6.1. LSFX Files
Now we've reached the advanced level stuff of creating your own effects. This is where Patience and Imagination are really important. So, if you are content with just finding pre-existing effects to apply to your RootTemplates and MEIs, you do not need to continue reading. But if you want to learn more, well....
Alright, let's begin.
Well, you guessed it, the first thing you're going to need is an .lsfx file of the effect you like. I do NOT recommend attempting to create one manually, rather, simply use one you already have as a template. I also won't be providing any complete pictures of .lsfx files, as they can be enormous, with hundreds, thousands, 10s of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of lines. That being said...
To begin, once you have the name of the .lsfx you want, you're going to copy it, and paste it into the Index Search window. These files will always start with the prefix VFX_. and have the file extension .lsfx.
You can also narrow the search by deselecting Select All in the file type, and selecting .lsfx. This will narrow your search. You can also do this if you simply want to explore .lsfx files.
Don't forget to hover over the object you want to Convert & Open before clicking the button, otherwise, nothing will happen.
In this case it will almost always come back with only 2 results. The Merged file you found it in, and the .lsfx itself. Then, like the others, simply click click convert and open
You should now have something that looks similar to this:
This image was cropped for size, as the file chosen is enormous
The first thing you are likely going to notice is a few, or a LOT of <node id="DependentResource">. Don't fear. As I mentioned in the Merged tutorial, these are just a reference to the contents inside. Technically, you can leave these blank in both the Merged and here, but I advise against it, especially if you choose to swap out bits and pieces. Now, I won't go over everything, simply because there are so many things that can be inside a VFX File that it'll feel overwhelming. But I will address the most common things, to help make this task feel more approachable. So, Stay Tuned.