title: Using the map editor
author: Armin Rigo / Decker

The map editor is the most widely used part of QuArK. When you first try to use it, you might have troubles in understanding
what's going on. The basic idea is that you build polyhedrons (cubes or more complex) to make the shape of the map (walls,
floors, ceilings...), and then you put entities to populate it (monsters, lights, doors...).

It is important to distinguish between what is related to QuArK's map editor and what is related to the game you are making
maps for. For example, how you give complex shapes to polyhedrons or how you change the attributes of entities is related to
the map editor. On the other hand, what all these entity attributes actually mean is related to the game only, and so is the
list of entities and textures you can use; see <ref> ./entitiesforgame </ref> below.

For the basic QuArK-related operations, you can get help from one of the available tutorials. A basic one is found in the
<ref>maped \ documentation of the map editor</ref> (included in the QuArK distribution).
Other ones are found on the <link website>QuArK web site</link>.

Questions about this subject are welcome in the <link forums>QuArK forum</link>.
See also the <link infobase>on-line docs</link> on the web site.
