Tools Guide
Everything you need to know about FeyGate's map editor, 3D dice system, and VTT tools. From basic shape drawing to advanced boolean operations and dynamic lighting.
Drawing Shapes
Tool Shortcuts
The map editor provides seven drawing tools, each accessible via a single keyboard shortcut. Press R for rectangle, E for ellipse, P for polygon, L for line, and B for brush. Press V to switch back to the select tool, or hold Space to temporarily pan the canvas.
Drawing a Shape
Click and drag on the canvas to draw rectangles and ellipses. Hold Shift while drawing to constrain the shape to a perfect square or circle. Polygons are drawn by clicking to place each vertex, then double-clicking or pressing Enter to close the shape.
Fill & Stroke
Every shape can have a fill color, stroke color, and stroke width. Configure these in the properties panel on the left before drawing, or adjust them after selecting an existing shape. Opacity can be set per-shape using the slider in the properties panel.
Selecting & Transforming
Selecting Elements
Press V to activate the select tool. Click on any shape, asset, token, or light to select it. The properties panel updates to show the selected element's editable properties. Click on empty space to deselect.
Moving
Click and drag a selected element to move it. Shapes snap to the grid automatically. Multiple shapes can be selected by clicking while holding Ctrl, then moved together as a group.
Resizing
Selected rectangles and ellipses display four corner handles (small white squares). Drag any handle to resize the shape. The shape resizes from the opposite corner as an anchor point.
Copy & Paste
Press Ctrl+C to copy selected shapes and Ctrl+V to paste them. Each paste offsets the copy slightly so it doesn't stack directly on top of the original. Successive pastes cascade further.
Deleting
Press Delete or Backspace to remove the selected shape, asset, or light. This works for all element types in the map editor.
Rotating Elements
Rotation Handle
When you select a shape or asset, an orange circle appears above the element connected by a thin line. This is the rotation handle. Click and drag it to rotate the element freely around its center point.
Snap to 15 Degrees
Hold Shift while dragging the rotation handle to snap the rotation to 15-degree increments (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and so on). This makes it easy to align elements at precise angles.
Properties Panel
You can also set an exact rotation angle using the slider in the properties panel. The slider displays the current rotation in degrees (0-360). This works for all shape types and for placed assets.
Boolean Operations
What Are Boolean Operations?
Boolean operations let you combine or cut shapes to create complex geometry that would be difficult to draw by hand. There are two operations: union (merge two shapes into one) and difference (cut one shape out of another). The result is always a polygon.
Union (Merging Shapes)
Select a shape, then hold Ctrl and draw a new shape that overlaps it. When you finish drawing, the two shapes merge into a single polygon that covers the combined area. A "+ Union" badge appears on screen to confirm the mode is active. This is perfect for building complex room layouts, irregular terrain, or organic coastlines.
Difference (Cutting Shapes)
Select a shape, then hold Alt and draw a new shape on top of it. The new shape is subtracted from the original, cutting away the overlapping area. A "- Subtract" badge confirms the mode. Use this to create doorways in walls, windows in buildings, clearings in forests, or any cutout shape.
Tips
Boolean operations work with all shape types -- rectangles, ellipses, polygons, and paths. The result always becomes a polygon, inheriting the fill and stroke of the original selected shape. If the subtraction removes the entire shape, you'll see a warning toast. Press Ctrl+Z to undo any boolean operation and restore the original shapes.
Placing Assets
Asset Library
Press A to open the asset picker. Browse your uploaded assets by category (vegetation, structures, furniture, light sources, misc) or search by name. Click an asset to select it for placement, then click on the canvas to place it.
Asset Properties
Each asset has configurable properties in the Data Manager: world scale (how many grid cells it spans), virtual height (for drop shadow casting), normal maps (for dynamic lighting response), and light emission settings. These properties are inherited by every placement of that asset.
Overhead Assets
Assets like tree canopies and building roofs can be marked as "Overhead" in the Data Manager asset editor. Overhead assets render above tokens on the canvas, simulating objects that physically sit above the characters. A proximity-based transparency effect automatically fades overhead assets near token positions so players can always see their characters underneath. Moving your mouse over an overhead asset reveals a larger area, letting you peek beneath canopies and rooftops.
Portrait Crop Anchor
Non-square token portraits are cropped rather than stretched. In the Data Manager token editor, a 3x3 grid below the portrait preview lets you choose the crop anchor point. Top-center is the default, which works well for character busts. Adjust the anchor to focus on the most important part of the image.
Working with Layers
Layer System
The map editor supports unlimited drawing layers. Create layers for terrain, walls, furniture, decorations, and any other category that makes sense for your map. Each layer can be toggled visible/hidden and locked/unlocked independently.
Layer Ordering
Drag layers in the layer panel to reorder them. Higher layers render on top of lower ones. This lets you control which elements appear in front. Place background terrain on a bottom layer and detailed furniture on a top layer.
Locking Layers
Lock a layer to prevent accidental edits. A locked layer's shapes cannot be selected, moved, or modified. This is useful when you've finished the base terrain and want to work on walls without accidentally moving the ground.
Lighting & Time of Day
Dynamic Lighting
The map editor includes a real-time lighting system powered by normal maps. Shapes and assets that have normal maps respond to the scene's directional light, creating the illusion of depth and texture. The lighting filter processes the entire scene in a single GPU pass for smooth performance.
Point Lights
Place point lights on the map to simulate torches, campfires, glowing crystals, or any other light source. Each light has a color, intensity, and radius that you can configure. Assets can also emit light -- toggle "Light Emitter" in the asset editor and choose from presets like Campfire, Torch, Glowing Mushroom, or Lantern.
Time of Day
Use the time-of-day control to shift the scene's ambient lighting from bright midday to moody twilight to dark midnight. Press Shift+L to cycle through presets quickly. The sun angle and elevation change the shadow direction and intensity across the entire map.
3D Dice Rolling
Rolling Dice
Press R in the VTT to open the dice tray at the bottom of the screen. Click any standard die (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, d100) to roll it instantly. Type custom notation like "2d6+4" in the text input and press Enter for complex rolls. d100 rolls two d10 dice -- a tens die (00-90) and a ones die (0-9).
3D Animation & Sound
Every roll triggers a physics-based 3D animation powered by Three.js and cannon-es. Dice tumble, bounce off invisible walls, and collide with each other realistically. Impact sounds play on every collision -- felt surface sounds for floor bounces and plastic click sounds for dice-on-dice hits. The animation is purely visual; results are predetermined and synchronized across all connected players.
Dice Log & Notifications
Roll results appear in the dice log panel (click "Log" in the dice tray to open it). The log shows each roll's notation, individual die values, modifier, and total, ordered newest-at-bottom like a chat. Natural 20s glow green and natural 1s glow red. Compact toast notifications appear for every roll even when the log panel is closed, so you never miss a result.
Customization & Synchronization
Choose your dice colors using the background and font color pickers in the dice tray. All dice rolls are synchronized in real time -- when any player rolls, every connected client sees the same 3D animation and receives the result in their dice log. Clickable dice notation (like "2d6+3") is automatically highlighted in character sheets and can be rolled with a single click.
Keyboard Shortcuts Reference
VTT Mode
R Toggle dice tray · I Toggle initiative tracker · T Token picker (DM) · G Toggle grid · Space Hold to pan · Escape Deselect · Delete Remove selected token · Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V Copy/paste token
Map Editor Mode
V Select · H Pan · R Rectangle · E Ellipse · P Polygon · L Line · B Brush · A Asset picker · T Token picker · G Toggle grid · Space Hold to pan · Shift+L Cycle time of day · Ctrl+Z Undo · Ctrl+Shift+Z / Ctrl+Y Redo · Delete Remove selected
Boolean Modifiers (Map Editor)
Ctrl + draw = Union (merge shapes) · Alt + draw = Subtract (cut shape)
Drawing Modifiers
Shift + draw rect = Constrain to square · Shift + draw ellipse = Constrain to circle · Shift + drag rotation handle = Snap to 15 degrees