beasty-visual-novel / reference / menu-items.md

Menu items

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 itemWhat it doesMore
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 itemWhat it doesMore
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 itemWhat it doesMore
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 itemWhat it doesMore
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 itemWhat it doesMore
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 itemWhat it doesMore
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 itemWhat it doesMore
Tools > Beasty VN > Settings > Global SettingsOpens VN Settings. The same asset as Edit > Project Settings > Beasty VN.VN Settings

Streaming

Menu itemWhat it doesMore
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 itemWhat it doesMore
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 itemWhat it doesMore
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

ComponentWhat it isMore
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 one button to remember

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