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

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Prerequisites

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

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Project Setup

1

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>
2

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
3

Configure Build Output

Set the output path to Frosty’s Plugins directory:
<PropertyGroup>
  <OutputPath>$(FrostyPath)\Plugins\MyPlugin\</OutputPath>
</PropertyGroup>

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Plugin Metadata

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

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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";
    }
}

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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)]

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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

Register your asset definition in AssemblyInfo.cs: 
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).

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Creating a Custom Editor

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

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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)]

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Building and Testing

1

Build the Project

Build your plugin project. The DLL should output to Plugins/YourPluginName/.
2

Verify Plugin Location

Ensure your plugin DLL is in:
FrostyEditor/
└── Plugins/
    └── YourPluginName/
        └── YourPluginName.dll
3

Launch Frosty Editor

Start Frosty Editor. Check the log for plugin loading messages.
4

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

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Debugging

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
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
For debugging:
  1. Set plugin project as startup project
  2. Set FrostyEditor.exe as the external program
  3. Place breakpoints in your code
  4. Press F5 to debug

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Common Patterns

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Multiple Asset Types

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

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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;
}

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Next Steps

Asset Editors

Create custom asset editor UI

Custom Actions

Add context menu actions

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