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# Brushbuilders

Brushbuilders are tools which forge the red builder brush into basic shapes. They are the 3rd group of buttons in the UnrealEd toolbox. Coders that want to understand or make new ones should see the class definition of BrushBuilder.

## Brushbuilders interface

To apply the shape to the red builder brush, either:

- Click a button to forge the red builder brush with the default shape and dimensions.
- Right-click a button to open the floating Brushbuilder parameters window.

### Parameters

Numeric parameters accept a mathematical expression, for example "=64+128" or "=4*(256+128)".

Operator | Description
`*` | Multiplication
`/` | Division
`+` | Addition
`-` | Subtraction
`()` | Grouping, for example: `=(128+64)/2` yields `96`

Parameters with a mini drop-down menu (true/false and enumeration?s) can be advanced to the next option by double-clicking the parameter name or the value box.

Each brushbuilder remembers its own parameters throughout the UnrealEd session

If shapes seem distorted or rotated, check the red builder brush for brush transformation; do transform permanently to quickly cure this.

## Default Builders

### Cube

Creates cubes and box shapes in general.

Default: 256x256x256 cube

### Cylinder

Creates cylinders

Default: 8 sided cylinder, 256 height, 512 radius.

### Tetrahedron

Builds an approximation of a sphere. Tears the BSP to shreds, so use sparingly.

### Spiral Stairs

These can't be used as a subtractive brush, as they leave sheet polys between each step. Use the alternative TarquinSpiralStairBuilder from the Tarquin Brushbuilders pack instead.

### Terrain

Creates a tesselated cube for use in creating terrain. This is a leftover from UnrealEd 2; realistic terrain is now made separately. In pre-UT2003 versions, it is recommended to use an external terrain generator or 3D Studio Max to create pleasing, more realistic terrain. See Making Terrain (UT).

### Sheet

Creates rectangular sheet brushes, used to make glass, zone portals etc. For more complex shapes, use the 2D Shape Editor.

### Cone

Creates a cone.

### Curved Stairs

Creates a curved staircase.

### Linear Stairs

Creates a standard staircase.

### Volumetric

Makes a collection of sheets forming a star. Ideal for chains and fire: it's recommended to set NumSheets to 2 for chains and 3 for fire. Since these are sheets, intersecting while the red builder brush is in this shape has unexpected results. See VolumetricBuilder.

## Custom BrushBuilders

UnrealEd also support plug-in brushbuilders. See the list at Custom Brushbuilder, Custom Brushbuilder Ideas and scripting custom Brushbuilders for details on how to create them.

## Related Topics

- Subtract A Space – a simple tutorial which shows how to use brushbuilders to make a plain room
- UnrealEd Interface

## Comments

Birelli: I like the new format Tarq. I think it helps those of us who have no concept of basic shapes to figure out what's what (j/k). The only thing I think should be changed is the spacing of the columns, the two sides' entries would look better if they all matched up horizontally. I'm not sure how to achieve this though, maybe it's not possible with the wiki markup as it stands :-\.

Tarquin: tx . can't do the spacing thing though, as there's no rowspan in wiki tables.

Mychaeel: What about splitting the image in its individual rows? Then you could even line the descriptions up with their respective button rows.

Flashman: Has anyone done one of these for UED 3.0? the differences are subtle, but having the new stuff on the same page moght be confusing. /me volunteers to make the new one

Tarquin: Just update above, if the differences are very small.

Sobiwan: Since this page is named as the plural version BrushBuilder, I suggest we rename this to using brushbuilders to clarify this page's intent

Tarquin: harder to link to. If you really think we should have a clear difference, I'd say {{Brushbuilder tool}}s. Look at how this page is linked from Basic Procedure pages.

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