Level Editor

The Level Editor is a feature of Geometry Dash which provides the player the ability to build levels and share them to other players online.

Menu selection
Level Title= When a user creates a new level, it will ask for a level name at the top. Creators are limited to a name that is 20 characters long (including spaces) and uses only letters and numbers. If this field is left blank, the level will be named "Unnamed 0." The number will increase if a level with "Unnamed" and the previous number already exists.

If two levels in the My Levels list have the exact same name, the newer version will have the text "Rev. #" next to it in the list to distinguish between them. Level Description (Optional)= A level's description is also another option that can be changed at the menu of a level which can be up to 140 characters long. A description is optional, unlike the title, and is generally left blank by casual creators. Since Update 2.0, creators may update the description without having to reupload the level. Other Menu Features=
 * Level Status: This shows the player the length, music, verification status, level ID and version of a level.
 * Right Column: This gives the player the option to delete a level, copy a level for themselves, seek help, or move a level to the top of the creator's list.

Level Settings
Level Music= A player can choose a soundtrack from an official level in-game, or a soundtrack from Newgrounds for their level. Using custom music is done by copying and entering a song ID from the respective URL. Alternatively, a player can select a custom song by picking one from their saved songs. When using a custom song, creators also have a music editing system, in which they could change a soundtrack's offset, its level editor guidelines (to sync the level to the music), and whether the song fades in and/or out.

Colour Options= These options change the colour of the background, the ground, lines and some objects.
 * BG modifies the background colour and transitions. It can also override the ground if the Tint Ground box in the bottom left is ticked.
 * Obj modifies objects' outline colour and transitions.
 * Line modifies the ground's outline colour and transitions.
 * Grnd modifies the ground's primary colour and transitions.
 * Grnd 2 modifies the ground secondary colour. This only applies to the four new grounds introduced in Update 2.0.
 * 3DL modifies colour of 3D outline decorations.
 * Col modifies colours of colour channels. With this, the player can also copy a colour from another colour channel, and edit the hue, saturation, brightness, and opacity of a colour channel.

Level Sequencers= Listed by pressing the gear in the top-right corner of the editor, these modify how the level starts. The creator can choose what speed, form, size, and amount the player should start at, along with two-player mode for dual mode.

Building Assist Tools
There are three types of Building Assist Tools, being the Creation, Working and Edit Tools.

The Creation Tools include the Build, Edit and Delete Tabs on the bottom-left of the level editor, and are essential for level building. Build Selection Tab= There are 13 different tabs for blocks, slabs, outlines, ramps, spikes, 3D objects, interactive objects, different types of decorations, gears and saw blades, level effects, and custom objects.

Blocks

Blocks are the basic building material in all Geometry Dash levels. They come in many patterns, but they all have the same hitbox (square). Blocks without outlines require the addition of them to function as solid objects, otherwise the icon can pass through them. Invisible and breakable blocks are not classed under blocks for some odd reason, instead being classed under slabs.

Slabs

Slabs are smaller versions of blocks with a smaller hitbox. They come in 3 different shapes, each of them with a different hitbox. This also includes the breakable and invisible blocks.

Outlines

Outlines are basically lines, solid blocks, slabs, and ramps with no interior design. They are used to add "solidness" to certain blocks, as well as connect the corners of blocks.

Slopes

Slopes are angled blocks that allow the form to slide over them without crashing. Most designs have both solid and non-outlined variants.

Spikes and Thorns

Spikes are the main harmful objects in levels, the other one being sawblades. They also have a fake and invisible variant, both classed here. Thorns are variants of spikes that are usually placed on the ground and come in a variety of forms, including wave-like, squarish, and so on.

3D Objects

This tab contains the decorational 3D objects. The first nine objects are 3D lines that can be added on top of regular blocks, slabs, and ramps to give the impression of a 3D object. Due to their hitbox-less quality, they can also be used to create a 'fake line' which a form can pass through. The rest consists of actual 3D elements that add the interior design to the 3D objects.

Interactive Objects

This tab consists of Pads, Rings, Portals, User Coins, Text, and Animated Objects.

All Decorations (3 tabs)

These tabs contain most of the small decorations that do not have a hitbox.


 * The first of these tabs contains decorations that would be mostly placed on the ground, complementing the thorns.
 * The second contains decorations that would be more likely used on gameplay elements, like blocks and orbs.
 * The third contains rhythm decorations. They are special as they pulse according to the beat of the song. Some also serve as markers to indicate which way to go.

Sawblades

This tab contains all sawblades and sawblade-based decorations to complement them.

Level FX

This tab contains all in-game effects, such as colour changers, triggers, transition effects, ghost trail toggling, and start positions. These options are important to creating physical changes to the objects in the player's level, for example moving objects, or changing the background colour. Triggers can be set to "Touch Triggered," which is only activated when the player goes over it, or "Spawn Triggered," which will be triggered by the 'Spawn' trigger. Note that all triggers require the selection of a group ID that it is assigned to, otherwise they will not have any use. Make sure the objects that the player want for the desired effect have a distinct group ID.


 * Triggers: Please refer to the section titled "Triggers" below.
 * Start Position: This object re-positions the icon's starting position elsewhere, often used for testing particular portions of a level. Editing a start position can determine the icon's attributes including forms or portal effects. Placing a starting position ahead of another will override any existing ones. The player cannot verify a level with a start position legitimately.


 * Player Trail: This enables a shadowing trail of the player's icons behind the player as the player plays. The trail is the same colour as the player's primary colour, and the player can choose to enable or disable this.


 * Transition Blocks: These blocks are used to change how objects enter and exit the level. Please refer to the section titled "Triggers" below.

Custom

Here, the player can make new custom objects that will be used later to ease future level building. The player can create a custom object by selecting a group of objects and hitting the green plus symbol. To delete a custom object, the player must select it in the build tab and hit the red minus symbol. Note that a maximum of 100 objects can be selected as a custom object. Identical custom objects can be used between different levels. The custom objects are placed in the center of the block selected by default, unless the user chooses one object to be the "Group Parent." Edit Selection Tab= There are 18 available edit tools. After selecting an object to edit (or selecting multiple using the swipe tool), tap the buttons to edit the object. Delete Selection Tab= The delete tab deletes any selected object by pressing the trash button. If the player would like to delete all objects of a certain kind, select the object and press the "delete all" button. Other delete options include:
 * The four tools indicated with one arrow move the player's selection four pixels in the direction indicated.
 * The four tools indicated with two arrows move the player's selection one block in the direction indicated.
 * The four tools indicated with three arrows move the player's selection five blocks in the direction selected.
 * The four tools indicated with one smaller arrow move the player's selection one pixel in the direction indicated.
 * The two tools that show arrows in both direction indicate that it will mirror the selection in the direction it points.
 * The six tools with circular arrows rotate the selection either clockwise or counterclockwise, either by 90 degrees, 45 degrees, at the angle of a nearby slope (snap), or freely (free).
 * The tool that reads 'scale' scales the object's size, from 0.5x to 2.0x its original size.
 * Start Pos: Deletes any start positions in the level.
 * Static: Only static blocks that the player can touch will be deleted.
 * Details: Deletes only decorations.
 * Custom: Deletes only the selected object's type (determined by the player).

The Working Tools include the Swipe, Rotate, Free Move and Snap Buttons, and are located on the bottom-right of the level editor. By default, these buttons are green, but when selected they turn blue. Note that these four buttons do different things while the build, edit, or delete tabs are selected. Swipe= If the swipe button is selected, different actions will occur depending on whether the player is using the build, edit, or delete tab. Rotate= Whenever objects are selected, a large circle outline with a small green filled circle will appear above the centers of the objects. By dragging this green circle the player can rotate the objects to any angle. Free Move= Whenever objects are selected, the player can drag those objects to place them at other locations instead of using copy and paste. Snap= This is only in effect when "Free Move" is activated. When dragging objects, using "Free Move" with "Snap" enabled will snap the object to the nearest grid space instead of using the edit tool to manually do so. Note that it does not work on rotated objects.
 * If swipe is disabled, attempting to swipe on the screen will move the map instead of affecting level elements; provided, of course, that none of the other Working Assist Tools are selected.
 * If in the build tab, only if an object to build is selected, swiping across the screen will cause that object to rapidly fill the screen as the player swipes under the player's finger or mouse cursor.
 * If in the edit tab, swiping creates a green outlined box that will select any elements in the box.
 * If in the delete tab, swiping across the screen will rapidly delete any objects under the player's finger or mouse cursor.
 * This does not work with some objects, such as static blocks and variants that can only be rotated at 90 degree and 45 degree angles and the rotation circles will not appear.

The Edit Tools include the Copy, Paste, Edit Object, Edit Group and De-Select buttons, located on the right of the level editor. When an object is selected, these buttons will be available for use, aiding the user in their level creation. Copy and Paste= Using the Copy and Paste buttons with an object selected will allow the player to take a selection highlighted by the edit tool and copy it it elsewhere. When copied, it saves the object's color, orientation and size.
 * Using the Copy + Paste button (yellow) will duplicate the object and place it in the same location as the first copy. From there, the player can use the edit tab to move it how the player would like.
 * The Copy button (blue) stores the player's selection, as well as its colour, orientation, and size in the game's memory. When Paste (pink) is pressed, the same selection will appear at the center of the player's screen. From there, the player can use the edit tab to move it how the player would like. the player's selection will not be saved if the player exit out of the level editor, however. Use custom objects to permanently save an object.

Edit Object= Using the Edit Object button (pink) with an object selected will make a group of options for that object appear in a pop-up box. These options will differ depending on the object selected:
 * Selecting blocks, slabs, outlines, slopes, obstacles, 3D objects, background triggers and decorations will bring up colour options for the object. Some objects will have two colour options, named 'Base' and 'Detail,' where colours set before can be used. Special objects may have another tab located rightmost on the panel indicating their special attributes.
 * Selecting other triggers, such as move, pulse or start position will bring up settings for that object, such as the targeted group ID.
 * Other objects with no changeable attributes will not cause the Edit Object button to be usable when selected.

Edit Group= Using the Edit Group button (orange) with an object selected will make a group of options for that object appear in a pop-up box:
 * 'Editor Layer, Editor Layer 2: These will modify the object's layer only shown in the level editor.
 * Z Order: Not to be confused with "Z Layer", this option allows the player to change the layer of objects in the level. A lower value indicates that the object will appear behind objects with higher values if the Z Layer is the same or lower. Certain objects, like User Coins and text, have different reactions to this, and can only be ordered using Z Layer.
 * Add Group ID: This 'groups' certain objects together for use with the triggers or to ease level building. In Update 2.0, the system was enhanced to allow multiple groups per object. The box below will show the groups that a certain object is part of. To add a group ID to a level, select a group ID number, and press the 'add' button to add it to a box below. To remove a group ID, press it in the box. The player can also choose "Next Free" to select the next available group ID that has not been used before in the map. Formerly, an object could have an infinite number of groups applied, but currently, only ten are allowed.
 * Z Layer: This changes the object's layer relative to the player. The selections given are 'Bot,' 'Mid,' 'Top,' and 'Default'. Objects in lower layers will always appear behind ones in higher layers, even if their Z Order values are higher. If the Z Layers match, the object with the higher Z Order is placed in front. The Top layer will cause objects to appear in front of the player.
 * Don't Fade: This prevents the object from fading when it enters or exits the screen.
 * Group Parent: For custom objects, this will make the object selected the "parent" or centre of the group.

De-Select= Using the De-Select button (green) with an object selected will de-select that object. Its highlighted green shade will change back to its regular chosen color.



Pause Options
By pausing the level editor, it appears with a range of different options to aid the player in building the player's level. Center Tabs= Side Checklist= Other Features=
 * Resume: Leaves the pause menu and returns back to the level editor.
 * Save and Play: Saves the player's level and plays the player's level normally.
 * Save and Exit: Saves the player's level and leaves the pause menu back to the level menu.
 * Exit: Leaves the pause menu back to the level menu without saving the player's changes. It will warn the player that the player's changes will be lost, and asks for confirmation.
 * Preview Mode: Allows the player to see the full level complete with colors, trigger actions and transitions.
 * Show Ground: Enables/Disables the ground texture in the level editor.
 * Grid on Top: Allows the gridlines, trigger lines, and music lines to appear in front of objects in the editor.
 * Show Grid: Enables/Disables the checkered grid in the level editor.
 * Show Object Info: Enables/Disables an object's colours, groups, and Z Layer/Order appearance in the top left when selected.
 * Effect Lines: Enables/Disables triggers' blue lines.
 * Follow Player: Enables/Disables screen following player during a playtest.
 * Playtest Music: Enables/Disables level music being played in background while in the level editor.
 * Ignore Damage: Enables/Disables collisions with blocks and hazards, making the player invulnerable in the level editor.
 * Object Limit: Shows the amount of objects used in a level. The maximum amount of objects that can be used is 30,000.
 * Start Positions are not considered under the total object count.
 * However, by tapping the "Split" button in the text options of a text object, one can split the text into many objects regardless of the object limit which means that there can be more than 30,000 objects in a level if multiple text objects are split.
 * Length: Shows the length of a level, as well as its time in minutes and seconds.
 * Music Guidelines: Enables/Disables music guidelines shown in the level editor.
 * Help: Takes the user to Boomlings.com for more information on level creation.
 * Options: Allows the user to choose the amount of buttons per row when using the creation tools.
 * Reset Unused: Resets all unused colour channels. This will make those channels available as 'next free'.
 * Uncheck Portals: All portals will be unchecked in the level editor.

Sidescreen Features
{{Togglebox|header = Extra Features|body = Along the left side and the top of the screen there are extra features that assist the player in building the level. With these buttons, the player can zoom in and out of the editor field, undo an action and playtest soundtrack.

Zoom buttons
To zoom in and out of the editor field, there are two buttons along the side of the screen to do so. One is the zoom in button; it is represented as a magnifying glass with a '+' on the lens. When clicked, it decreases the scale of the field, therefore causing the screen to be put further in. The other button is the zoom out button; it is represented as a magnifying glass with a '-' on the lens. When clicked, it increases the scale of the field, therefore causing to screen to be put further out.

Playtest
The playtest buttons allow for the player to test the soundtrack and gameplay in a level.

Playtest soundtrack
This feature gives the player the ability to test the soundtrack. It is represented by a blue 'play' sign with a music note on it. Using this feature, the player can sync the level to the soundtrack. When clicked, it causes a line that spans the entire height of the field to appear, moving in time with the soundtrack. The speed the line travels at with correlate with the speed of the level; this means that it changes according to any checked speed portals it goes past. The playtest button will turn into a button which will stop the playtest when clicked.

Playtest gameplay
This feature gives the player the ability to test the gameplay of the level. It is represented by a 'play' symbol with a cube icon on it. Using this feature, the player can test jumping, flying and other gameplay aspects in the level. When clicked, the player's icon appears, and will behave as if it was in the real level. It will interact with portals and other map components. The icon will also leave behind a trail which can help the player follow its path. The playtest button will turn into a button which will deactivate the icon when clicked. Alongside this, another button will appear which can pause and play gameplay. There are a few options regarding this feature:
 * Follow Player: Enables/Disables the screen following the player.
 * Playtest Music: Enables/Disables the soundtrack playing during gameplay test.
 * Ignore Damage: Enables/Disables the player crashing in gameplay test.

Undo and Redo
To undo or redo an action, there are two buttons placed in the top left of the screen. There functions are self explanatory: If every action has been undone by the player, the undo button itself will not be able to be used. If nothing can be redone, the redo button itself will also not be able to be used.
 * The undo button, represented by a curving arrow pointing to the left, will undo the previous action done by the player.
 * The redo button, represented by a curving arrow pointing to the right, will redo the previous action.

Delete Object
This button, added in Update 2.0, functions the same way as the delete tab - delete the selected object. An object or group of objects must be selected, otherwise the button will not be able to be used.

Scroll Bar
This feature allows the player to scroll horizontally through the level. It is represented by a long bar with a button showing an arrow with points on both ends; the player clicks and drags this button to scroll. If the level does not reach that far, the scroll bar will go to around the 30-second mark, assuming the entire level is in normal speed.}}

Triggers
{{Togglebox |header = Triggers |body = Triggers are special objects that are used to change the level. There are seven different types of them: Color, Move, Pulse, Toggle, Spawn, Secondary Trail (unofficial name), and Transitions (unofficial name). Triggers are under the 12th tab, the one with the BG colour trigger.

Color Triggers
Color triggers can color the background (indicated by a BG) the ground (indicated by GRND) a secondary color of the ground (GRND 2), the line between the ground and the background (indicated by Line), the default outline of hitboxes on objects (Obj), the default color of three-dimensional decoration (indicated by 3DL), and a color that is used in decoration (indicated by Col).

To change the color that the trigger changes the colour to, press the Edit Object button at the right of the screen. A screen titled "Select Color" will pop up. The color circles in the middle control the color that the trigger changes the color to. The outer circle selects the hue, while the inner circle controls the tone and value. The fade time is the amount of time it will take to fade from the previous color to the one the player are currently selecting. The player can use the slide bar beneath it to change it or type the number in. The time value ranges from 0.00 to 10.00 seconds, but can be set for more than that manually. The Player Color 1 checkbox and the Player Color 2 checkbox make the trigger ignore the colour circles, and will then change the color to the player's primary/secondary colour, for whoever plays the level. The Copy and Paste buttons in the top-right copies the colour currently displayed, which then can be pasted into another color trigger. The Copy Color option allows the player to take any other channel and change its hue, saturation, or brightness. It will also cause the channel to change with its source. The Copy Opacity option will cause the channel to have the same opacity value as its source. Touch trigger and Spawn Trigger will be discussed further down on this page.

These next few features only appear in the Col, Line, and 3DL colour triggers. In the right side of the screen, there is an opacity slider which determines how transparent/opaque the colour is. Similar to it is the Blending option, which allows the colour to stack with others, with darker colours being more transparent.

Move Triggers
Move triggers are triggers that move certain groups of objects around in a level. To use this the player have to know how to group objects under a specific group. That will be discussed below.

Once the player have given the group of objects a group ID, go ahead and open the "Edit Object" menu while the move trigger is selected. The player will get a Move X input, a Move Y input, 2 checkboxes labeled "Lock to player X/Y", an Easing option, a move time, a target Group ID, and the touch triggered and spawn triggered checkboxes, which will be discussed below.

The Target Group ID controls which group of objects the player are currently going to be moving. Set the number equal to the number of the group that the player want to move. The player can then change the Move X and the Move Y to control the amount of movement the group will move. Putting a 10 into the X will move the group 1 unit right. Putting a 1 in the X will not move the group 1 unit right, but rather 1/10 of a unit. If X is positive the group moves right. If X is negative, the group will move left. If Y is positive the group will move upwards, and if Y is negative, the group will move downwards. The player can put a number in for both X and Y to make it move diagonally. The slider allows movement from -100 to 100, but the actual range is -999 to 999, as the player can input 3-digit numbers outside that range as well.

The "Lock to Player X/Y" checkboxes will ignore the number inputted above them and will instead move the group perfectly to any move the player makes. It will look like the object is moving at the same speed of the player, or is just not moving at all depending on how much of the level the player see. Applying two locking to player X's will make the objects move twice the speed of the player, and if enough objects are in the group and they are used correctly, can make it seem like the player is moving backwards through the level.

The easing controls the distribution of movement across time. Some are easy to understand, such as “bounce”, but others are not as straightforward and if used creatively can achieve special effects (for example, the sine easing allows circular motion of objects).

The move time controls how long it will take to complete the movement. As soon as that much time has elapsed, the group will be at the target destination and will stop moving, unless there is another move trigger. Similar to color triggers, the time range is from 0.00s to 10.00s, and can be set for more than that manually.

Triggers and speed portals can only be moved vertically. Form portals' grids will not move with the portals, making it possible to make an offset of the grid.

This trigger appears as pink in the level editor, which is determined by the colour of its circle.

Pulse Triggers
Pulse Triggers will change a colour channel or group to one colour temporarily.

In the bottom-right of the screen, there should be a field marked "Channel ID." Right above it are two buttons, one labelled "Channel" and one labelled "Group." The channel button will cause all objects using or copying the specified channel to pulse, while the group button will do the same except it will affect all objects using a group.

Above those two are two more buttons, one reading "Color" and the other "HSV." Color should be automatically selected and will cause the colour wheel to appear. A colour may be chosen from there to cause the specified group/channel to pulse the chosen color. The HSV is for selecting colours similar to another and will change when the source colour is changed.

Below the HSV options/colour wheel, there are three sliders, one "Fade-In," one "Hold," and one "Fade-Out." These are self-explanatory; the values in the fields should match the time in seconds the color should fade in, stay, and fade out respectively.

Similar to Colour Triggers, there are two buttons labelled Copy and Paste in the top-right, both serving the same function.

This trigger appears as yellow in the level editor.

Alpha Triggers
Alpha triggers are triggers that affect the transparency of a group of objects. Under the Group ID field, there are two sliders: FadeTime and Opacity. FadeTime is the time in seconds it should take for the specified group to reach the opacity selected using the Opacity slider.

This trigger appears as light blue in the level editor.

Toggle Triggers
Toggle triggers completely (de)activate a group of objects. If the tickbox "Activate Group" is left unticked, the group will immediately disappear when passing by the trigger and the player can go through them. If it is ticked, then the opposite will happen: the group will reappear and the player will not be able to pass through the hazards and static objects.

Note that toggle triggers can take on two different colours in the editor depending on whether they are set to on or off. When it activates a group, it appears green. When it deactivates a group, it appears red.

Spawn Trigger
Spawn triggers activate a certain group of triggers that are marked "Spawn Triggered." Unlike the others, spawn triggers are automatically marked as touch triggered. When activated, the group to be activated will be triggered at the same time, regardless of horizontal placement. The triggers activated by a spawn trigger can only be triggered once, even if the player passes by multiple spawn triggers activating the same triggers.

This trigger appears as teal in the level editor.

Trail Triggers
Trail Triggers enable or disable the secondary trail left by the player. The secondary trail is a copy of the player's primary color in the shape of the icon at it's current position that is repeated as the other copies fade away behind the player.

These triggers are pretty straightforward with no parameters needed. They are indicated by a cube leaving a trail. There are two triggers for this: Enable and Disable. Enable will enable the secondary trail. Disable will disable the secondary trail.

Entrance/Exit Triggers
The player may have noticed animations at the edges of the screen as objects come onto the screen before. These triggers control such animations. These triggers are indicated by a default block with some annotations around it. The annotations are designed to tell the player what the animation is, but some of them are difficult to discern what they are. Here are the descriptions in order of the triggers’ appearance in the editor:
 * No transition.
 * Blocks will appear moving downwards and disappear moving upwards.
 * Blocks will appear moving upwards and disappear moving downwards.
 * Blocks will appear moving to the right and disappear moving from the right.
 * Blocks will appear moving to the left and disappear moving from the left.
 * Blocks will shrink to the left and grow from the right.
 * Blocks will grow to the right and shrink from the left.
 * Blocks will implode in front of the player and explode behind the player.
 * Blocks will explode in front of the player and implode behind the player.
 * Blocks will appear by moving inwards from the top and bottom and disappear by moving outwards from the bottom and top.
 * Blocks will appear by moving outwards from the top and bottom and disappear by moving inwards from the bottom and top.

Touch Triggered and Spawn Triggered
Color, Move, Pulse, Alpha, Toggle, and Spawn Triggers will have a checkbox labelled "Touch Triggered." Enabling this will give the trigger a hitbox that will activate the trigger only if the player enters the hitbox. The Spawn Trigger will never activate if this is turned off, even if the player touches the very coordinates the trigger sits at. Color, Move, Pulse, Alpha, and Toggle Triggers also have a checkbox labelled "Spawn Triggered." Enabling this will make the trigger not activate at all (not even if the player goes past it) until it is spawned using a Spawn trigger. }}

Trivia

 * A level will only count as verified if the level is completed in normal mode with all user coins collected, if there are any user coins in the level.
 * Interestingly, back in the first version of the game, using practice mode to verify levels was allowed. This feature was removed in 1.1. Source.
 * There are five different lengths in a custom level: Tiny, Short, Medium, Long, and XL.
 * The only way to transfer objects between two levels is to select that object and make it a custom object.
 * If the player click the "Help" button on the custom music screen, there is an example ID (568699), which is the song ID for "Hexagon Force" by Waterflame.
 * The Level Editor feature is not available in Geometry Dash Lite and Geometry Dash Meltdown.
 * A Custom Object can't have more than 100 objects in it.
 * Robert Topala has revealed that more triggers will be added in Update 2.1. Some examples include Rotation, Count and Animation triggers. [confirmation needed]