Level Editor
Unnofficial Level Editors
Introduction | 
News/Updates | History | Discussion | Room Editor
Unofficial Level Editors | Levels | Utilities | Lara Croft 3D Models | Other
Introduction | News/Updates | History | Discussion | Room Editor
Unofficial Level Editors | Levels | Utilities | Lara Croft 3D Models | Other
Specs |
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Dr. Splat's Tomb Raider 1 level (PHD) specs and source code (alternate location); source code (353K)
Anthony Sims' Tomb Raider File Formats: Info about TR1 levels (PHD files) and TR2 levels (TR2 files); based on Splat's specs.
Anonymous/M. Bartoli's TRosettaStone (336K HTML or 
57K ZIP): "describes the internal details [specifications] of the .TR2 file formats. While incomplete, the information therein is sufficient to modify levels, and also to build them from scratch (although many tools have yet to be written to make the latter a reasonable proposition).
The information in the document has been tested and is believed to be correct, but may contain errors or omissions. Use this information at your own risk. The document contains many links, all of which refer to itself (no outside web sites). The document contains no graphics.
The document is more of a reference than a tutorial, so if you are truly interested in writing some level editing tools, you'll need to study the information to understand some of the interactions between the various data structures.
Note that TR2 was the focus of this effort, and that TR1 and TR3 were added as afterthoughts; information on these games is more prone to error than that for TR2, but again, the information presented is believed to be correct. The TR4 demo came out as version 1.0 of this document was being finalised, so it is not yet covered; there will presumably be updates to this document, and TR4 will presumably be addressed in one of those updates. Preliminary examination indicates that the TR4 data structures are quite similar to those in TR3, with the added complication that the entire TR4 file is compressed (in chunks; the textures in separate chunks, followed by all of the "old-style" level data).
Please spread this information far and wide, and if you're capable (and up to the challenge!), write some editing tools for the rest of us to use!"
TR4 updates and TR1/2/3 additions/corrections to this document can be found in the discussion forum.
Level Editors |
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John McFarlane's Tomb Raider Project (80K), (2.14MB--plus bloatware installer & Microsoft Visual BASIC 5 run-time): Pre-alpha version that can view/edit TR1 PHD level textures, view palettes, view individual rooms (not entire levels) with texturemapping; uses OpenGL.
: Create new TR1/UB levels.
Check the sample1.tre to see what you can do now. In the sample2.tre I am showing a cool effect never seen before in a Tomb Raider level: teleport! Check the manual.txt for details.
This is the last version for a while. I was working on Room Viewer and in the TREditor and now I am very tired so I need to take a rest. After that I will rewrite TREditor with 3D interface, fix bugs, and make better controls, but this will take lot a time. Meanwhile I really hope that other people make tools that compliment what I did so far. For example, I am including a tool that I did quickly: endlevel.exe. With this tool you add an "end level" command to the PHD/TUB file at the specifed room and tile; this way your custom level can have an end.
Previously: "I fixed more bugs (and introduced new ones :)). I fixed the "file access denied" error when levelx.phd is read-only, the light floor bug (always was 25) and some other minor bugs were fixed.
The editor now can edit the ceiling height/type and generate the meshes for it, so now the rooms are completly closed and look better.
I updated manual.txt so look at it to learn the new stuff.
The TRE file format has changed so the old TRE will not work in this new version (sorry again).
Please, try the sample1.tre with level4.phd-like base model; you will see how great the room looks with ceiling and light intensities. It took me about 15 minutes to make."
Previously: "I fixed a few internal bugs, the I/O error when starting from another directory, and some fix to the hide face removal algorithm (not 100% done yet). TREditor draws triangles correctly now. I changed the dialog data a little and expanded VTexture to include the 4 most usual texture sizes. TREeditor now supports different textures and lights. The TRE file format has changed so the old TREs will not work in this new version (sorry).
I am a litle tired, so I didn't include an update manual.txt for this version. Just load sample1.tre, create the PHD, and play it so you will see how great looking the rooms are now with different textures and light/shadow support.
Yes, I know that you want a real time 3D editing, but this can take a while. Let me first make sure the editor creates PHDs with all features. For me it is more important right now that the program reads TRE files and can create the PHDs/TUBs with all features, then me or another person can make a better data caption dialog for the TRE file format."
Previously: "OK, like I promised you, I am sending you an incomplete but functional room editor.
I removed some features that don't work well completely. This is a modified version of the original that I have; mine has more features that don't work well in all cases: some controls are a little unclear, etc.
You can also save your custom levels in TUB file format and play them using the Unfinished Business version.
I dont know when I will send you another version of the editor--it needs a lot of work! But I think that version 1.0 will be ready by mid-March.
You can check the progress of the project at the official home website under construction by The Vagrant."
Regarding "I/O error 103": "The only problem with an I/O (input/output) error is that the program can only open or write to a file that already exists. The file that TREditor needs to create a new PHD/TUB is levelx.phd or the same name TUB (like 'egypt.tub'). This/these file(s) must be in the same directory TREditor is started/run from. TREditor won't find the level if you start it in another directory.
If you are replacing a PHD (example level2.phd), be sure that this file has read/write attributes. If you copy a file from a CD, this file is always read-only."
Previously: "A 3D modelling CAD program will not be necessary to make rooms, just use the grid system for specifying walls, floors and ceilings, then TREditor will automatically create the mesh for the room based on the grid system data.
Then Room Viewer 1.05 can be used to export the generated mesh room to AutoCAD or Rhino (3D Studio Max will not work) and make the room more beautiful.
Right now only The Vagrant has a draft copy of the editor for testing purposes because he is a great 3D artist, and I dont need another artist tester right now. I am so busy making the editor so a can not attend to more tester ideas.
TREditor version 1 is 75% done, so be patient and soon you and the TR comunity will have the first homemade Tomb Raider 1 level editor."
Regarding TREditor's interface: "I agree with Loren and other people that the editor's interface is not the the best way to draw a room, but in part that is because this is not CAD program...it seems like you are drawing but it is not.
Unfortunately in the Tomb Raider Engine drawing a wall does not mean that there is a wall (like the Quake Engine). The PHD has one section for all rooms drawn called "room meshes", and another section for the solid/colision called "room tile sections". These 2 sections are independent from each other!
So when you put walls, floor, and ceiling in the tiles section, they are invisible. Then you have to draw the mesh in the mesh section in the same place you put the solid in the tile section.
While in the room mesh section you can draw meshes freely in the tile section, you have some restrictions for the solid. The solid has a fixed size of 1024x1024 large/width and 256 incremental height units, so you can not make a 500x500x200 solid in the room, for example.
This restriction means you can not represent in the tile section any solid freely drawn in the mesh room section. You must define the solid first in the tile section with the above restriction and then draw the solid accordingly in the room mesh section.
So my point is that an isometric view is really great for get the info data (the "room mesh section"), but with TREditor I am editing the "room tile section", and I find the 2D grid system a better and easier way to select a tile and height. When you are clicking the grid in TREditor you are not really drawing but selecting a tile and putting some attributes on it.
For a room of 10x10 dimensions there are 100 tiles, and each has 256 possible heights, so an isometric view makes it hard for me to know which tile on which height I am selecting when make a click.
But if you can teach me how to select tiles and heights in an isometric view then I will do it. Or better, if you can make the interface and compile it in a DLL, I will link to my editor and give you full credit for it. :-)"
Flatland's "Build a Tomb": Endorsed by Eidos, this was the closest thing to an "official" level editor, but it's no Room Editor...
FastByte's Tomb Raider Editor Project: With the Map Viewer, you can fly into, out of, below, above, and through (passing through doors/walls/rock) the TR2/TR3 level of your choice in color and with correct lighting (and transparency for TR3). It works for 3Dfx Voodoo video cards and all other cards with a software rendering version, but a Direct3D port is in the works, as well as a full-blown level editor.
G3 Power's MacMyLaraUp (no website): An Apple Macintosh Tomb Raider 2 level editor. "So far, it's mostly functional but has some redraw problems (they're slow) but that'll be cleaned up as it hits beta. The only other real quirk is getting some of the textures to line up properly. It is being coded in CodeWarrior. It's cake to dig out the info for Mac at least compared to a PeeCee and that GameSprockets help out a huge amount."
Dr. Splat's
TrlEd: Discontinued, but Tomb Raider 1 level (PHD) specs and source code are available.
TrlEd - Juan & Speed's Web Page: A screenshot, interview, and more info about TrlEd.
Agent 449.7 (edited): "I already have a VERY short level G3 Power made just to test out different aspects of the levels and how Lara's moves handle them. He says he'll start on a Mac-to-PC port of it once he's happy with the Mac version which comes first. Only three things are puzzling:
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