Here is a brief rundown of the key areas of the Content Browser's interface:
| Number | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Navigation Bar |
| 2 | Sources View |
| 3 | Collections Panel |
| 4 | Asset Management Area |
| 5 | Asset View |
Navigation Bar
Located at the top of the Content Browser, the Navigation Bar provides access to web browser-style controls for navigating between asset folders, as well as the ability to show and hide the Sources View.
| Number | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Show/Hide Sources and Collections | This button toggles the Sources View and Collections area, allowing those parts of the browser to be quickly collapsed for more screen real estate space. |
| 2 | History Back and Forward Buttons | Functioning like web browser forward and back buttons, these buttons allow you to navigate between recent file paths. |
| 3 | Breadcrumb Trail Path | This section shows the current file path, allowing you to quickly navigate to parent folders. |
Sources Panel
The Sources panel is located on the left side of the Content Browser interface. It contains a list of all folders and Collections within your game project.
When the list of folders extends beyond the bottom of the panel, you can use the scroll bar to scroll up and down. You can also rotate the mouse wheel to scroll the list, or drag with the right mouse button to move the list up and down.
| Number | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Search Bar | This field allows you to narrow down the list of available folders by entering search criteria. Each character entered will filter the Sources panel to show only folders including the entered string. |
| 2 | Asset Tree | This hierarchical list shows all folders currently in your game project. Each folder is expandable and collapsible with the small triangle next to its name. |
You can exclude assets from your search by prefixing the search text with a hyphen (-).
For more information about the Sources panel, see Sources Panel In-Depth.
Collections Panel
The Collections panel provides a quick-access list of all the Collections created on your workstation or set up via source control.
| Number | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collapse/Expand Button | This triangular button allows you to quickly collapse and expand the Collections area, useful for more space while using the Sources panel. |
| 2 | Collections List | Provides an alphabetical list of all Collections in this project. |
| 3 | Add Collections Button | Clicking this button allows you to create a new Collection. |
For more information on Collections and their use, see Collections.
Asset Management Area
The Asset Management Area provides a wide range of functionality for assets including creation, saving, searching, and filtering. This region of the UI works closely with the Asset View, as all filters and searches created here will be applied there, hiding all assets that do not fit the filters and the search criteria.
For more information on working with filters, see .
| Number | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Filters Button | This opens up the filter selection panel, where you can choose what filters you would like to apply to the Asset View. |
| 2 | Search Bar | This field allows you to narrow down the list of available assets by entering search criteria. Each character entered will reduce the Sources panel to show only assets including the entered string. |
| 3 | Save Button | Allows you to save all new and edited assets. |
| 4 | Filters Bar | Shows all active filters on the current folder of assets. |
For more information on creating and saving assets, see Working with Assets.
Asset View
The Asset View is the primary region of the Content Browser UI. This region provides a grid or list of all available assets within a folder, after all filters and searches have been applied.
The assets available in the Asset View can be dragged and dropped into a scene for fast deployment. New assets can be created within the Asset View by right-clicking and choosing the desired asset from the context menu. The list of assets can be navigated by using scroll bar, rotating the mouse wheel, or dragging with the right mouse button.
| Number | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | View Area | This shows an array of assets included in the selected folder, as adjusted by all filters and search criteria. |
| 2 | Asset Count | Shows the current number of assets displayed once all filters and searches are applied. |
| 3 | View Options | Contains a thumbnail size slider, the view style selection for assets, and the ability to preview and modify the thumbnails of 3D assets. |
For more information about working with assets, see Working with Assets.
View Styles
The assets in the Asset View can be viewed in three different styles: Tiles, List, and Columns.
Tiles
The Tiles view lays out all assets into a grid of tiles, like so:
List
The List view lays out all assets into a list of thumbnails with names, like so:
Columns
The Columns view lays out all assets spreadsheet-like arrangement of properties, like so:
