
Appendix A: Complete keyboard shortcut reference
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| W | Move camera forward |
| S | Move camera backward |
| A | Strafe camera left |
| D | Strafe camera right |
| Space | Move camera upward |
| Left Shift | Move camera downward |
| Right mouse button (hold) | Enable mouse-look camera rotation |
| Scroll wheel | Zoom camera in and out |
| Middle mouse button (hold and drag) | Pan camera on horizontal plane |
| F | Focus camera on selected object |
| Tilde (~) | Open editor console |
| O | Toggle object browser panel |
| I | Toggle inspector panel |
| T | Toggle terrain panel |
| L | Open level settings panel |
| Ctrl+S | Save the current level |
| Esc | Exit current tool mode or close dialog |
Appendix B: Diagnostic table for UI and navigation issues
| Symptom | Root cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Editor does not launch; Edit Level button is missing | Unturned Dedicated Server installed instead of full game client | Install the full Unturned game client through Steam |
| Editor launches but viewport shows a black screen | GPU driver issue or Unity rendering backend mismatch | Update GPU drivers. If the issue persists, add -force-glcore to the Steam launch options |
| Camera does not respond to WASD input | Viewport does not have keyboard focus | Click anywhere inside the viewport to restore focus |
| Camera moves in the wrong direction | Modifier key stuck or keyboard layout issue | Press each modifier key (Space, Shift) once. Verify the keyboard layout is set to QWERTY |
| Mouse cursor is missing | Right mouse button is held in mouse-look mode | Release the right mouse button and press it again to reset |
| Panel is not visible or appears off-screen | Panel was closed or layout was saved with panel off-screen | Press the panel's keyboard shortcut to reopen it. Reset panel layout through editor settings |
| Editor runs slowly on a Large map | Performance settings are configured for maximum quality | Reduce Terrain LOD bias, Object culling distance, and Foliage visibility in performance settings |
| Viewport shows flat gray terrain with no objects | Level.dat file is missing required fields | Open Level.dat in a text editor and verify Name, Size, GUID, and Version fields are present |
| Map does not appear in the map selection list | Map folder name contains spaces or special characters | Rename the folder to use only alphanumeric characters and underscores |
| Save button produces no response | Save operation is blocked by an ongoing process | Wait for the ongoing process to finish. Restart the editor if the button remains unresponsive |
Appendix C: External references
- Smartly Dressed Games official modding documentation - the authoritative reference for Level Editor controls and configuration fields.
- Unturned on Steam - the Unturned store page and community hub.
- Custom Map Creation: Project Setup - the prerequisite article covering map creation and initial configuration.
Editor console for advanced users
The editor console provides command-line access to editor functions that are not exposed through the toolbar or panels. Open the console with the tilde key. The console accepts text commands and displays output in a scrollable log. The console remains open while typing commands and can be dismissed by pressing the tilde key again.
Useful console commands for UI and navigation:
| Command | Arguments | Effect |
|---|---|---|
help | None | Lists all available console commands with brief descriptions |
save | None | Saves the current level (equivalent to Ctrl+S) |
teleport | X Y Z | Moves the editor camera to the specified world coordinates |
debug | None | Toggles debug visualization overlays including colliders, navmesh, and spawn volumes |
getpos | None | Prints the current camera position to the console output |
The console output persists for the current editor session. Console output from previous commands can be scrolled through using the Page Up and Page Down keys.
Cross-references
- Editor Tools and Snapping - the next article in this series; covers select, move, rotate, and scale tools with snap controls.
- Object Browser and Inspector - the third article in this series; covers the object browser panel and inspector panel in depth.
- Level File Management - the fourth article in this series; covers save format, auto-save, file locations, and backup recovery.
- Terrain Heightmap Editing - the fifth article in this series; covers the terrain sculpting brushes.
- Custom Map Creation: Project Setup - the prerequisite article for creating a map project before opening it in the editor.
Authoring checklist
Before concluding that the editor UI and navigation are fully understood for a given map project, confirm the following:
- [ ] The editor can be launched from the main menu and from the command line
- [ ] All toolbar icon groups are identified by function
- [ ] Camera controls (WASD, mouse-look, scroll zoom, middle-mouse pan) are operational
- [ ] Camera speed is adjusted appropriately for the current task
- [ ] The F key focus function works on selected objects
- [ ] The teleport console command can move the camera to specific coordinates
- [ ] All panels (object browser, inspector, terrain, foliage) can be opened and closed
- [ ] The panel layout can be reset to default
- [ ] Editor settings are configured for balanced performance on the current system
- [ ] Rendering modes (shaded, wireframe, collider) are accessible and functional
- [ ] The map loads and renders correctly in the viewport
- [ ] The coordinate system is understood and coordinates can be read from the status bar
Document history
| Version | Date | Author | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2026-07-26 | 57 Studios | Initial publication. Split from Level Editor Fundamentals into standalone depth treatment. |