Level editor

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A level editor (alternatively called a map editor or rarely a mission editor) is an editing utility, typically with a GUI, that is used to create levels.

History[edit]

id Software's DoomEd level editor running in NeXTSTEP OS.

In-house level editors[edit]

id Software used the in-house DoomEd level editor during the development of Doom and Doom II. It was also used by Raven Software for Heretic and Hexen.

Midway Games developed an in-house level editor called DEX to create levels for Doom 64.

During the development of Doom 3 id Software used Doom 3 Radiant level editor, that was based on Q3Radiant level editor used for Quake III Arena. Doom 3 was released bundled with the editor.

Fan-made level editors[edit]

The original Doom gained a huge following among fans. Since DoomEd was not publicly released at the time, it was only a matter of time before fan-made modding tools would appear. Doom Editing Utilities (DEU), the first third-party level editor for Doom, was released on January 26, 1994, just a month and a half after the game's release. Many other level editors were released in the following years, but not all of them were free. As the complexity of utilities increased, some of them became paid. Usually, a cut-down free version was released, and paid registration was required to get full functionality. Nowadays, most Doom level editors are free, and their source code is usually available for study and modification.

Features[edit]

Modern level editor usually has the following features:

a graphical user interface (GUI);
several built-in game configurations for different map formats (such as Hexen format or UDMF);
several modes that allow to create level geometry, apply textures, place things;
a 3D or visual mode that allows the user to see the level close to how it will look in-game;
one or more built-in node builders;
an ability to test the level in the preferred source port.

Early classification[edit]

Early level editors were classified as follows:

in line-based editors the level was constructed using linedefs (lines);
in sector-based editors the level was constructed using sectors;
mode-based editors had several operating modes (for example to work with lines and sectors).

The vast majority of modern editors have all these capabilities.

Level editors for Doom engine games[edit]

Operating system support across level editors
	DOS	Windows	Macintosh	*nix	OS/2	First release	Last updated
3DGE Builder	No	Yes	No	No	No	2015-07-06	2017-02-13
ADE2	Yes	No	No	No	No	1994-12-08
BSPCOMP	Yes	No	No	No	No	1995-11-13	1995-11-13
DeeP	Yes	No	No	No	No	1994-08	1997-11-05
DeePsea	No	Yes	No	No	No	1996-12-13	2023-01-25
Demon	No	No	Yes	No	No		1995
DETH	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	1994	2022-05-08
DEX	No	No	No	Yes	No
Dh-Dlc	No	Yes	No	No	No
DMapEdit	Yes	No	No	No	No	1994-03-03	2001-01-05
Doom Builder	No	Yes	No	No	No	2003-10-22	2006-06-09
Doom Builder 2	No	Yes	No	No	No	2009-05-14	2012-06-01
Doom Builder 64	No	Yes	No	No	No
Doom Builder M59	No	Yes	No	No	No
Doom Builder PSX	No	Yes	No	No	No
Doom Builder Ru1251 GZX	No	Yes	No	No	No	2007-07-06	2007-07-06
Doom Builder X	No	Yes	No	No	No	2017-09-11	2021-09-21
DoomCAD	No	Yes	No	No	No	1994-02-04	1995-07-21
Doom Construction Kit (DCK)	Yes	No	No	No	No	1994-07-30	1996-06-16
DoomEd (by id Software)	No	No	No	Yes	No
DoomEd (by Geoff Allan)	No	Yes	No	No	No	1994	1995
Doom Editing Utilities (DEU)	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	1994-01-26	1994-05-21
DoomEdit/PM (DEPM)	No	No	No	No	Yes
EdMap	Yes	No	No	No	No	1994-07-16	1995-03-22
Eureka	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	2008-07-06	2024-07-09
eXtendable WAD Editor (XWE)	No	Yes	No	No	No	2001-05-23	2006-02-12
GZDoom Builder	No	Yes	No	No	No	2012-03-30	2017-01-09
GZDoom Builder M59	No	Yes	No	No	No
Hellmaker	No	No	Yes	No	No
HEU	Yes	No	No	No	No
Linux Doom Editor	No	No	No	Yes	No
Purple Frog Mission Editor (PFME)	No	No	No	Yes	No
Renegade Graphics DoomEd	No	Yes	No	No	No
RHEU	Yes	No	No	No	No	1995	1995-10-22
Russian Doom Builder 2	No	Yes	No	No	No	2011-06-14
Simple Doom Editor	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	2008
SLADE^{[notes 1]}	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	2004-11-21	2024-05-28
TkWadCad	No	No	No	Yes	No
Ultimate Doom Builder (UDB)	No	Yes	No	No	No	2019-12-24	2024-08-04
WadAuthor	No	Yes	No	No	No
WAD Auxiliary Resource Manipulator (WARM)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	1995-01-30	1996-01-29
WADED	Yes	No	No	No	No	1994-05	1995-02-07
WinDEU	No	Yes	No	No	No
Yadex	No	No	No	Yes	No	1998-12-17	2003-12-28
ZETH	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	1999-03-15	2003-01-20
Zone Builder	No	Yes	No	No	No	2016-01-05

Notes[edit]

↑ Except 3.0.x versions, which are WAD editors only.

Other and esoteric[edit]

Gallery[edit]

Level editors for Doom 3[edit]

Operating system support across level editors
	Windows	Macintosh	*nix	First release	Last updated
DarkRadiant	Yes	Yes	Yes	2006-04-18	2024-03-31
Doom 3 Radiant	Yes	No	No
GtkRadiant	Yes	Yes	Yes
NetRadiant	Yes	Yes	Yes

Level editors for Doom (2016)[edit]

Doom (2016) has the built-in level editor called SnapMap. There is also a fan-made utility called SnapHak that can be used to unlock normally unavailable features of SnapMap.

Level editors for Doom Eternal[edit]

Since its release in March 2020, Doom Eternal has not had an official level editor. Community members had to use workarounds to create levels for the game. This problem was finally solved in August 2024 when id Software released DOOM Eternal: idStudio.

References[edit]

Doomworld Editors & Utilities page

[SLADE-1] Except 3.0.x versions, which are WAD editors only.

[notes 1]