Advanced Visualizer Topics

Prev: Part 3: Using the Visualizer

This page covers advanced features of the visualizer that are not required for the main tutorial.

Visualizer Settings

All visualizer settings live in the Settings dialog. The tabs below cover general behavior, appearance/theme controls, camera configuration, and lighting.

General tab (scene-related items)

The General tab includes settings that affect the viewing experience:

• Environment — select the model folder. By default, the visualizer uses _visualization under the current working directory (CWD); if that is missing, it falls back to the demo device. You can select a different folder inside the CWD.
• Model settings behavior — change the default behavior when loading a model (show the Load Settings dialog, ignore model settings, or auto‑apply camera/lighting/animation settings).
• Default model version — choose Smallest or Largest when multiple versions exist.
• Reset settings — reset specific groups of settings (General, Theme, Camera, Lighting, Animation) or all settings.
• Auto Reload — interval for refreshing preview output.
• Default controls — choose Orbit or Trackball.
• Save and Load Settings — save the current visualizer settings to a file or manually open the Load Settings dialog.

Appearance tab

The Appearance tab is helpful for consistent screenshots and presentations:

• Toggle Axes on/off.
• Choose a Theme (Dark, Light, or Custom).
• Customize background, panel, and text colors; then save or reset the theme.

Camera tab

The Camera tab provides a precise way to position and store cameras.

• Saved cameras list — stored camera slots used by the toolbar and keyframes.
• Camera mode — toggle between Perspective and Orthographic.
• Center Target — centers the camera target on the visible model.
• Reset Camera — frames the visible model using the current camera mode.
• Camera controls — switch between Orbit and Trackball control styles.
• Numeric controls — edit yaw, pitch, roll, target position, distance, and FOV.
• Presets — quick Front/Back/Left/Right/Top/Bottom views.

Tip: When the Camera tab is open, double‑clicking in the preview pane sets the camera target to the clicked surface point.

Lights tab

The Lights tab manages ambient light plus any number of directional or spot lights.

• Ambient light — color and intensity for overall illumination.
• Light sources list — select a light, then edit its properties.
• Type — choose Directional or Spot (type changes are limited during keyframe editing; see Animation below).
• Target + orientation — edit target position (X/Y/Z) or set yaw/pitch + distance.
• Spotlight options — range, decay, cone angle, and penumbra.

Tip: When the Lights tab is open, double‑clicking in the preview pane sets the active light target to the clicked surface point.

Loading multiple versions of models

The visualizer supports versioned models. If a model has multiple versions, the Model Selector shows a version dropdown next to its name. When multiple models share common versions, a Set all versions selector appears at the top.

Key points:

• Versions are grouped by base name (for example, names like device__v2 become version V2).
• The Default model version setting (General tab) selects the initial version (Smallest or Largest).
• You can mix versions across models to compare geometry changes side‑by‑side.
• Versioned models are especially useful for advanced animations and comparisons over time.

Using the animation system

The Animation panel builds camera fly‑throughs and repeatable inspections using keyframes.

Keyframes

• Add creates a keyframe containing the current camera, lighting, and model visibility/version state.
• Hold (s) controls how long the keyframe is held.
• Transition Duration (s) controls the time to the next keyframe.
• Move Up/Down reorders keyframes; Remove deletes the active keyframe.

Selecting a keyframe applies its camera, lighting, and model visibility immediately.

Editing transitions and model visibility

Click the pencil icon on a keyframe to open the Settings dialog in Keyframe mode. This exposes four tabs:

• Transitions — choose how Camera, Lighting, and Models interpolate to the next keyframe. Available options include On start, In middle, On end, Linear, and S‑curve. The curve editor is available for Linear and S‑curve transitions.
• Models — the Model Selector appears inside the dialog so you can choose which models (and versions) are visible for that keyframe.
• Camera — edit the camera pose, controls, and presets for the active keyframe.
• Lights — edit ambient and directional/spot lights for the active keyframe.

Notes:

• Camera mode (Perspective/Orthographic) and light structure (add/remove/type) can only be changed in Keyframe 1. Later keyframes can still adjust positions and values.
• Model version changes can cross‑fade during transitions.

Playback and export

• Play toggles play/pause from the active keyframe.
• From Start starts playback from keyframe 1.
• Export opens the export dialog with renderer, resolution, FPS, and quality controls.

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Next: Part 4: Hello World Component