Overview
The Age of Empires Content Editor is a multi-faceted editor program that allows you to create mods in Age of Empires IV.
This editor allows you to have a variety of files and programs open at the same time, allowing you to work on map terrain, unit stats, scripting, and similar elements all in once place.
This guide covers the basic layout and functions of the Content Editor, including how to customize the editor's UI to suit your specific needs.
Editor Layout
When you first open the editor, it will appear as the image below.
Note that some of these areas such as the Properties panel (5) and the Transformation panel (6) may not be visible, as they are contextual panels that only appear if you have something selected.
See the descriptions below for the functions of these labelled areas.
1) Main Menu
The main menu of the editor. Provides access to all main tools of the editor, including specialized functions. The main menu offers an alternate path to almost every tool or function in the editor.
2) Render View
The central window of the editor where you do most of your work. The content here will change contextually depending on what tool you currently have open, either displaying the map itself, scripting data, unit information, procedural mapping, or a number of other major interactive interfaces.
3) Asset Explorer
The master file display that lets you browse assets for your current project. Clicking a file in this list and dragging it onto the Render View will open the information in that file.
4) Scenario Tree
The area that contains all assets currently on your map, including all rocks, grasses, trees, units, and similar elements. If an asset has been given a specific name, it will displayed here under that name.
5) Object Browser
The central repository of all available objects you can import into your map. To import an object from the Object Browser onto your map, find it here and drag it onto the Render View.
Hidden in tabs behind the Object Browser are also four additional panels: Console, Error List, History, and Output. These panels each have a specialized function.
A detailed breakdown of these functions can be found here: Console, Error List, History, and Output.
6) Properties
Displays all information related to the currently-selected asset. Also contains a variety of editing tools the modify the selected asset. The information here will change depending on what asset you currently have selected, and if nothing is selected it will appear blank.
7) Transformation
Contains all the tools for transforming the currently-selected asset, including moving, rotating, scaling, grid snapping, and similar functions. The information here will change depending on what asset you currently have selected, and if nothing is selected the interface will not appear at all.
8) Playback
Allows you to Play, Pause, or Stop the any animations in the scene. Animations can include tree and grass sway, unit idle animations, smoke, clouds, butterflies, and similar effects.