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Knox Buildworks

Add-on Studio

Knox Buildworks Add-on Studio is a separate static web application maintained in the companion pz-knox-buildworks-addon-studio repository. It creates the same schema-version 1 manifests and definition bundles documented in the add-on guides; it is not a second runtime format.

The application runs entirely in the browser. It does not require an account, backend, database, or asset service. Selected game and mod files remain local, and generated projects never embed Project Zomboid sprite pixels or absolute machine paths.

What it edits

Section titled “What it edits”
  • projects, definition-file organization, and manifest order;
  • templates and material groups;
  • buildables, stages, grouped families, variants, and material options;
  • directional, multi-tile, irregular, and multi-level geometry;
  • items, tags, tools, consumables, skills, knowledge, and input flags;
  • placement, construction, object properties, callbacks, lights, and containers;
  • normal-wall and standalone plaster, paint, and wallpaper data;
  • compact entityCompat references and read-only entity metadata;
  • English IG_UI.json and Tooltip.json translations;
  • raw JSON with a synchronized resolved/effective preview.

It can export individual project data, a portable .kbwproject.json, a validation report, or a deterministic complete Build 42 add-on ZIP.

What it does not do

Section titled “What it does not do”

The Studio does not execute Lua, register native entity components, write Project Zomboid .tiles files, or reproduce the complete game renderer. It does not generate custom entity scripts in the current release. A browser preview cannot prove pathfinding, collision flags, native component lifecycle, callback behavior, or multiplayer load order.

Use it as an authoring and static-validation tool, then test the exported mod inside Project Zomboid.

Run it locally

Section titled “Run it locally”

Clone or download the Add-on Studio repository, then run it from the repository root:

Terminal window
cd pz-knox-buildworks-addon-studio
npm install
npm run dev

Vite prints the local URL. Node.js 22 or newer is required. A Chromium-based browser offers the best directory-selection API; other browsers use recursive file-input fallbacks.

For a production build:

Terminal window
npm run check
npm run build
npm run preview

The static output is written to dist/ and uses relative assets, so it can be hosted at a GitHub Pages project subpath.

Section titled “Recommended first project”
  1. Create a project with a stable Mod ID and short ASCII namespace.
  2. Add the game media folder as an asset source if you need vanilla sprites.
  3. Add vanilla or mod script folders as reference sources for items, tags, entities, recipes, perks, and timed actions.
  4. Create one JSON-only object with two directions and three input rows.
  5. Add routed English name and description keys.
  6. Validate, export the ZIP, and test it in a clean Build 42 save.

Continue with Local sources and assets and the authoring workflow.