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Version: bleeding-edge 🩸

Assets Guide

All you need to know about Assets

Assets in nanos world are all objects or content which come from Unreal Engine. For example Maps, StaticMeshes, SkeletalMeshes, Sounds, Particles, Blueprints etc are all types of Assets.

In order to use custom Assets in your servers, for example to spawn a Prop, or a custom Weapon you must have an Asset Pack. Asset Packs are a set of Assets that were exported together from Unreal.

Folder Structure​

All Asset Packs go under the server's Assets/ directory. Each Asset Pack is a folder under that.

Note

Asset Packs downloaded when connecting to servers or downloaded from the vault will be stored in server's Assets/ directory as well!

This is an example of a server Assets folder:

Server Folder
NanosWorldServer.exe
Assets/
β”œβ”€β”€ my-asset-pack-01/
β”‚ β”œβ”€β”€ MyAsset_01.uasset
β”‚ β”œβ”€β”€ MyAsset_02.uasset
β”‚ β”œβ”€β”€ MyBigMap.umap
β”‚ β”‚ ...
β”‚ └── Assets.toml
β”œβ”€β”€ awesome-weapons/
β”‚ β”œβ”€β”€ BigFuckingGun.uasset
β”‚ β”‚ ...
β”‚ └── Assets.toml
Packages/
Config.toml

Assets Pack Configuration​

Asset Packs have a configuration file in the root of the Asset Pack folder, called Assets.toml, in this file we can setup all pertinent settings related to the Asset Pack:

https://github.com/nanos-world/nanos-world-server/blob/main/Assets.toml

Settings Detailed​

See a description of what each setting does:

SettingDescription
titleFriendly name
authorContributor(s)
versionVersion - in the SemVer format X.Y.Z
unreal.unreal_folderName of the root folder in the Unreal Project which exported this Assets. This is important so the Assets can keep the relative references correctly
unreal.unreal_versionVersion at which this Asset Pack was created
unreal.is_plugin_contentIf this Asset Pack is Plugin Content
assets.mapsList of Maps in this Asset Pack
assets.static_meshesList of Static Meshes in this Asset Pack
assets.skeletal_meshesList of Skeletal Meshes in this Asset Pack
assets.soundsList of Sounds in this Asset Pack
assets.animationsList of Animations in this Asset Pack
assets.particlesList of Particles in this Asset Pack
assets.materialsList of Materials in this Asset Pack
assets.blueprintsList of Blueprints in this Asset Pack
assets.othersList of other Assets in this Asset Pack

Asset Meta Data​

It is possible to define custom Meta Data for each individual Asset!

Besides defining the Asset Path by string, like this:

Assets.toml
[assets.static_meshes]
SM_Flower_01 = "MyFolder/SM_Awesome_Flower_01"
SM_Rock_01 = "MyFolder/SM_Rock_01"
SM_MyAsset_01 = "MyFolder/SM_MyAsset_01"
# ...

We can also define them as a table, allowing custom values - which can be accessed through scripting:

Assets.toml
[assets.static_meshes]
SM_Flower_01 = { path = "MyFolder/SM_Awesome_Flower_01", my_tag = "Wonderful", something = 123, thumbnail = "Thumbnails/SM_Flower_01.jpg" }
SM_Rock_01 = { path = "MyFolder/SM_Rock_01", my_tag = "Wonderful", something = 123, thumbnail = "Thumbnails/SM_Rock_01.jpg" }
SM_MyAsset_01 = { path = "MyFolder/SM_MyAsset_01", my_tag = "Wonderful", something = 123, thumbnail = "Thumbnails/SM_MyAsset_01.jpg" }
# ...
tip

The path key is required, all other values are optional and customizable, use as you wish!

Logo Image​

It is possible to have a custom image to be displayed in the Vault. For that, add a file called Assets.jpg besides the Assets.toml with the image you wish. The recommended size is 300x150.

Referencing Assets in Scripting​

To be able to use Assets in your code, first you have to ensure that the Asset Pack is loaded. An Asset Pack is loaded when:

  1. A map is loaded (this will make it's Asset Pack to be loaded automatically).
  2. A package with it configured in assets_requirements is loaded.
  3. It is manually set in Server's Config.toml at assets to load.

With the Asset Pack loaded, you can refer to it's assets using the following pattern:

"[ASSET_PACK_PATH]::[ASSET_KEY]"

Example:

"my-asset-pack-01::SM_Cube"

note

[ASSET_PACK_PATH] is the folder name and [ASSET_KEY] is the key defined in the Assets.toml.

Types of Assets​

Some scripting methods require some specific Type of Assets to load. Attempting to load an invalid or wrong type will cause an Error. E.g.: Character:SetMesh() requires an Asset of type Skeletal Mesh.

Here's a list of all supported Asset types:

TypeDescription
MapAn Unreal Engine Map/Level
Static MeshUnreal Static Meshes can be used to load meshes for Props and StaticMeshes
Skeletal MeshUnreal Skeletal Meshes can be used to load meshes for Characters and Vehicles
SoundUnreal Sounds to load Sounds
ParticleUnreal Particles can be used for settings in several entities, including Particle Class itself
AnimationUnreal Animations can be used for settings in Character and Weapons
MaterialUnreal Materials can be used for customizing meshes surfaces and used as Post Process
BlueprintUnreal Actor Blueprints can be used for spawning Blueprint entities

Creating your own Assets​

To create your own Asset Pack, please refer to Importing Custom Assets Guide.

πŸ“¦ Importing Custom Assetsassets-modding/creating-assets/setting-up-ue

Default Asset Pack​

nanos world provides a default Asset Pack which is already included in the base game. Please refer to the Default Asset Pack page for more information.

πŸ“¦ Default Asset Packassets-modding/default-asset-pack/default-assets-list