Navigate the editor with confidence from your first session
Locate every control instantly — top bar, canvas, inspector, left toolbar, and status bar.
The Scapiera editor is organized into four permanent zones: the top bar for mode switching and global actions, the canvas with its view-control menu bar for drawing and viewing your design, the right-side Inspector for object properties and panels, and the status bar for live measurements and save state. A fifth zone — the left toolbar — appears in 2D and 3D modes and gives you instant access to all drawing and editing tools. Understanding where each zone lives lets you work without hunting for controls.
Top bar — sections, actions, and global settings
The top bar runs the full width of the screen. At the far left is the Sections menu (the hamburger button) for moving between project sections and reaching Settings, Recently deleted, and Exit. Next to it, in the Design section, sits the 2D/3D view toggle, followed by Undo and Redo, clipboard actions (Cut, Copy, Duplicate, Paste, Delete), the Adjust menu (align, distribute, lock, group, stacking order), and the Style controls (surface class, outline, fill) with the Format Painter. The right side holds Search commands, the Capture a screenshot menu, Import, Export, and Help.
Left toolbar — drawing and editing tools
In the Design section, a vertical toolbar appears on the left edge of the canvas. It contains the selection and transform tools, the drawing tools (Line, Polyline, Curve, Arc, Rectangle, Circle, Freehand, and more), the Measure tool, with canvas viewing controls in the separate view-control strip. Click a tool once to activate it; most tools show their options in the Inspector on the right while active. Hover any icon to see its name and keyboard shortcut.
Canvas — draw, view, and interact with your design
The large central area is the canvas. In 2D mode it shows a top-down plan view with rulers and snap guides. In 3D mode the same objects appear in a perspective scene you can orbit, pan, and zoom. In Presentation mode the canvas switches to one of the available presentation render styles. The 2D and 3D views share the drawing objects. Saved captures and generated AI images are separate outputs; regenerate them after changing the design when you need a current image.
Inspector panel — properties and side panels
The right edge of the editor hosts the Inspector. With nothing selected, the drawing Inspector offers Guides, Pages, and Components, with terrain controls in the relevant 3D context. Select an object to see its supported properties, including its layer assignment and project tags. Open Filters in the canvas menu bar for parallel Layers, Surface classes, and Tags tabs. Open View for saved views. Available Inspector tabs depend on the editor, view, selection, and account access.
Status bar — coordinates, measurements, and save state
The bottom status bar shows the active tool’s hints, supported cursor and selection measurements, page information and zoom actions. Its save indicator reports All changes saved, Saving..., or Save failed — some changes may not be saved using mint, gold or ruby. Hover over it to read the status.
Workspaces — specialized layouts in the same window
Some sections replace the main editor layout with a dedicated workspace in the same window: the Terrain workspace (for elevation and sculpting), the Survey workspace, supported focused editors such as Reshape and the Structure editor, the Smart Trace wizard, and import workflows for models and underlays. Each workspace has its own toolbar and panel layout. Use the Sections menu (or a back control in the workspace) to return to the Design section.
The Command Search button in the top bar (or the keyboard shortcut shown next to it) opens a palette where you can type any action name — tool, menu item, or setting — and jump to it instantly without navigating menus.
Hover over the save dot to read All changes saved, Saving..., or Save failed — some changes may not be saved. A save error does not guarantee that unsaved work will survive closing or refreshing the tab. Keep the editor open and check saving before leaving.
Hover over the save dot to read All changes saved, Saving..., or Save failed — some changes may not be saved. A save error does not guarantee that unsaved work will survive closing or refreshing the tab. Keep the editor open and check saving before leaving.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Inspector on the right is empty — is something wrong?
Select an object to see its supported properties. With no selection, the drawing Inspector offers its default panels. Use Filters in the canvas menu bar for layers, surface classes and tags, and View for saved views.
Where do I change project settings?
Open Settings from the Sections menu. Project settings include Units & formatting and Canvas & drawing settings.
How do I reset the view?
Use Home in the canvas view-control strip or a fitting action in Zoom. In 3D, Navigate → Navigation help also offers Reset camera.