The FXEditor can be started from the console with the editfx command. You can also start it via the command line by adding the +editfx parameter. Be aware that you must be in windowed mode to run the FXEditor.
The FXEditor contains 3 main areas:
Segments: When an effect is loaded the segments section will show you all of the segments in the current effect.
Properties: Contains many sub-tabs that control the properties of a segment.
Graph: Displays visually any table envelopes applied to things such as color, alpha, etc over the lifetime of the segment.
Within the Segments window is where new segments are created,removed and ordered. By right clicking inside this region and clicking Insert, new FX segments can be added.
Information on the Properties window can be found in the The Properties of a segment, while information on the Graph window can be found in the Notes about Envelopes/Tables.
Edit allows adjustment of Segments, while View adjusts what windows within the FXEditor are visible. There are also Tools usefull for reloading materials, playing and placing effects. The upper right section of the FX Editor is the Scale viewer. This is to temporarily set your system quality to Ultra, High, Medium or Low. This is to preview effects using segment Scalability, Detail Factor.
It is usefull to bind keys to play effects one time and looping. These keys will play the currently selected effect file in the FXEditor. The binds are as follows:
Bind <key> editfx_play Bind <key> editfx_playlooping