Creating Plugins

This guide walks through creating a complete Frosty plugin with a custom asset editor.

Prerequisites

Visual Studio 2019 or later
.NET Framework 4.7.2 SDK
Frosty Toolsuite source code or compiled assemblies

Project Setup

Create a Class Library Project

Create a new .NET Framework Class Library project targeting .NET Framework 4.7.2:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net472</TargetFramework>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

Add References

Reference the required Frosty assemblies:

FrostyPlugin.dll - Core plugin functionality
FrostySdk.dll - SDK types and managers
FrostyCore.dll - Editor controls and base classes

You’ll also need WPF references:

PresentationCore
PresentationFramework
WindowsBase
System.Xaml

Configure Build Output

Set the output path to Frosty’s Plugins directory:

<PropertyGroup>
  <OutputPath>$(FrostyPath)\Plugins\MyPlugin\</OutputPath>
</PropertyGroup>

Plugin Metadata

Define your plugin’s metadata in Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs using assembly-level attributes.

Basic Metadata

using Frosty.Core.Attributes;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

[assembly: ComVisible(false)]
[assembly: Guid("YOUR-GUID-HERE")]

// Plugin identification
[assembly: PluginDisplayName("Texture Editor")]
[assembly: PluginAuthor("YourName")]
[assembly: PluginVersion("1.0.0.0")]

These attributes are read by the PluginManager (from ~/workspace/source/FrostyPlugin/Plugin.cs:14-91):

public string Author
{
    get
    {
        string author = Assembly?.GetCustomAttribute<PluginAuthorAttribute>()?.Author;
        return !string.IsNullOrEmpty(author) ? author : "Unknown";
    }
}

Profile Targeting

Optionally restrict your plugin to specific games:

// Only load for Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V
[assembly: PluginValidForProfile((int)ProfileVersion.Battlefield1)]
[assembly: PluginValidForProfile((int)ProfileVersion.BattlefieldV)]

// Or exclude specific profiles
[assembly: PluginNotValidForProfile((int)ProfileVersion.Anthem)]

Creating an Asset Definition

Asset definitions control how assets are displayed and edited. Here’s a real example from ~/workspace/source/Plugins/TexturePlugin/TextureAssetDefinition.cs:

using Frosty.Core;
using Frosty.Core.Controls;
using FrostySdk.Interfaces;
using FrostySdk.Managers;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Windows.Media;

namespace TexturePlugin
{
    public class TextureAssetDefinition : AssetDefinition
    {
        private static ImageSource imageSource = new ImageSourceConverter()
            .ConvertFromString("pack://application:,,,/FrostyCore;component/Images/Assets/ImageFileType.png") 
            as ImageSource;

        // Define supported export formats
        public override void GetSupportedExportTypes(List<AssetExportType> exportTypes)
        {
            exportTypes.Add(new AssetExportType("png", "Portable Network Graphics"));
            exportTypes.Add(new AssetExportType("tga", "Truevision TGA"));
            exportTypes.Add(new AssetExportType("hdr", "High Dynamic Range"));
            exportTypes.Add(new AssetExportType("dds", "Direct Draw Surface"));
            base.GetSupportedExportTypes(exportTypes);
        }

        // Provide an icon for this asset type
        public override ImageSource GetIcon()
        {
            return imageSource;
        }

        // Handle asset export
        public override bool Export(EbxAssetEntry entry, string path, string filterType)
        {
            if (!base.Export(entry, path, filterType))
            {
                if (filterType == "png" || filterType == "tga" || 
                    filterType == "hdr" || filterType == "dds")
                {
                    EbxAsset asset = App.AssetManager.GetEbx(entry);
                    dynamic textureAsset = (dynamic)asset.RootObject;

                    ResAssetEntry resEntry = App.AssetManager.GetResEntry(textureAsset.Resource);
                    Texture texture = App.AssetManager.GetResAs<Texture>(resEntry);

                    TextureExporter exporter = new TextureExporter();
                    exporter.Export(texture, path, "*." + filterType);
                    return true;
                }
            }
            return false;
        }

        // Provide a custom editor
        public override FrostyAssetEditor GetEditor(ILogger logger)
        {
            return new FrostyTextureEditor(logger);
        }
    }
}

Registering the Asset Definition

using TexturePlugin;

[assembly: RegisterAssetDefinition("TextureAsset", typeof(TextureAssetDefinition))]

The first parameter is the asset type name from the game’s type library. The PluginManager handles registration (from ~/workspace/source/FrostyPlugin/PluginManager.cs:452-483).

Creating a Custom Editor

Custom editors inherit from FrostyAssetEditor. See the Asset Editors guide for details.

Example: Complete Plugin

Here’s the complete MeshSetPlugin registration from ~/workspace/source/Plugins/MeshSetPlugin/Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs:

using MeshSetPlugin;
using Frosty.Core.Attributes;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Windows;
using MeshSetPlugin.Handlers;
using FrostySdk.Managers;

[assembly: ComVisible(false)]
[assembly: Guid("4b612468-9b6a-4304-88a5-055c3575eb3d")]

[assembly: PluginDisplayName("MeshSet Editor")]
[assembly: PluginAuthor("GalaxyMan2015")]
[assembly: PluginVersion("1.0.1.0")]

// Register options page
[assembly: RegisterOptionsExtension(typeof(MeshOptions))]

// Register asset definitions for different mesh types
[assembly: RegisterAssetDefinition("RigidMeshAsset", typeof(RigidMeshAssetDefinition))]
[assembly: RegisterAssetDefinition("SkinnedMeshAsset", typeof(SkinnedMeshAssetDefinition))]
[assembly: RegisterAssetDefinition("CompositeMeshAsset", typeof(CompositeMeshAssetDefinition))]

// Register custom handler for shader block depot resources
[assembly: RegisterCustomHandler(CustomHandlerType.Res, 
    typeof(ShaderBlockDepotCustomActionHandler), 
    resType: ResourceType.ShaderBlockDepot)]

Building and Testing

Build the Project

Build your plugin project. The DLL should output to Plugins/YourPluginName/.

Verify Plugin Location

Ensure your plugin DLL is in:

FrostyEditor/
└── Plugins/
    └── YourPluginName/
        └── YourPluginName.dll

Launch Frosty Editor

Start Frosty Editor. Check the log for plugin loading messages.

Test Functionality

Verify your plugin features work:

Asset definitions appear for the correct asset types
Custom editors open when double-clicking assets
Export/import options are available

Debugging

Plugin Not Loading

Check that:

DLL is in the correct Plugins/ subdirectory
Target framework is .NET Framework 4.7.2
All required assemblies are referenced
Assembly attributes are correctly applied

Asset Definition Not Appearing

Verify:

RegisterAssetDefinition attribute has correct asset type name
Asset type exists in the game’s type library
Plugin is valid for the current game profile

Attach Debugger

For debugging:

Set plugin project as startup project
Set FrostyEditor.exe as the external program
Place breakpoints in your code
Press F5 to debug

Common Patterns

Multiple Asset Types

[assembly: RegisterAssetDefinition("RigidMeshAsset", typeof(RigidMeshAssetDefinition))]
[assembly: RegisterAssetDefinition("SkinnedMeshAsset", typeof(SkinnedMeshAssetDefinition))]
[assembly: RegisterAssetDefinition("CompositeMeshAsset", typeof(CompositeMeshAssetDefinition))]

Shared Base Class

Create a base definition for common functionality:

public class MeshAssetDefinition : AssetDefinition
{
    public override void GetSupportedExportTypes(List<AssetExportType> exportTypes)
    {
        exportTypes.Add(new AssetExportType("fbx", "Autodesk FBX"));
        exportTypes.Add(new AssetExportType("obj", "Wavefront OBJ"));
        base.GetSupportedExportTypes(exportTypes);
    }
}

public class RigidMeshAssetDefinition : MeshAssetDefinition
{
    public override ImageSource GetIcon() => rigidMeshIcon;
}

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Applications

Modding Guide

Plugin Development

Supported Games

Prerequisites

Project Setup

Plugin Metadata

Basic Metadata

Profile Targeting

Creating an Asset Definition

Registering the Asset Definition

Creating a Custom Editor

Example: Complete Plugin

Building and Testing

Debugging

Common Patterns

Multiple Asset Types

Shared Base Class

Next Steps

Asset Editors

Custom Actions

​Prerequisites

​Project Setup

​Plugin Metadata

​Basic Metadata

​Profile Targeting

​Creating an Asset Definition

​Registering the Asset Definition

​Creating a Custom Editor

​Example: Complete Plugin

​Building and Testing

​Debugging

​Common Patterns

​Multiple Asset Types

​Shared Base Class

​Next Steps

Asset Editors

Custom Actions

Prerequisites

Project Setup

Plugin Metadata

Basic Metadata

Profile Targeting

Creating an Asset Definition

Registering the Asset Definition

Creating a Custom Editor

Example: Complete Plugin

Building and Testing

Debugging

Common Patterns

Multiple Asset Types

Shared Base Class

Next Steps