This group lets you run various commands for your selected profile directly from the UI. You can find this at the middle of the UI window.

Import & light level

This section will cover the various settings found in the Import & Light Level tab.

Halo 1 level settings

A Gearbox Halo 1 profile on the left and an MCC Halo 1 profile on the right

Halo 1 SettingsDescriptionNotes
FBXConverts an FBX file to a JMS file that Tool can then read to convert to a level.This option only applies to an MCC profile
BrowsePressing this button will ask the user to browse for a JMS to import with tool. The user can also select a scenario tag to light a level without the need for a JMS file.If a scenario is selected then the only option for the user will be to light it.
Import OnlyThis is one option in a set of 3. If this option is set then only the level importing process will be started.
Light OnlyThis is one option in a set of 3. If this option is set then only the level lighting process will be started.
Import and LightThis is one option in a set of 3. If this option is set then the JMS will first be imported and then lit.
Light ThresholdA slider that sets how long the lightmapper should go for because it calls the job done. Values on the right take longer than values on the left.
DraftThe lightmapper will run in draft mode. Takes less total time to complete than final.
LightThe lightmapper will run in final mode. Takes more total time to complete than draft.
Apply Phantom FixThis will set the phantom fix arg to true during level importing. This will attempt to fix any possible invisible walls generated during import at the cost of tag space.This option only applies to an MCC profile
Disable AssertsThis will set the -NoAssert arg during level lighting. Should grant some additional speed ups by disabling error checking. Only use if you know the tag has no issues.This option only applies to an MCC profile
Import/Light levelPressing this will run either level import and lighting commands with the settings set above.

Halo 2 level settings

A Halo 2 Vista profile on the left, a Halo 2 Vista profile with community extensions in the middle, and an MCC Halo 2 profile on the right

Halo 2 SettingsDescriptionNotes
FBXConverts an FBX file to an ASS file that Tool can then read to convert to a level.This option only applies to an MCC profile
BrowsePressing this button will ask the user to browse for a ASS or JMS to import with tool. The user can also select a scenario tag to light a level without the need for an ASS or JMS file.If a scenario is selected then the only option for the user will be to light it.
Import OnlyThis is one option in a set of 3. If this option is set then only the level importing process will be started.
Light OnlyThis is one option in a set of 3. If this option is set then only the level lighting process will be started.
Import and LightThis is one option in a set of 3. If this option is set then the ASS or JMS will first be imported and then lit.
Light QualityA dropdown the sets the quality to run the lightmapper at. First value takes the least amount of time while the last value takes the most time.See the Halo 2 Light Quality Settings table for more details.
Light ConfigSets some settings for the lightmapperThis option only applies to Halo 2 Vista profiles using community extensions.
Use Tool FastRun importing and lighting on tool_fast.exe for speedupsThis option only applies to an MCC profile
Instance OutputEnabling this option will keep instance windows open for debugging purposes.This option only applies to Halo 2 Vista profiles using community extensions.
Instance CountSet the number of instances to run in a multi farm setup. Faster than running a single instance of Tool for lightmappingThis option only applies to Halo 2 Vista profiles using community extensions.
Import/Light levelPressing this will run either level import and lighting commands with the settings set above.
Halo 2 Light Quality SettingsNotes
Checkerboard
CubanThis option only applies to an MCC profile. Named after a Halo 2 dev who worked on lightmapping. Slightly better than checkerboard but not by much.
Draft Low
Draft Medium
Draft High
Draft Super
Direct Only
Low
Medium
High
Super
CustomThis option only applies to Halo 2 Vista profiles using community extensions. Uses options set by the user to customize how the lightmapper runs.

Halo 3 level settings

An MCC Halo 3 profile

Halo 3 SettingsDescriptionNotes
FBXConverts an FBX file to an ASS file that Tool can then read to convert to a level.
BrowsePressing this button will ask the user to browse for a ASS or JMS to import with tool. The user can also select a scenario tag to light a level without the need for an ASS or JMS file.If a scenario is selected then the only option for the user will be to light it.
Import OnlyThis is one option in a set of 3. If this option is set then only the level importing process will be started.
Light OnlyThis is one option in a set of 3. If this option is set then only the level lighting process will be started.
Import and LightThis is one option in a set of 3. If this option is set then the ASS or JMS will first be imported and then lit.
Light QualityA dropdown the sets the quality to run the lightmapper at. First value takes the least amount of time while the last value takes the most time.See the Halo 3 Light Quality Settings table for more details.
Light GroupA name for a region in a level. The lightmapper will only run on this section.
Use Tool FastRun importing and lighting on tool_fast.exe for speedups
Instance OutputEnabling this option will keep instance windows open for debugging purposes.
Instance CountSet the number of instances to run in a multi farm setup. Faster than running a single instance of Tool for lightmapping
Import/Light levelPressing this will run either level import and lighting commands with the settings set above.
Halo 3 Light Quality SettingsNotes
CheckerboardThis option does not work in multi farm setups.
Direct Only
Draft
Debug
Low
Medium
High
Super

Import text

This section will cover the various settings found in the Import Text tab.

The import text menu with options from a Halo 1 profile on the left and options for all other toolkits on the right.

SettingsDescriptionNotes
BrowsePressing this button will ask the user to browse for a folder containing files with either a .txt or .hmt extension.The .hmt extension is only used in Halo 1
Text TypeA dropdown to set the type of text files we will be working with.This option only applies to a Halo 1 profile. See the Text Type Settings for more details

Text type settings

SettingsDescription
HUD MessagesHaving this as your active selection will set the text importer to look for .hmt files
Unicode StringsHaving this as your active selection will set the text importer to look for .txt files

Import bitmaps

This section will cover the various settings found in the Import Text tab.

The import bitmap menu with options for a standalone Halo 1 and Halo 2 profile on the left and options for MCC profiles on the right.

SettingsDescriptionNotes
BrowsePressing this button will ask the user to browse for a folder containing image files.See Inage extensions for details on accepted file formats.
Bitmap TypeA dropdown to set the type of bitmap to create. Only works with first imports.This option only applies to an MCC profile or a Halo 2 Vista profile with community extensions. See Bitmap Type Settings for details.
Debug PlateA dropdown to set the type of text files we will be working with.This option only applies to an MCC profile.

Image extensions

ExtensionsDescription
.tifThis extension is supported in all toolkits
.tiffStandalone Halo 1 profiles do not support this extension
.tgaOnly Standalone Halo 2 profiles support this extension
.jpgOnly Standalone Halo 2 profiles support this extension
.bmpOnly Standalone Halo 2 profiles support this extension
.pngOnly Standalone Halo 2 profiles with community extensions support this extension

Bitmap type settings

SettingsDescription
2DSets a newly created bitmap to 2D on import. A bit pointless since this is the default.
3DSets a newly created bitmap to 3D on import.
CubemapsSets a newly created bitmap to a cubemap on import.
SpritesSets a newly created bitmap to a sprite on import.
InterfaceSets a newly created bitmap to an interface on import.

Import model

This section will cover the various settings found in the Import Model tab. This tab is disabled in a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile due to no model support.

Halo 1 model settings

A Gearbox Halo 1 profile on the left and an MCC Halo 1 profile on the right

Halo 1 SettingsDescriptionNotes
FBXConverts an FBX file to a JMS or JMA file that Tool can then read to convert to a model or animation.This option only applies to an MCC profile
BrowsePressing this button will ask the user to browse for a source directory. This means selecting the folder that contains the models, collision, physics, or animations folder.
GBXModelThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the models directory will be imported.
CollisionThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the physics directory will be imported.
PhysicsThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the physics directory will be imported.
AnimationsThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the animations directory will be imported.
AllThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then every previous option mentioned above will run.
Apply Phantom FixThis will set the phantom fix arg to true during collision importing. This will attempt to fix any possible invisible walls generated during import at the cost of tag space.This option only applies to an MCC profile
Halo 2 LOD Permutation LogicThis will set the LOD arg to true during GBXModel importing. Permutations will only use LOD indices used by their permutation instead of always using the indices of the first permutation when undefined.This option only applies to an MCC profile

Halo 2 model settings

A Halo 2 Vista profile on the left, a Halo 2 Vista profile with community extensions in the middle, and an MCC Halo 2 profile on the right

Halo 2 SettingsDescriptionNotes
FBXConverts an FBX file to a JMS or JMA file that Tool can then read to convert to a model or animation.This option only applies to an MCC profile
Browse(Model)Pressing this button will ask the user to browse for a source directory. This means selecting the folder that contains the render, collision, physics, or animations folder.This option does not apply to a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile
Browse(Character FP)Pressing this button will ask the user to browse for a source directory containing a characters first person model. First person model referenced needs to be the same one used by the first person animation being imported.This option only applies to an MCC profile
Browse(Weapon FP)Pressing this button will ask the user to browse for a source directory containing a weapons first person model. The weapons first person model that's referenced needs to be the same one used by the first person animation being imported.This option only applies to an MCC profile
RenderThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the render directory will be imported.This option does not apply to a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile
CollisionThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the collision directory will be imported.This option does not apply to a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile
PhysicsThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the physics directory will be imported.This option does not apply to a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile
AnimationsThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the animations directory will be imported.This option does not apply to a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile
AllThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then every previous option mentioned above will run.This option does not apply to a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile
Accurate RenderThis will set the accurate render arg to true during render importing. Disables the plane builderThis option only applies to an MCC profile
PRT RenderThis will set the PRT arg to true during render importing. This will run the PRT simulation on the render geo being imported.This option only applies to an MCC profile. Does not work at launch. No skinned geometry is allowed.
First Person AnimationThis will switch the animation importer to use FP animation commands. Will also reveal FP specific optionsThis option only applies to an MCC profile
Verbose AnimationThis will set the verbose arg to true during animation importing. The user should see more output than regular runs.This option only applies to an MCC profile
Uncompressed AnimationThis will set the uncompressed arg to true during animation importing.This option only applies to an MCC profile
Reset CompressionThis will set the reset compression arg to true during animation importing.This option only applies to an MCC profile

Halo 3 level settings

An MCC Halo 3 profile

Halo 3 SettingsDescription
FBXConverts an FBX file to a JMS or JMA file that Tool can then read to convert to a model or animation.
Browse(Model)Pressing this button will ask the user to browse for a source directory. This means selecting the folder that contains the render, collision, physics, or animations folder.
Browse(Character FP)Pressing this button will ask the user to browse for a source directory containing a characters first person model. First person model referenced needs to be the same one used by the first person animation being imported.
Browse(Weapon FP)Pressing this button will ask the user to browse for a source directory containing a weapons first person model. The weapons first person model that's referenced needs to be the same one used by the first person animation being imported.
RenderThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the render directory will be imported.
CollisionThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the collision directory will be imported.
PhysicsThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the physics directory will be imported.
AnimationsThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then only the animations directory will be imported.
AllThis is one option in a set of 5. If this option is set then every previous option mentioned above will run.
Accurate RenderThis will switch the render importer to use the accurate command. Disables the plane builder
PRT RenderThis will set the PRT arg to final during render importing. This will run the PRT simulation on the render geo being imported.
Sky RenderThis will switch the render importer to use the sky command. Enables sorting on region names for depth order.
First Person AnimationThis will switch the animation importer to use FP animation commands. Will also reveal FP specific options
Verbose AnimationThis will switch the animation importer to use the verbose version of the animation command. The user should see more output than regular runs.
Uncompressed AnimationThis will switch the animation importer to use the uncompressed of the animation command.
Reset CompressionThis will switch the animation importer to use the reset compression version of the animation command.

Import sound

This section will cover the various settings found in the Import Sound tab. This tab is disabled in a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile and an MCC Halo 3 profile due to no sound support.

An MCC Halo 1 profile on the left, a Halo 2 Vista profile with community extensions in the middle, and an MCC Halo 2 profile on the right

SettingsDescriptionNotes
Browse(Sound Directory)Pressing this button in any toolkit that isn't Halo 2 Vista with community extensions will ask the user to browse for a source directory. This means selecting the folder that contains valid sound files. A Halo 2 Vista with community extensions profile will instead ask for a sound tag.This option does not apply to a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile. See the Halo 1 Sound Extensions and Halo 2 Sound Extensions table for more details.
Browse(LTF File)Pressing this button will ask the user to browse for an LTF file for lipsync data to be generatedThis option only applies to a standalone Halo 2 Vista profile with community extensions. LTF files are generated by the application known as Impersonator.
PlatformSets the type of codec to use during sound importing.This option only applies to a Halo 1 profile.
BitrateBitrate option for OGG sound imports.This option only applies to a Halo 1 profile.
Class TypeSet the class on first sound importsThis option only applies to an MCC Halo 2 or Halo 3 profile.
Import TypeSets the type of sound command to run. Each option treats the source directory differently.This option only applies to an MCC Halo 2 or Halo 3 profile. See the Halo 1 Sound Extensions and Halo 2 Sound Extensions table for more details.
Compression TypeSet the compression type to use for sound imports.This option only applies to an MCC Halo 2 profile.

Halo 1 sound extensions

ExtensionsDescription
.wavAll sound source files in CE must be WAV 16 bit PCM. It does not matter if your platform is set to OGG or Xbox. Tool will convert the WAV file on import when it needs to.

Halo 2 sound extensions

ExtensionsDescription
.WAVMust be saved as a 16 bit PCM file.
.AIF
.AIFF
.WMA

Import type settings

SettingsDescription
Single ShotEach individual sound file is compiled into its own sound tag.
Single LayerEach directory containing sound files is compiled into a sound tag.
Multi LayerAll directories are merged into one sound file.

Packaging

This section will cover the various settings found in the Packaging tab.

An standalone Halo 1 profile on the left, an MCC Halo 1 profile in the middle, and an MCC Halo 2 profile on the right

SettingsDescriptionNotes
BrowsePressing this button will ask the user to select a scenario tag they wish to compile a map for.
Log Loaded TagsGenerates a .txt file with the tag paths that were loaded during packagingThis option only applies to a Halo 1 profile.
Graphics UsageSets whether or not Saber3D is supported.This option only applies to a Halo 1 profile.
Resource Map UsageSets how to use resource maps during packaging.This option only applies to an MCC Halo 2 or Halo 3 profile.
CompressThis will set the compress arg during packaging. The file size should go down slightly.This option only applies to an MCC Halo 2 or Halo 3 profile. See the Halo 1 Sound Extensions and Halo 2 Sound Extensions table for more details.
Resource SharingThis will set the resource_sharing arg during packaging. This will determine if the map file is reading raw tag data from resource maps.
Multilingual SoundsThis will set the multilingual_sounds arg during packaging. This will allow for more than one language in the map file.This option only applies to an MCC Halo 2 or Halo 3 profile. See the Halo 1 Sound Extensions and Halo 2 Sound Extensions table for more details.
Remastered SupportThis will set the remastered_support arg during packaging. This will enable Saber3D support.
MP Tag SupportThis will set the mp_tag_sharing arg during packaging. This will determine if the map file is using entire tags from resource maps.This option only applies to an MCC Halo 2 profile.