TaleWeaverLite Guide
We have included some example assets so you can test everything is working.
First, let's set the name. We are going to use "Hacker"
First, let's set the name. We are going to use "Hacker"
You can add tags to your mini by clicking the "Add Tags" button. This will open an extra window with the Tag Questionnaire where you'll see a bunch of questions about your creature. Answering them will add a number of tags corresponding to your answers leading to a consistent base set of tags.
Once done you can also add more tags manually and even create new custom tags.
Once done you can also add more tags manually and even create new custom tags.
Then, you need to specify some info about your model. This allows users to filter search results to their liking. Since we're using the "Hacker" example asset, all the questions can be answered with "No"
Next, we set the mesh and the three textures.
We are going to leave the "Add paint wash" box ticked. This applies an effect that is intended to make the creature look more like a miniature. Right now, it's rather basic, but any improvements to the effect will be automatically applied to creatures that use this setting without you having to re-export them.
We are going to leave the "Add paint wash" box ticked. This applies an effect that is intended to make the creature look more like a miniature. Right now, it's rather basic, but any improvements to the effect will be automatically applied to creatures that use this setting without you having to re-export them.
Next up, we will slightly adjust the rotation as the stance doesn't feel quite right to me.
We can get to the rotate tool in a couple of ways.
You can click the creature and then click the rotate tool icon on the left.
Or, you can click the "Focus creature for rotation" button in the "Creature Mod" panel.
Once you have the creature focused, you can rotate it using the gizmo or tweak the angle values themselves in the inspector on the right.
We can get to the rotate tool in a couple of ways.
You can click the creature and then click the rotate tool icon on the left.
Or, you can click the "Focus creature for rotation" button in the "Creature Mod" panel.
Once you have the creature focused, you can rotate it using the gizmo or tweak the angle values themselves in the inspector on the right.
Next, we'll set the size.
In TaleWeaverLite, we set up how the creature will look when the scale is set to one.
You can then set the "Default Scale," which tells TaleSpire what scale to apply when a creature is first added to the board.
To adjust the size, you can:
- click the creature and then click the scale tool
- click the "Focus creature for scaling" button
- click the creature and tweak the scale in the Transform in the Inspector panel
Picking a creature's size is usually a matter of feel, not precision.
To help you pick a size, you can tick "Show creatures for scale" to see a range of creatures and get an idea of the size that would make sense for you. All of the example creatures shown have a scale of one.
Please note that the preview is not affected by the "default scale."
In TaleWeaverLite, we set up how the creature will look when the scale is set to one.
You can then set the "Default Scale," which tells TaleSpire what scale to apply when a creature is first added to the board.
To adjust the size, you can:
- click the creature and then click the scale tool
- click the "Focus creature for scaling" button
- click the creature and tweak the scale in the Transform in the Inspector panel
Picking a creature's size is usually a matter of feel, not precision.
To help you pick a size, you can tick "Show creatures for scale" to see a range of creatures and get an idea of the size that would make sense for you. All of the example creatures shown have a scale of one.
Please note that the preview is not affected by the "default scale."
TaleSpire needs to know a few key points on your creature. It uses these when doing things like spawning spell animations, status effects and positioning the torch.
One by one, click the "Select X Target" buttons and position the targets according to the instructions.
One by one, click the "Select X Target" buttons and position the targets according to the instructions.
Lastly, we set up the camera position and rotation for the thumbnail and "photo."
The thumbnail is a small image used by TaleSpire. Try to frame the thumbnail so it is understandable in the small preview. This will help when it is used in-game.
The photo is a larger image that is saved alongside your mod file. It is likely to be helpful when uploading your mod to an online repository.
The thumbnail is a small image used by TaleSpire. Try to frame the thumbnail so it is understandable in the small preview. This will help when it is used in-game.
The photo is a larger image that is saved alongside your mod file. It is likely to be helpful when uploading your mod to an online repository.
Now we can save and we have a creature mod!
Publishing
Now that we have a finished creature mod, we can get to publishing it to mod.io
Next to the "Save" button there is a "Publish" button. Clicking it opens the built-in Publisher - the first time you do this, you'll have to log in with your mod.io account by following the steps outlined in the log-in form.
Once logged in, we can fill in all the details about the mini. Name, Summary and a Logo are required, the rest are optional.
The name is pre-populated with the name, the logo uses the "Photo Camera" image we set before in the creature creation process by default.
If we're happy with the data we entered, we can press "Upload" at the bottom which will upload your mini to mod.io.
The name is pre-populated with the name, the logo uses the "Photo Camera" image we set before in the creature creation process by default.
If we're happy with the data we entered, we can press "Upload" at the bottom which will upload your mini to mod.io.
At this point the publisher will switch to edit mode, allowing you to edit your now uploaded mini. TaleWeaverLite will remember minis you have uploaded with it and show you this update UI even after closing and reopening if you load the same mini again.
If it ever fails to remember a mini, or you installed it on a new machine, you can also tell it to update a specific already updated mini by copying the URL to the mod page in the "Link" entry at the top of the Publisher.
If it ever fails to remember a mini, or you installed it on a new machine, you can also tell it to update a specific already updated mini by copying the URL to the mod page in the "Link" entry at the top of the Publisher.