Sector nodes and placement

A placed sector object is not represented by one array entry. In the compact mod-owned arrangement used for the lab, its type lives in nodes[], its transform and streaming metadata live in nodeData, and its addressable identity is registered in nodeRefs. Cooked vanilla sectors show that these collections are not universally parallel, so review their explicit relationships before assuming a marker or trigger is complete.

Vanilla references

These focused base-game resources are useful comparisons. Extract them from your own installation; they are references, not files to copy into the project.

base\worlds\03_night_city\_compiled\default\quest_606b61008df2ba6f.streamingsector
base\worlds\03_night_city\_compiled\default\always_loaded_0.streamingsector
base\worlds\03_night_city\_compiled\default\exterior_-18_28_0_0.streamingsector
base\worlds\03_night_city\_compiled\default\bd21168eed6c6d62.streamingsector_inplace

The placement triad

A focused conceptual excerpt of that compact shape looks like this:

nodes[3]
  $type: worldTriggerAreaNode
  ...type-specific properties...

nodeData.Data[*]
  NodeIndex: 3
  Position: Vector4(...)
  Orientation: Quaternion(...)
  Scale: Vector3(...)
  Pivot: Vector3(...)
  Bounds: Box(...)
  QuestPrefabRefHash: $/mod/.../#root/#trigger

nodeRefs[]
  $/mod/.../#root/#trigger

This is a property-focused explanation, not a complete serialized resource. The actual CR2W also contains cooked and versioned data that should be preserved through a supported editor rather than recreated from an abbreviated excerpt.

Do not assume the arrays are parallel

In the compact mod-owned shape and the focused vanilla Quest-sector sample, NodeIndex associates a placement record with a concrete node. Do not infer that association from the placement row’s position. More importantly, do not assume every cooked sector keeps the addressed concrete node in the same local nodes[] array. nodeRefs[] is a registration set, not a guaranteed one-for-one mirror of either collection.

The focused vanilla Quest-sector extract happens to contain 21 concrete nodes, 21 placement records, and 21 registered NodeRefs. Its NodeIndex values are 0 through 20, and its 21 non-zero QuestPrefabRefHash values match the registered NodeRef set. A focused vanilla AlwaysLoaded extract has no local concrete nodes, four placement records, and 32 registered NodeRefs; its placement indices are 3269, 3273, 3277, and 3291. Those two arrangements are Observed in vanilla. Separately, a retained mod-owned comparison has six nodes and four registered references and is Structurally validated in its prior arrangement. Together they show why equal counts and local array indices in one file are not schema rules.

Transform and bounds

The retained worldNodeData shape includes:

• Position as a Vector4;
• Orientation as a quaternion;
• Scale, Pivot, and Bounds;
• NodeIndex and QuestPrefabRefHash;
• CookedPrefabData, MaxStreamingDistance, and UkHash1;
• fields exposed by WolvenKit as UkFloat1 and Uk10 through Uk14.

QuestPrefabRefHash is exposed as a NodeRef string in WolvenKit JSON despite its name. Use the field’s observed serialized type and value; do not replace it with a numeric hash because the property name contains “Hash.”

The Uk* names mark an evidence boundary. Their exact meanings are not established here. Earlier research treated UkFloat1 as a streaming-range-like value, but that hypothesis is not enough to rename or explain the field as a universal engine contract. Preserve values from a known-good, mod-owned seed or an editor-created resource, and isolate changes.

As an authoring approximation, one world coordinate unit is often treated as roughly one metre. That is Experimental for player-facing distance: HUD rounding, navigation routes, collision, slopes, and vertical geometry can all make the experienced distance differ. Calibrate the actual site in game.

Concrete nodes own behavior-specific data

The sector’s concrete node carries properties unique to its type. The focused vanilla Quest-sector extract includes 11 worldAISpotNode objects, six worldTriggerAreaNode objects, three worldSplineNode objects, and one worldVehicleForbiddenAreaNode. Its trigger nodes include area outlines and quest trigger notifiers. That inventory is Observed in vanilla only for the focused extract; it is not a complete catalogue of sector node types.

The later triggers chapter will explain AreaShapeOutline, outline height, points, and questTriggerNotifier_Quest. The later markers chapter will separate marker placement from journal map-pin presentation. Type-specific data belongs on the concrete node while placement and identity remain separate.

Inplace resources are another ownership layer

worldStreamingSector can carry localInplaceResource and externInplaceResource. An external entry can softly reference a .streamingsector_inplace, whose worldStreamingSectorInplaceContent owns an inplaceResources[] collection. In the retained serialized view, the embedded CR2W bodies themselves are represented in top-level Data.EmbeddedFiles.

Observed in vanilla: the retained exterior_-18_28_0_0.streamingsector references bd21168eed6c6d62.streamingsector_inplace. That inplace resource has 45 inplaceResources references: 31 .ent, eight .mesh, and six .xbm. Its top-level Data.EmbeddedFiles has 43 bodies: 31 entEntityTemplate, six CMesh, and six CBitmapTexture. The unequal counts are another reason not to infer array pairing without inspecting the actual handles and paths.

Do not confuse that sector-level resource with a node-local worldEntityNode.instanceData, which can resolve through entEntityInstanceData to a RedPackage. They are different owners even when found during the same world investigation. Questphase inplacePhases is a third, unrelated property domain; a shared word in the name does not make these resources interchangeable. These observations are an ownership clue, not permission to copy the extracted resources.

Placement review procedure

Use WolvenKit’s resource and property views so cooked structures remain under editor control. For each mod-owned addressable node:

1. Inspect the concrete nodes[] object and explain every behavior-specific property the example supplies.
2. In the compact mod-owned sector, find the placement record whose NodeIndex is authored to associate with that object.
3. Verify position, orientation, scale, pivot, and bounds against the intended site.
4. Verify QuestPrefabRefHash is the intended full child NodeRef.
5. Confirm nodeRefs[] registers that identity when another resource must address it.
6. Review local and external inplace-resource ownership independently.
7. Save and round-trip the resource, then re-open it and repeat the checks.
8. Pack, inspect the archive paths, confirm block registration, and test the node in game from controlled saves.

Do not use a shortened text excerpt as an import template. The downloadable Lab 3 project must contain complete mod-owned resources, and its authoring reference must account for every supplied node and resource.

Boundary Check placement contract

Structurally validated: the canonical resource places the checkpoint marker at (-1000.02, 1497.2208, 8.3). The reach trigger uses a 25-unit radius, 16 outline points, height 12, and base Z 2.3. The leave trigger uses a 110-unit radius, 20 outline points, height 16, and base Z 0.3. Its finite padded block box encloses both areas and the intended approach.

After changing the trigger geometry, regenerate and inspect AreaShapeOutline.buffer together with points and height. Test approach from several directions, foot crossings, fast travel, streaming return, and reload before and between the boundaries.

Common failures

For Lab 3 acceptance, use a save created before any version of the quest was installed. Derive separate saves before the reach crossing and after reach has succeeded while the player remains inside the outer leave area. A static placement edit may appear after a new process while the quest still follows old saved facts or journal state; neither observation diagnoses the other. The persistent-state chapter defines that boundary.