RustCuiEditor - Visual CUI creator - Tools

About RustCuiEditor - Visual CUI creator

Rust CUI Editor
Visual Interface Designer for Rust

Stop writing UI code blindly. Design your CUI interfaces visually and export ready-to-use code in seconds.

What is this?

Rust CUI Editor is a desktop application for creating Rust game UI (CUI) interfaces using a visual drag-and-drop editor. Instead of writing dozens of lines of CuiHelper code and constantly reloading your plugin to see the result, you design everything visually and get clean, working code instantly.

Video demonstration

Elements

Panel
Image (URL/sprite)
Label (with outline)
Button
InputField
ScrollView
Countdown
Draggable
Slot
NeedsCursor / NeedsKeyboard

Layout

Horizontal Layout Group
Vertical Layout Group
Grid Layout Group
Content Size Fitter
LayoutElement

Visual

Drag elements on canvas
Resize with 8 handles
Multi-selection
Marquee select
Anchor/offset system
Element rotation
Inline text editing
Element locking

Alignment

Left / Center / Right
Top / Middle / Bottom
Stretch to parent
Match Width/Height
Distribute evenly

Find & Replace

Search and replace element properties across the entire project at once. No need to click through each element manually.

► Search by text content, color value, sprite, or material
► Filter results by element type
► Replace single matches or all at once
► Full undo support for bulk replacements

Inspect Element

Dedicated inspection window for any selected element. Shows all properties in structured form alongside the raw CUI JSON output.

► All component properties in one place
► Raw CUI JSON with one-click copy
► Useful for debugging and quick exports
► Opens with shortcut or right-click menu

Snapshots

Save named project states at any point and restore them without losing your current work. Snapshots are completely separate from undo history.

► Create named snapshots before risky changes
► Restore any snapshot at any time — current work is preserved
► Stored in a .snapshots folder next to the project file
► Independent from undo/redo stack

Wrap in Parent

You've built a header with a label and a close button, then realize you forgot to add a background panel behind them. Select all elements, right-click, Wrap in Parent — done. Nothing moves.

► Works with any selection of elements
► New parent is sized to the bounding box of the selection
► All anchors recalculate automatically
► Wrap into Panel, Button, Image, or ScrollView

Themes

Dark Theme

Default dark interface.
Easy on the eyes during long sessions.

Light Theme

Full light mode across all panels,
dialogs, and overlays. Toggle in settings.

Plugin Import

Load CUI elements directly from an existing .cs plugin source file. The parser reconstructs the full element tree for visual editing.

► Parses CuiHelper and CuiElementContainer patterns
► Resolves local variables and string constants
► Handles loops and repeated element generation
► Substitutes lang message references with preview text
► Works on any Oxide/Carbon plugin file

Built-in Reference

A built-in help system with searchable articles covering the entire CUI system. No need to leave the editor to look something up.

► Articles for every element type and property
► Covers layers, ScrollView, blur materials, anchors, offsets, fonts
► Shortcut reference with all editor hotkeys
► Live demo canvas inside each article
► One-click "Add to project" from any example

Performance Rewrite

Canvas

GPU rendering
Scene bitmap cache
Static layer cache
SKPicture cache
SKPaint pooling (50+ allocs/frame saved)
Text layout cache
Typeface cache
Pan without full re-render

Element Tree

Debounced rebuild on rapid changes
Bulk update batching
Fast flat selection cache O(n)
ThumbnailBrush cache
Detach() memory leak fixed

Color Picker

Real-time updates while dragging
Only the affected element redraws
No full scene invalidation

Live Preview

See your UI exactly as it appears in-game, right inside the editor. Every element is fully rendered with correct Rust scaling, colors, sprites, and fonts. No need to reload your plugin to check the result.

Rendering

Panels & Images
Labels with fonts
Rich Text support
Sprite tinting
FadeIn / FadeOut

Interactive

Button hover & press
ScrollView with inertia
Elastic bounce
Auto-hiding scrollbars
Live Countdown

Drag & Drop

Draggable elements
Slot filter matching
MoveToAnchor snap
Element swapping
KeepOnTop z-order

Tools

Element Inspector
Grid overlay
Outlines view
Auto-sync with editor
Screenshot to PNG

All CuiDraggableComponent properties are supported in preview: LimitToParent, MaxDistance, AllowSwapping, DropAnywhere, DragAlpha, ParentPadding, ParentLimitIndex, AnchorOffset, and more.

► Pick up Draggable elements and drop them into Slots
► Filter matching ensures only compatible elements snap
► Swap elements between occupied slots
► Inspector overlay shows element info on hover (shortcut: I)
► Grid and outline overlays for layout debugging (G / O)
► Background selector: dark, light, or any game screenshot
► Auto-sync keeps preview updated as you edit
► Export preview as PNG screenshot (S)

Smart Hook Generation

When your project uses Draggable or Slot elements, the export automatically generates ready-to-use hook methods with proper logic:

► OnCuiDraggableDrag with if/switch blocks for each draggable
► OnCuiDraggableDropped with switch by slot name
► Comments with accepted elements and filter values
► Works in both Snippet and Plugin export modes

Developer Tools

Professional plugin development toolkit with four dedicated tabs:

Plugin Settings

Author & version
Chat/console commands
Auto-show hooks
Permissions list
Plugin references
Generate Unload

Lang System

Multi-language support
Visual translation table
Per-element lang keys
lang.GetMessage() export
Canvas preview

ImageLibrary

Image key/URL table
Per-element ImageLib key
GetImage() helper
Auto OnServerInitialized
Auto plugin reference

Templates

Reusable code templates
Custom method generation
Placeholder system
Per-project settings

Localization System

Full multi-language support for your plugins. Assign lang keys to any text element, manage translations visually, and export with automatic lang.GetMessage() calls.

► Add unlimited languages (en, ru, de, fr, etc.)
► Visual translation table - edit all strings in one place
► Toggle between raw text and lang key per element
► Canvas shows resolved translations in real-time
► Exported code includes full LoadDefaultMessages with all languages

ImageLibrary Integration

Manage image assets directly in the editor. Define image keys and URLs, assign them to elements, and get clean export code with automatic ImageLibrary loading.

► Image key/URL table in Dev Tools
► ImageLib Key property on Image elements
► Export generates GetImage() helper method
► Plugin export auto-adds OnServerInitialized with image loading
► Automatic [PluginReference] ImageLibrary in export

Syntax Highlighting

► C# syntax highlighting in Export window
► JSON syntax highlighting in Export window
► Color-coded keywords, strings, numbers, comments
► Optimized for large code blocks

SVG Design Import

Import your designs directly from professional design tools:

Figma
export to SVG and import

Illustrator
Adobe AI/SVG support

Inkscape
free vector editor

Any SVG
standard format

► Automatic source detection optimizes parsing for each tool
► Smart layer hierarchy preservation
► Automatic element type detection (btn_, lbl_, img_, panel_)
► Correct parent-child coordinate conversion

Figma Plugin & Tools

New "Tools" folder included with the editor:

► CuiHelper Plugin for Figma - export designs directly to C# code
► Sample SVG designs - ready-to-import examples for testing and learning
► Documentation - setup guide for Figma plugin

Smart Resize Mode

Default Mode

Resize by changing Anchor values
Perfect for responsive layouts that
scale with screen size

Shift + Resize

Resize by changing Offset values
Perfect for pixel-perfect positioning
Orange handles indicate active mode

Inline Text Editing

► Double-click any text element to edit it directly on canvas
► No need to switch to the property panel, just click and type
► Press Enter or click outside to confirm changes

Guides, Grid & Smart Snapping

► Draggable guides from rulers
► Customizable grid with snap
► Smart guides - auto-snap to edges
► Distance indicators while dragging

Multiple Backgrounds

Preview your UI on actual game screenshots:

Game view Inventory Loot container Crafting Map Transparent

Export Formats

Generate ready-to-use code in three formats:

C# (CuiHelper)

container.Add(new CuiPanel {
  RectTransform = { 
    AnchorMin = "0.3 0.3", 
    AnchorMax = "0.7 0.7" 
  },
  Image = { Color = "0.1 0.1 0.1 0.9" }
}, "Overlay", "MyPanel");

JSON

[{
  "name":"MyPanel",
  "parent":"Overlay",
  "components":[...]
}]

Full Plugin

Complete .cs file with:
• using statements
• class definition
• commands & permissions
• Lang & ImageLib integration
• all UI code

Import Existing Code

Already have CUI code? Import it!

► Paste JSON array
► Paste C# CuiHelper code
► Import from PSD files
► Import from SVG files (Figma, Illustrator, Inkscape)
► Import from .cs plugin source files

The editor parses your code and recreates all elements for visual editing.

Project Management

► Save/Load project files
► Multiple tabs for different projects
► Recent projects with thumbnails
► Per-project settings
► Close confirmation for unsaved changes

Property Editor

Full control over every element property:

► Position (anchors + offsets)
► Colors with Rust format (0-1 RGBA)
► Fonts and text alignment
► Sprite/material selection
► Outline settings

► Fade in/out animations
► Button commands
► Input field parameters
► ScrollView settings
► Rotation and pivot point

Quote

<b>text</b> - Bold
<i>text</i> - Italics
<size=20>text</size> - Size
<color=#FF0000>text</color> - Color

Element Hierarchy

► Layer-based structure (Overlay, Hud, HudMenu)
► Parent-child relationships
► Drag & drop reordering
► Visibility toggle
► Lock elements to prevent accidental edits
► Rename with double-click
► Hover a tree node to highlight it on canvas