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The NWN2 Toolset is huge. So huge that at the time the game was finally made available (on November 1, 2006 - after repeated delays), the toolset that shipped could only be considered a Beta!
The game came with a Toolset Guide that should help any game modders started. The Guide is available as an HTML in the game folder, just look under "Documentation" and you will find it. (The path should be Drive:\NWN2_Game_Path\Documentation\nwn2toolsethelp.html)
Whereas, the [NWPEDIA] is a tutorial prepared by me for a Summer class I am teaching. I tried to make NWPedia as different as possible from the Toolset Help so that it is not merely a duplication of what's available.
Since the Toolset is fairly big, and is divided into many areas, it will be easier to give each area a name.
When you opened the NWN2 Toolset for the first time, you will be presented with the following screen. There are a total of three (3) toolbars used in the NWN2 Toolset.
On the top of the Toolset is the all too familiar «FILE MENU» which consisted of «File», «Edit», «View», «Plugins», and «Help».
In addition to the FILE MENU, the toolset has two more collapsible toolbars.
The first Toolbar (immediately below the «MENU») is the «Environment Toolbar». I call it such because this toolbar deals with all the bigger, environmental effects (such as Surface Mesh, Shadows, Water, Fog, Sky, Day/Night, Ambient Sound and Music).
The second Toolbar (immediately below the «Environment Toolbar») is what I called the «Object Toolbar». The «Object Toolbar» deals with Show/Hide of all Placeables and Objects within the game, Object selection, Paint Objects, and the placement of Terrain, Tiles, as well as the placement and creation of Spawn Points.
On the left are two areas: «A: Areas, Conversations, and Scripts», and «B: Area Contents».
In the middle of the screen is a huge white canvas called the «C: Stage». This is the center stage where all the props and actors/objects are placed and arranged. Immediately below the «C: Stage» is the area for D: Console».
Towards the right are two very important areas, the «E: Properties», and the «F: Blueprints, Tiles, Terrains». You will likely spend a lot of time and elbow grease using these two areas during your game modding process. (The following image showed the NWN2 Toolset at work.)
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