The different parts of the interface are easily recognizable thanks to color codes and spatial organization. The interface was categorized so that each part follows a specific step in your creation workflow.
1. The work area, that contains the Canvas, its settings and the View toolbar.
2. The top toolbar, that contains the Tools and the Menus.
3. The Mapping panels, that contain the Layers list and the Properties panel.
4. The Content panels, that contain the Group Effects panel and the Sources bin.
5. The Sequencer, that contains all your Sequences and their playback controls.
6. The Tempo & Audio modules.
Navigating the interface
Moving
In order to navigate inside the work area, you can press your mouse wheel and move your mouse at the same time. This will activate the Move tool temporarily.
You can also press [Space], left-click to grab the artboard, and move your mouse at the same time, or click on the icon in the View toolbar to toggle the tool.
Zooming
You can zoom in on your work area until 1060% and zoom out to 80%. (The unit is relative, 100% means the canvas can fit entirely in the work area.)
There are a few ways to do so:
- With your mouse, you can scroll your mouse wheel or simply click on the
and
buttons of the View toolbar. The view bar also contains a button
to reset the zoom to 100% and re-center the canvas in the workspace.
- Alternatively, with the keyboard, you can hold [CTRL/Cmd] and hit [+] to zoom in or [-] to zoom out.
Scrolling
Depending on the size of your screen, you might not see the full content of some panels at once sometimes. This might happen in the Mapping panels, the Content panel or the Sequencer.
In that case, you’ll see a scroll bar (horizontal or vertical). Just click to grab it, and drag it in order to show a hidden part of your panel and access its options.
You can also use your mouse wheel to scroll.
Managing the panels
You will learn throughout this guide how to open, close and sometimes expand and collapse the different panels in the software.
There are no floating panels in HeavyM and you can’t resize the different areas and windows. However, most dialog windows can be moved by dragging their title bar and some, like the Controls and Shortcuts windows always stay on top, so that it is easier for you to see the info they contain while using the interface.