beasty-visual-novel / reference / menu-items.md
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Every menu item Beasty Visual Novel adds to Unity, grouped by submenu, with the page that explains it.
Everything lives under Tools > Beasty VN, except the asset right-click actions (under Assets >) and the
components (under Add Component > Beasty).
Windows
Menu item What it does More Tools > Beasty VN > EditorOpens the main Beasty VN window: the nine authoring tabs. Editor tour Tools > Beasty VN > Dialogue PreviewPlays a node - backdrop, characters, props, dialogue box - without entering Play Mode. Can fast-forward to a given block. Dialogue preview
Setup
Menu item What it does More Tools > Beasty VN > Setup > Create SceneThe wizard. Builds the BeastyManager, the Stage, the Canvas, the Main Camera and the EventSystem, instantiates the UI, then auto-wires. Safe to re-run: it reuses what is already there. Your first scene Tools > Beasty VN > Setup > Migrate Scene to BeastyManagerUpgrades an older scene to the BeastyManager rig. Your first scene Tools > Beasty VN > Setup > Blank CanvasAsks for a folder, then creates the empty scaffolding: a DialogueScene, a VNContext, a LocalizationTable, a root StoryGraph and a first Dialogue node, in subfolders. Assets Tools > Beasty VN > Setup > Build Default Menu PrefabsRegenerates the menu prefabs from scratch. Warns before overwriting. UI prefabs Tools > Beasty VN > Setup > Upgrade UI Prefabs (keep customizations)Updates the shipped UI prefabs while keeping your restyling. UI prefabs
Content
Menu item What it does More Tools > Beasty VN > Content > Create Base Assets (intro + FreeRoam map)Creates only what is missing and wires it up. It never duplicates the context and never overwrites a reference you already assigned. Core concepts Tools > Beasty VN > Content > Character DatabaseOpens the Characters tab in its own window. Characters Tools > Beasty VN > Content > Generate Tight Click Shapes (Selection)Builds click areas that follow the selected sprite’s opaque pixels instead of its bounding box. Interactables and doors
Codegen
Menu item What it does More Tools > Beasty VN > Codegen > Regenerate VNVars AccessorsRegenerates VNVars: typed C# accessors for your variables. Generated accessors Tools > Beasty VN > Codegen > Regenerate VNChars AccessorsRegenerates VNChars: typed C# accessors for your characters. Generated accessors
Neither is needed to author a game. They exist so a programmer gets compile-time-checked keys.
Maintenance
Menu item What it does More Tools > Beasty VN > Maintenance > Validate Selected ProjectRuns the validator over the root graph and every subgraph, and reports dangling references. Validation and ids Tools > Beasty VN > Maintenance > Clean Deleted-Asset ResidueRemoves references left behind by assets you deleted. Validation and ids
Validate
Menu item What it does More Tools > Beasty VN > Validate > Find duplicate idsReports id collisions across assets. Two assets that share an id behave as one. Validation and ids
Settings
Menu item What it does More Tools > Beasty VN > Settings > Global SettingsOpens VN Settings. The same asset as Edit > Project Settings > Beasty VN. VN Settings
Streaming
Menu item What it does More Tools > Beasty VN > Streaming > Convert To Streamed ContentMarks the art Addressable and clears the direct references. Requires the Addressables package. Streaming Tools > Beasty VN > Streaming > Convert To Direct ReferencesThe reverse. Always available, with or without Addressables. Streaming
Warning
Addressables streaming is opt-in and beta in 1.0.0. It works, but the API may change in a minor release.
Export
Menu item What it does More Tools > Beasty VN > Prepare package for exportPublishing helper: prepares the package for a .unitypackage export. Building and platforms
Assets right-click
Select an asset in the Project window and right-click.
Menu item What it does More Assets > Beasty VN > Give this asset fresh ids (fix a duplicate)Re-ids the selected asset. This is how you fix a duplicate that Find duplicate ids reported. Validation and ids Assets > Beasty VN > Ensure Room Background ChildAdds the room component and a background child to a hand-made room prefab, so you can drop the room art in and place interactables against it. Free roam rooms
Add Component
Component What it is More Beasty > Beasty ManagerThe single GameObject the whole game hangs off. It owns every manager as a hidden sub-component. Controllers Beasty > Beasty Loading ScreenThe loading overlay shown while the scene boots and between modes. UI prefabs Beasty > Beasty Aspect Ratio EnforcerKeeps the game at a fixed aspect ratio, letterboxing the rest. UI prefabs Beasty > VN Transition CurtainThe fade used when the game changes mode. UI prefabs
The wizard adds the BeastyManager for you. You only need Add Component when you are building a scene by
hand.
The BeastyManager inspector has an Auto-wire / Repair button. It guarantees every manager exists and
re-resolves the scene’s views by type, and it only fills empty references - it never overwrites your
wiring . If a scene stops working after you moved objects around or edited a prefab, press it first. See
Troubleshooting .
See also