Getting started

These steps take Studio from a fresh download to an open project.

Requirements

Studio ships no game packages, keys, fonts or decoder libraries. It reads them from the installation.

Large maps need a lot of memory. On a machine without a page file, several large map loads at once can run out of memory. A read then fails with a “decryption failed” message that names the system error, or Studio stops with an internal runtime error. Close other heavy programs and try again. The package data is not damaged.

Start Studio

Run Sunrise Studio.exe. It is one file and needs no .NET install. Help > Third-party notices lists the licenses of what it includes.

To build Studio from source, install the .NET 9 SDK and run publish.ps1 in the source folder. It writes publish\Sunrise Studio.exe. Installing Sunrise Studio has the full steps, including the Sunrise version Studio needs.

Choose the installation

On the first start the Sunrise location dialog opens.

1. In Installation folder, enter your game folder, or press Browse and pick it.
2. Leave Package key source on Automatic. Studio reads the package key export from the installation. Follow the one-time setup below if the keys have not been exported yet.
3. Press Open Sunrise.

The dialog accepts the installation root, its packages folder or its bin/x64/Sunrise folder. Studio remembers the choice in its local settings. To change it later, use File > Sunrise location….

The loading screen stays until names, maps, missions and the asset browser are ready. The progress bar names the current stage and its count. The first open scans every package for names and takes longer. Later opens read the loading cache; see Cache settings.

If the folder holds no packages, the loading screen shows Unable to load and the reason. Press Choose Sunrise location to pick another folder.

Export package keys once

The normal packed executable keeps its package keys hidden until it runs. Sunrise can export them for Studio. No executable or memory dump is needed.

1. Close the game and open bin/x64/Sunrise/settings.json in the installation.
2. Set "dump_package_keys": true inside the "client" object. Keep its other settings.
3. Run Sunrise once. After startup, it writes bin/x64/Sunrise/exports/package_keys.bin.
4. Close the game and set "dump_package_keys": false again. The export remains available.
5. Open Studio with Package key source on Automatic. Clear an older custom path if needed.

This option is off by default. While enabled, it replaces the same export on each startup. The export stays in your installation. Studio does not copy it into projects or mods. If it is deleted, repeat these steps. A runtime that does not support this setting must be updated.

The advanced Package key source field and --keys accept an exported key file or an owned unpacked executable of the same build. Automatic also supports an unpacked installed destiny2.exe.

Create a project

You can browse without a project. To change anything, create one.

1. Choose File > New project or press Ctrl+N.
2. In Name, type a name for the project.
3. In Parent folder, enter a folder outside the game installation, or press Browse.
4. Press Create project.

Studio creates a folder with that name and a sunrise.project.json file in it. The toolbar then shows the project name instead of View only. Changes save on their own.

Open a project

1. Choose File > Open project… or press Ctrl+O.
2. Pick the project’s sunrise.project.json.

File > Recent projects lists the last eight projects opened. File > Close project closes the open one.

What Studio keeps where

A project holds no installation paths and no local preferences, so it can be shared.

Launch options

Sunrise Studio.exe accepts these options.

Sunrise Studio.exe --help prints a short list of options.

Related pages

• The interface
• Open a map or mission
• Move, rotate and scale objects
• Build and install a mod