Serious Editor is a very powerful tool, but you will need to get acquainted with its interface to be able to use it well.
It is recommended that you read at least the overview section in the help file and go through the tutorials before you start working.
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By pressing 'Q', you can toggle the tool window on or off manually.
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By pressing 'Z', you can toggle selection rendering (colored filters) on or off.
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Use DataTips!
In Info mode, you can point to an entity, polygon, or sector to view information about it. Info mode is toggled with 'I'.
This works on selections too.
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The 'A' key is used for aligning. It will align view to selected entities, polygons or sectors. In volume mode, it will align selection volume to the view.
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The character next to an entity property name shows its shortcut key. Press Shift and that key to quickly select that property.
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'Alt+Shift+A' selects parent entity property, 'Alt+Shift+S' selects spawn flags entity property.
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Press 'W' to view or set virtual directory keyboard shortcuts.
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'Ctrl+A' will select all entities in volume. In Primitive mode, it will align primitive to view.
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You can remember two view positions in world by pressing 'Ctrl+Home' or 'Ctrl+End'. To jump to the remembered positions, press 'Home' or 'End'.
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'Tab'/'Shift+Tab' rotates an entity or polygon texture by 90 degrees in current view. Use 'Left Arrow'/'Right Arrow' to rotate by 15 degrees.
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Press 'N' or 'Ctrl+Shift+A' to browse all entities in current selection, current volume, or entire world by their names, classes, descriptions and positions.
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Use '[' and ']' keys or mouse wheel to circle through selected polygons or entities in current volume.
You can browse through custom selection of entities by pressing 'Feed to Volume' in the Entity Browser dialog (invoked by 'N' or 'Ctrl+Shift+A' ).
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By pressing the tilde key ('~'), you deselect current selection (polygons, sectors or entities, depending on the current mode).
If you press that key twice quickly (double-click it), all selections are deselected (polygons, sectors and entities).
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Pressing 'Alt+~' maximizes the view under mouse pointer to entire window, or restores the window configuration back.
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Undo buffer remembers each CSG operation as one Undo/Redo step. In Preferences, you can configure number of Undo/Redo steps remembered and select whether you want entity deletion to be remembered too.
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You can use 'Ctrl+W' to remember an Undo/Redo step manually while performing other tasks besides CSG, (for example when you are texturizing), so that you can Undo those actions too.
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Most operations like copying, mapping adjustment, etc. work on selection, or on the object you point to with the mouse.
For example, you can select a few polygons, point to some unselected polygon, copy properties from it, then point to the selection and paste the properties there.
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If you press 'Ctrl+C' in entity or sector mode, currently selected entities are copied. In none is selected, entire world is copied.
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To copy sectors without entities, press 'Ctrl+Shift+C'.
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You can paste entities from clipboard to second layer by 'Ctrl+Shift+V'. This way you can safely adjust their position as a group, without them being snapped to the grid.
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Use ','/'K' to copy/paste texture in current texture layer.
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'Ctrl+Shift+V' in polygon mode will paste all polygon properties except textures.
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Use 'M'/'J' to copy/paste mapping in current texture layer.
'U' will paste mapping projected from the original position that it was copied from.
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'Ctrl+Shift+V' in polygon mode will paste all polygon properties except textures.
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