Sign-Tech

V3 overhauled every sign with Sign-Tech: stacked layers of text, shapes and noise you can move, colour, mask and warp. The same editor is available for canvas/decal signs and in the POI level editor.

Layer types, warps and mask modes are read from signs.xml. Counts are how often each type appears in the shipped sample signs.

8 sample signs · 285 layer instances · 101 warp instances

How to use it

Sign-Tech is both a world-content system and a player/creator editor.

  • In Creative, place a Wooden Sign (1m / 3m / 5m) from the player blocks.
  • Interact with the placed sign to open the editor: stack text, shapes and noise, then colour, mask and warp layers.
  • POI creators get the same editor in the level design tools, using canvas and decal signs in many sizes.
  • Every layer has an RGBA colour picker plus a mask mode that controls how it blends with layers below.

Player-placeable signs

Wooden Sign 1m 1x1 Wooden Sign 3m 1x3 Wooden Sign 5m 2x5

Layer types

Each sign is a stack of layers. Groups nest other layers so they transform together.

Shapes 164

Polygons with sides, smoothness, softness and star points.

PolygonSignLayer
Group 64

Nests layers so they move, scale and warp as one unit.

GroupSignLayer
Text 45

Any string in a game font, positioned and scaled freely.

TextSignLayer
Noise 12

Procedural grunge and texture to weather a sign.

NoiseSignLayer

Layer warps

Any layer can be bent with one of these warps.

Arc 31

Curves the layer along an arc.

ArcWarp
Twirl 22

Spiral twist around a centre point.

TwirlWarp
Perspective 21

Fake 3D tilt / vanishing-point skew.

PerspectiveWarp
Pinch / Bulge 19

Pushes the centre in or out.

BulgeWarp
Kaleido 5

Radial kaleidoscope mirroring.

KaleidoWarp
Stretch 2

Non-uniform stretch deformation.

StretchWarp
Skew 1

Slants the layer on one or both axes.

SkewWarp

TFP’s V3 release notes also list a Grid warp. It does not appear in the shipped sample signs.xml vocabulary counted above.

Layer masking modes

Layers combine with an RGBA colour picker — tint, mask against another layer, or punch a hole.

Color only 260

Draws the layer colour without using it as a mask.

ColorOnly
Color and mask 11

Applies colour and masks layers below.

ColorAndMask
Punch out 10

Cuts the layer shape out of the content below.

PunchOut
Mask only 4

Uses the layer shape as a mask without drawing its colour.

MaskOnly

Sample signs

The game ships these Sign-Tech presets (including the default canvas sign).

Default Sign Default 32 layers 12 warps
Layers
Shapes 18 Text 8 Group 6
Warps
Perspective 8 Kaleido 2 Twirl 2
Modes
Color only 27 Color and mask 3 Punch out 2
Fonts
Permanent Marker 6 Dancing Script 2
Text samples
  • SignTech
  • your sign here
Bad & Ugly 91 layers 63 warps
Layers
Shapes 65 Group 18 Text 8
Warps
Arc 27 Pinch / Bulge 16 Twirl 10 Perspective 9 Skew 1
Modes
Color only 91
Fonts
LiberationSans 8
Text samples
  • BAD
  • UGLY
  • &
  • BEAN CO
Buy-N-Go 13 layers 0 warps
Layers
Text 6 Group 4 Shapes 3
Modes
Color only 13
Fonts
LiberationSans 6
Text samples
  • BUY
  • N
  • GO
DP Gas 12 layers 0 warps
Layers
Shapes 6 Group 4 Text 2
Modes
Color only 12
Fonts
LiberationSans 2
Text samples
  • DP GAS
Gonuts Donuts 8 layers 0 warps
Layers
Text 6 Group 2
Modes
Color only 8
Fonts
LiberationSans 6
Text samples
  • GO
  • U
  • UTS
  • DO
Mask Demo 43 layers 12 warps
Layers
Shapes 31 Group 10 Text 2
Warps
Twirl 5 Kaleido 3 Arc 1 Pinch / Bulge 1 Perspective 1 Stretch 1
Modes
Color only 35 Punch out 4 Color and mask 3 Mask only 1
Fonts
LiberationSans 2
Text samples
  • masks
Noise Demo 57 layers 14 warps
Layers
Shapes 29 Group 15 Noise 12 Text 1
Warps
Twirl 5 Arc 3 Perspective 3 Pinch / Bulge 2 Stretch 1
Modes
Color only 45 Color and mask 5 Punch out 4 Mask only 3
Fonts
LiberationSans 1
Text samples
  • N ISE
Poopy Pants 29 layers 0 warps
Layers
Shapes 12 Text 12 Group 5
Modes
Color only 29
Fonts
LiberationSans 12
Text samples
  • POOPY
  • PANTS
  • N
  • Y
  • T
  • O
  • A
  • P
  • S

Canvas & Decal sizes

World/POI Sign-Tech surfaces from blocks.xml. Canvas = freestanding panel; Decal = applied face. Tap a size for the block page.

Canvas · Wood

Wooden canvas panels for freestanding Sign-Tech art.

45
1x1 1x2 1x9 1x12 2x1 2x2 2x4 3x1 3x2 3x3 4x1 4x2 4x3 4x4 5x1 5x2 5x3 5x6 6x1 6x2 6x3 6x8 6x11 7x1 7x2 7x3 7x4 7x9 8x1 8x2 8x3 8x4 9x1 9x2 10x1 10x2 10x3 11x1 11x3 11x6 13x1 13x2 24x12 075x050 075x075
Browse in Blocks →
Canvas · Corrugated metal

Metal canvas panels — same size set as wood.

45
1x1 1x2 1x9 1x12 2x1 2x2 2x4 3x1 3x2 3x3 4x1 4x2 4x3 4x4 5x1 5x2 5x3 5x6 6x1 6x2 6x3 6x8 6x11 7x1 7x2 7x3 7x4 7x9 8x1 8x2 8x3 8x4 9x1 9x2 10x1 10x2 10x3 11x1 11x3 11x6 13x1 13x2 24x12 075x050 075x075
Browse in Blocks →
Decal · Wood

Wood-backed decals for walls and façades.

41
1x1 1x9 1x12 2x1 2x2 2x4 3x1 3x2 3x3 4x1 4x2 4x3 4x4 5x1 5x2 5x3 5x6 6x1 6x2 6x3 6x8 6x11 7x1 7x2 7x3 7x4 7x9 8x1 8x2 8x3 8x4 9x1 9x2 10x1 10x2 10x3 11x1 11x3 11x6 13x1 13x2
Browse in Blocks →
Decal · Corrugated metal

Metal-backed decals for industrial POIs.

41
1x1 1x9 1x12 2x1 2x2 2x4 3x1 3x2 3x3 4x1 4x2 4x3 4x4 5x1 5x2 5x3 5x6 6x1 6x2 6x3 6x8 6x11 7x1 7x2 7x3 7x4 7x9 8x1 8x2 8x3 8x4 9x1 9x2 10x1 10x2 10x3 11x1 11x3 11x6 13x1 13x2
Browse in Blocks →

Fonts used in samples

Fonts referenced by Text layers in the shipped signs.

  • LiberationSans (37)
  • Permanent Marker (6)
  • Dancing Script (2)

Related console commands

Client-side helpers for debugging the Sign Editor and texture baking.

  • signeditordebug sed

    Toggles visibility of the Sign Editor debug panel.

  • signtexman stm

    Allows enabling/disabling the Sign Texture Manager and configuring various baking settings.