Manual

Every card in the viewer, with its picture, its button and each control described.

Camera

Viewpoint The Viewpoint card places the camera at a named pose and sets its lens.

Cameras Switch between named views of the scene and key camera positions as the animation plays.

Places Saves and opens named views inside a capture.

Look

Environment The Environment card picks the panoramic HDR image that lights the model and stands behind it.

Floor Sets the ground the model stands on and controls its appearance.

Lighting The card places studio lights around the model and sets how all lights behave.

Colour Pick a colour for this element from presets, a temperature scale, hex code, or sliders.

Tone The card adjusts the picture's exposure, tone curve and colour channel.

Effects The card sets the picture's finishing effects.

Cartoon The Cartoon card renders the scene in a drawn style with simplified paint, flat lighting bands, edge lighting, a printed halftone screen and posterised colour.

Accumulated The card renders depth of field, soft shadows and motion blur by accumulating frames while the view is still.

Volumetric The card fills the air around the model with haze that the lights shine through, so beams and shafts of light show in the air.

Volume Set a volume's density, droplet size, colour and light, with presets for clouds, smoke and fire.

Traced effects The card chooses ray traced effects and controls texture map streaming into memory.

Rigging

Fit a skeleton Fits a skeleton to a model so it can be posed and animated.

Pose a limb Pose a model with a skeleton, by hand.

Motion The card is a library of motion clips that play on the model's skeleton; press a clip to play it.

Mannequin colours The card sets the two colours of the shipped mannequin: its body and its joints.

Character A motion file plays on a body you choose from the characters shown on the card.

Animation

Animation The card lists animation clips in a scrolling grid; press one to play it, and its name appears at the top right.

Key shape This card shapes animation keys: their type, the motion curves between them, how handles are computed, and where the motion eases.

What a key holds Choose which animation channels Add key writes.

Timing Set the frame rate and how times are shown.

Scene

Scene The Scene dock lists every object in the view, so you can select, arrange and limit their textures.

Move, rotate and scale Show the picked object's position, rotation and scale as X, Y and Z.

Timeline Manage animation keys and playback across time.

Material variants For a model file that carries material variants, the card lists each variant as a cell, and pressing one shows the model in that variant.

Reset The scene returns to its defaults.

Read

Model info The card displays the open model's properties and carries the tooltips switch.

Shading mode The card picks how the model is drawn: the finished look, one of four wireframe views, or a view of one material property for inspecting a model.

How big this is, in millimetres The card shows the model's dimensions in millimetres.

Make

Capture a still The card takes a still picture of the current view at a chosen size, with or without its background, and copies or saves it as a PNG.

Shot templates Produces the set of pictures and clips a destination asks for in one press.

Presentation The model turns on a turntable while the camera and lights stay still or walk around it, and you record one full turn as a sequence of images or video.

Record Records the animation to a file with your choice of format, size, frame rate and sample count.

What a lister thumbnail shows This card sets how Heimdall3D draws thumbnails in folder listings.

Recall

Named setups Save and load a whole look under a name.

Bookmarks The card keeps camera views for the file that is open.

Recently opened The card shows recently opened files as a grid of pictures, most recent first.

Print

Will it fit the machine The card shows the model on each 3D printer's build volume.

Where supports will be needed The card colours faces that overhang too steeply to print unsupported.

2D

Sprite sheet The card lays out the animation clip from several directions, one row per direction and one cell per frame.

Pixel look Renders the model as pixel art with a limited colour palette.

Maps The card chooses extra maps written beside the colour sheet, cell for cell, for lighting and effects in a 2D engine.

Export The card writes the sheet, its maps and the data files game engines and tools read to cut it into frames.

Image viewer

Image tone Sets how the picture's range of brightness becomes what the screen shows.

Channels Chooses which channel of the picture is shown.

Alpha Shows how the picture stores its transparency.

Pixels Set how enlarged pictures are drawn and at what factor they are saved.

Region Selects the region that a save writes.

Frames Plays an animated picture or a sprite sheet.

Mips The smaller copies of a picture made for display at smaller sizes: which to view and how to average them.

Use this HDRI Add this picture to the environment gallery so it can light 3D renders.

Brightest region Finds the brightest region of an HDR picture and reads out its direction, brightness and size.

Probes Three balls lit by the picture as an environment to judge its light for 3D renders.

Analyse Four views of the picture: histogram, false colour, clipping and brightness positioning.

Image sections Opens the list of sections available in the image viewer.

The toolbar

Sections The section chip at the left of the toolbar opens a list of specialized tool groups for different kinds of work.

More controls The toolbar's last button opens a card that lists every control without room at the pane's current width. Documentation Opens the Heimdall3D manual in your web browser.

Alerts

This installation is incomplete - rendering on the CPU, without textures Some rendering files are missing from the installation folder.

Windows blocks previews of downloaded files - click to clear the mark Downloaded files are marked by Windows and skipped by the preview pane.

This picture was drawn without some of what the settings asked for The graphics card renderer was unavailable.

Camera

Viewpoint

The Viewpoint card places the camera at a named pose and sets its lens.

The card's title shows the pose the camera is at; it shows "custom" after you drag the view. The lens is read on a camera body, and the body's sensor size is shown at the foot of the card, for example "36 × 24 mm full frame, vertical fit". Every slider returns to its default on a double-click; the Reset button restores all defaults.

Choosing a body keeps the picture exactly as it is and changes the millimetres the Lens reads, so a view can be matched to a real camera.

isometric The classic isometric view from above a corner.

iso 2:1 The 2:1 isometric used for pixel art, where each diagonal line steps two pixels across for one down.

front A view of the model from the front.

right A view of the model from the right.

back A view of the model from the back.

left A view of the model from the left.

top A view of the model from the top.

bottom A view of the model from the bottom.

Parallel (orthographic) The camera draws without perspective, keeping parallel lines parallel and sizes equal at every distance.

Isometric views use orthographic projection.

Lens The focal length in millimetres, 12 mm to 400 mm.

The track is logarithmic so the wide lenses have room. A shorter lens sees more of the scene; a longer one sees less and flattens depth.

Field of view The vertical angle of view in degrees, from about 3 degrees to 90 degrees.

The default is 40 degrees. Moving either this or Lens moves the other.

14 Set Lens to 14 millimetres.

24 Set Lens to 24 millimetres.

35 Set Lens to 35 millimetres.

50 Set Lens to 50 millimetres.

85 Set Lens to 85 millimetres.

135 Set Lens to 135 millimetres.

FF Camera body: 36 × 24 mm full frame.

S35 Camera body: 24.9 × 18.7 mm Super 35.

APS-C Camera body: 23.6 × 15.6 mm APS-C.

M4/3 Camera body: 17.3 × 13 mm Four Thirds.

Phone Camera body: 9.8 × 7.4 mm phone sensor.

Near clip from nearest surface The camera's near clipping plane moves in to stand just short of the nearest surface in view.

This switch is on by default. A close-up of a surface stays whole.

Near clip Brings the near clipping plane closer to the camera, as a share of where it would otherwise sit.

The slider ranges from 1% to 100%, with a default of 100%. Use this for work very close to a surface.

Camera

Cameras

Switch between named views of the scene and key camera positions as the animation plays.

The scene's cameras are listed as cells in the card. Pressing a cell cuts the view to that camera at the current playhead position. Each cut is recorded as a row on the timeline, named after the camera.

Add camera Add a camera at the current view.

Look through Show the view through the picked camera.

Key camera Key the picked camera's position at the playhead.

Aim at selected Keep the selected object in view as the camera moves.

While this is on, the button reads "Following".

Remove Remove the picked camera.

Name The name of the camera in use, so cameras can be told apart.

Camera

Places

Saves and opens named views inside a capture.

The card appears when a photographed scene made of splats is open. Places are shown as cells. Pressing a cell moves the camera to that place. Each capture file keeps its own places. The D-pad on a game controller steps through them. The line at the foot names where the capture opens.

Place name The name to save this place under.

The place is numbered if this box is left empty.

Add Saves the current view as a place.

The view is saved with the name in the box, or numbered if the box is empty.

Start here The capture opens at this place from now on.

The capture loads at this place when the file is opened next.

Remove Deletes this place.

The place is removed from the capture.

Look

Environment

The Environment card picks the panoramic HDR image that lights the model and stands behind it.

The card displays a gallery of HDR maps as picture cells. Pressing a cell switches to that map. The name of the map under the pointer shows beneath the gallery. The H key opens and closes this card; the H beside the title indicates this. Buttons beside the title add your own HDRIs to the gallery and remove maps you have added.

Beneath the Sun slider is a colour picker that sets the sun's colour and has a Kelvin mode; its controls are documented on the Colour page. The Backdrop section sets what stands behind the model. A colour picker beneath the Backdrop cells sets the backdrop colour, the top colour of the gradient, and the colour that maps or pictures are blended over. The backdrop folder button opens the folder where backdrop pictures are stored. Every slider returns to its default on a double-click. The card's Reset button restores all defaults.

No environment The first cell of the gallery; the model is lit without a map.

Sun Turns the environment map around the model, moving the sun and every light. Range 0 to 360 degrees.

Lights the model Whether the environment map lights the model.

When off, the Strength slider is greyed.

Strength How strongly the environment map lights the model. Range 0.05 to 2.

colour A flat colour stands behind the model.

gradient A vertical sweep from the picked colour at the top to a darker colour at the bottom stands behind the model.

map The environment map itself stands behind the model, turned with the Sun slider.

image A picture from the backdrop folder stands behind the model, scaled to cover the whole view.

Falloff How much darker the bottom of the gradient is than the picked colour. Range 0 to 0.9.

Works with the gradient backdrop.

Blend How strongly the map or picture covers the backdrop colour beneath it. Range 0.05 to 1.

Works with the map and image backdrops.

Stops The brightness of the backdrop in photographic stops. Range -5 to +5.

Applies only to map and image backdrops. Separate from the view's own exposure on the Tone card.

Blur Softens the map or picture behind the model. Range 0 to 1.

Applies only to map and image backdrops.

Look

Floor

Sets the ground the model stands on and controls its appearance.

The floor catches the model's shadows, contact darkening, and reflections. The toolbar button switches the floor on and off and opens this card; the F key also switches it. Use the icon buttons beside the title to add a custom floor material or remove one you added.

Built-in materials are shown as tiles and repeat at 60 cm per tile at Scale 1, with colour, relief and roughness. Every slider returns to its default when double-clicked, and the Reset button restores every control to its default.

Floor Shows or hides the floor.

Same state as the toolbar button and the F key.

Grid Draws ruled grid lines on the ground.

The grid works with the floor on or off; without the floor, the grid is drawn on its own.

neutral Plain untextured floor.

The default material.

marble Polished marble.

tiles Tiled floor.

wood Wooden floor of long boards.

planks Rough plank boards.

metal Metal tread plate with raised diamond pattern.

rock Natural rock.

ground Bare earth with leaves and grit.

concrete Poured concrete.

showroom Dark polished stone with wavy veins.

paving Outdoor paving stones.

grass Lawn.

carpet Carpet.

Scale Multiplier for material tile size.

Range 0.1 to 8, default 1. At Scale 1, each tile is 60 cm wide. The track is logarithmic. Type a number for a precise value.

Pan X Slides the material sideways across the floor.

Range -4 to 4 tiles, default 0.

Pan Y Slides the material along the other floor axis.

Range -4 to 4 tiles, default 0.

Rotation Turns the material on the floor.

Range 0 to 360 degrees, default 0.

Height Raises or lowers the ground.

Affects floor, grid, shadows and contact darkening. Range is one quarter of the model's largest dimension up or down. When a model includes its own floor, use this to position the floor on or beneath it.

Seen from below Displays the floor from below.

When on, the floor stays visible with its underside showing as the camera passes beneath it. When off, the floor fades away. Default is off.

Look

Lighting

The card places studio lights around the model and sets how all lights behave.

The card places three studio lights (Key, Fill and Rim) around the model. It also controls the file's own lights, the model's glowing surfaces, shadows, falloff and patterns. When "Point lights" is off, the model is lit by an automatic three-light rig, and a line reads "Lit by the automatic rig". When "Point lights" is on, the three lights appear as handles on a dome and can be repositioned by dragging. Press a light to pick it; the picked light's name, colour, distance, intensity and size appear below.

Distances are measured in model radii, the radius of the sphere that frames the model. This means the same numbers work for objects of any size. The colour picker's controls are documented on the Colour page. Every slider returns to its default on a double-click, and the card's Reset button restores every default.

The EMITTERS section appears only when the model has glowing surfaces. Custom images can be added to the GOBO section and appear as picture cells below the built-in patterns.

Point lights Switch between placed lights and the automatic rig.

With Point lights off, the automatic three-light rig lights the model. With Point lights on, the three placed lights on this card light the model.

Key Turn the key light on or off.

The key is the main light.

Fill Turn the fill light on or off.

The fill light lifts the shadows.

Rim Turn the rim light on or off.

The rim light lights the model's edge from behind.

Distance How far the picked light stands from the model.

The range is 1.1 to 8 model radii.

Intensity How bright the picked light is.

The range is 0 to 4.

Size How large the picked light is.

The range is 0.02 to 1. A larger light gives softer shadows and broader highlights.

None The picked light's intensity is set by the Intensity slider.

This is the default in the DRIVE BY section. The other cells in this section are objects in the scene. Picking one drives the light's intensity from its distance to that object, and four sliders appear below.

Near The distance at which the light takes its "At near" intensity.

The range is 0 to 8 model radii.

Far The distance at which the light takes its "At far" intensity.

Between Near and Far, intensity moves smoothly from one to the other.

At near The intensity at the Near distance.

The range is 0 to 4.

At far The intensity at the Far distance.

The range is 0 to 4.

File The whole group on or off

Switch for all the lights stored in the model file.

Glowing The whole group on or off

Switch for the model's glowing parts acting as lights on the scene.

Casting Lamps and spots that cast shadows at once

A number with minus and plus buttons, 0 to 8.

Shadows All shadows on or off

Contact shadows Darkens where a part meets a surface

Soft Softens shadow edges while the camera moves

Four positions with minus and plus buttons: Off, Main (the main light's shadow), Distance (softness grows with distance from the object casting it), All (lamps and spots as well).

Rendering card Opens the Rendering card.

The Rendering card is where the key light's ray-traced shadow is set.

three-point The default rig: a warm key front-left, a cool fill, an amber rim behind.

rembrandt A high, hard key at 45 degrees and a faint fill.

This is the classic triangle of light on the shadowed cheek.

butterfly The key high over the camera with a broad soft fill beneath.

split One light square from the side, lighting half the model.

rim Two lights behind the model and a weak front light.

This setup creates a strong silhouette.

product Large, near-white, even light, as in a catalogue photograph.

windowed Light fades with the square of distance and ends smoothly at the edge of its reach.

This is the default falloff.

1/d² Physical inverse-square fading with endless reach.

linear Light fades in a straight line to the edge of its reach.

flat Constant brightness at every distance, like sunlight from a placed lamp.

Emitters / Strength How bright the model's glowing surfaces are.

The range is -4 to +10 stops. This slider appears only when the model has glowing surfaces.

Shadow / Softness How soft the edge of the key light's shadow is.

none The light casts no pattern.

This is the default.

stripes Casts stripes through the lights.

Like a stencil in front of a lamp.

window Casts a window frame through the lights.

Like a stencil in front of a lamp.

dapple Casts dappled light through the lights.

Like a stencil in front of a lamp.

caustics Casts moving water caustics through the lights.

The Phase slider moves them.

leaves Casts moving leaves through the lights.

The Phase slider moves them.

Repeat How many times the pattern repeats across the light.

The range is 0 to 8. At 0 the pattern tiles endlessly.

Outside What the light does outside a pattern that has an edge.

The range is 0 (blocked, like the wall around a window) to 1 (open, like sky around leaves).

Scale The size of the pattern.

The range is 0.1 to 8 on a logarithmic scale.

Pan X Slides the pattern across the light horizontally.

The range is -4 to 4.

Pan Y Slides the pattern across the light vertically.

The range is -4 to 4.

Rotation Turns the pattern.

The range is 0 to 360 degrees.

Gobo / Softness Blurs the pattern's edges.

The range is 0 to 1.

Gobo / Strength How deeply the pattern darkens the light.

The range is 0.05 to 1.

Phase Moves the animated patterns through their cycle.

This applies to the caustics and leaves patterns.

Look

Colour

Pick a colour for this element from presets, a temperature scale, hex code, or sliders.

The colour picker sets the colour of the element on this card. The title line shows the current colour as a swatch and its hex code. For a light (lamp or sun), the colour controls hue only, and a note says "Hue only - brightness is Intensity" because the light's brightness is set by the Intensity slider on the same card. A light picker has Kelvin and Custom modes. For a backdrop or surface, the picker has Custom controls and its own Brightness slider.

Every slider returns to its default on a double-click.

Kelvin Colour temperature mode: pick from presets or the Temperature slider.

In this mode the colour is set as a colour temperature in kelvin. Choose from the preset swatches or use the Temperature slider to set any temperature.

Custom Colour mode: set the colour freely with hex, R G B, hue and saturation.

In this mode the colour is set with individual controls: type a hex code, set red/green/blue values, or use the Hue and Saturation sliders.

candle 1900 K preset swatch.

tungsten 2700 K preset swatch.

warm white 3200 K preset swatch.

neutral 4000 K preset swatch.

daylight 5600 K preset swatch.

overcast 6500 K preset swatch.

shade 7500 K preset swatch.

Temperature Colour temperature slider from 1700 K (deep orange) to 12000 K (blue).

The track shows the colours it passes through as you change the temperature.

Hex Type a colour as a hex code such as #FF0000.

Only hex digits and the # symbol are accepted.

R G B Red, green and blue values, each 0 to 255.

Type a value into a box, or drag across a box to change it one level per pixel.

Hue Hue around the colour wheel, in degrees.

Saturation How strong the colour is, from grey to full colour, in percent.

Brightness How light or dark the colour is, in percent.

This slider appears only on pickers that carry their own brightness: backdrops and surfaces.

Look

Tone

The card adjusts the picture's exposure, tone curve and colour channel.

The image viewer has the same card on the same tone mapper, so an HDR image and a 3D model can be graded the same way. Its sections are titled OPERATOR and CHANNEL. Every slider returns to its default on a double-click; the card's Reset button restores every default.

Exposure Brightens or darkens the picture in photographic stops.

The slider ranges from -5 to +5, with a default of 0. When a file carries an exposure of its own, the readout shows the total the picture is drawn at.

Gamma Adjusts the display's brightness transfer curve.

The slider ranges from 1.0 to 3.0, with a default of 2.2. 2.2 suits ordinary displays; 1.0 is for a display that applies its own transfer curve.

Linear Brightness is shown as it is and everything brighter than white is clipped to white.

Reinhard Rolls bright values off smoothly towards white.

ACES The ACES filmic curve used in film production.

ACES is the default operator.

Filmic The Hable filmic curve, with a soft toe in the shadows and a soft shoulder in the highlights.

RGB The full-colour picture.

RGB is the default channel.

R Only the red channel, shown in grey.

G Only the green channel, shown in grey.

B Only the blue channel, shown in grey.

A The alpha (transparency) channel, shown in grey.

Lum The luminance (perceived brightness), shown in grey.

Look

Effects

The card sets the picture's finishing effects.

The Effects card gathers bloom, ambient occlusion, bounced light, depth of field, lines and antialiasing in one place. On a wide pane the controls sit in two columns. Every slider returns to its default on a double-click, and the card's Reset button restores all defaults at once.

Lines draw ink over the model. The Ink Colour picker sets the lines' colour; its controls are documented on the Colour page.

Bloom / Strength How strongly bright areas glow into their surroundings, 0 to 1.

At 0 bloom is off.

Threshold How bright a pixel must be before it glows, 0 to 4.

Size How far the glow spreads, 0.25 to 4.

Background glows The backdrop and environment glow as well as the model.

Ambient occlusion / Strength How strongly creases and corners where light struggles to reach are darkened, 0 to 2.

Radius How far the darkening reaches from a crease, 0.02 to 1.

Bounced light Light bounces off surfaces onto others, so colours spill between nearby parts.

Uses the graphics card's ray tracing. When the frame rate falls too low it pauses by itself.

Depth of field Blurs what is in front of and behind the focus distance, like a camera lens.

Focus Moves the plane in focus nearer or further from the point the camera looks at, -1.5 to 1.5.

The middle is the camera's target.

Range How deep the sharp zone around the focus plane is, 0.05 to 2.

Depth of field / Strength How strongly the out-of-focus areas blur.

round Round aperture shape.

3 Triangle aperture shape.

4 Square aperture shape.

5 Pentagon aperture shape.

6 Hexagon aperture shape.

7 Heptagon aperture shape.

8 Octagon aperture shape.

9 Nonagon aperture shape.

Rotation Turns the aperture polygon, 0 to 360 degrees.

Silhouettes Draws lines along the model's outline.

Creases Draws lines along sharp edges inside the model, where faces meet at an angle.

Against background Draws lines wherever anything meets the background, including the far edge of the floor.

Thickness Line width in pixels, 1 to 12.

Opacity How solid the lines are, 0.05 to 1.

Angle How sharp an edge must be to count as a crease, 5 to 90 degrees.

solid Solid line style.

dashed Dashed line style.

dotted Dotted line style.

off Hard pixel edges, useful for sprite captures.

jitter Edges, soft shadows, ambient occlusion and bokeh smooth out over a few frames while the view is still.

2x Multisampling at 2 samples makes edges smooth from the first frame, which helps while dragging.

This keeps the jitter smoothing as well.

4x Multisampling at 4 samples makes edges smooth from the first frame, which helps while dragging.

This keeps the jitter smoothing as well.

Look

Cartoon

The Cartoon card renders the scene in a drawn style with simplified paint, flat lighting bands, edge lighting, a printed halftone screen and posterised colour.

The Cartoon card applies a sequence of effects to create a hand-drawn appearance: simplified surface colours (PAINT section), light organized in flat bands (CEL section), rim lighting (RIM section), a halftone pattern overlay (HALFTONE section), and posterised colour (POSTERISE section). On a wide pane these sections lay out in two columns. For ink outlines, use the LINES section of the Effects card.

Every slider returns to its default on a double-click. The card's Reset button restores every slider to its default. Sliders that read 'off' at their lowest end switch that part of the look off. The three cells in the PATTERN section select the shape of the halftone screen.

On Turn the Cartoon look on and off.

The switch controls the entire effect. Slider settings are preserved while the Cartoon effect is off.

Flatten Simplifies surface colours towards flat areas.

This slider in the PAINT section ranges from 0 (off) to 1, collapsing surface variation into unified colour regions.

Bands Splits the light into flat levels.

This slider in the CEL section creates 2 to 8 flat lighting bands; its lowest end is off. Reflections on metals are banded too.

Softness Softens the edge between light bands.

This slider in the CEL section ranges from 0 to 1, smoothing the transition at each band boundary.

Rim Controls the brightness of light along the model's edges.

This slider in the RIM section ranges from 0 (off) to 4.

Rim width Controls how wide the rim of light appears.

This slider in the RIM section ranges from 0.05 to 1; a thin rim reads as a highlight while a wide one appears as an outline of light surrounding the model.

Halftone Breaks band edges into a printed screen pattern.

This slider in the HALFTONE section ranges from 0 (off) to 1 and applies a halftone effect to the boundaries between light bands. The effect activates once Bands is on.

Dot size Controls the size of the halftone screen dots.

This slider ranges from 3 to 40 pixels and controls the scale of the screen pattern.

Screen angle Rotates the halftone screen pattern.

This slider ranges from 0 to 90 degrees and turns the screen, following the conventions of printed screens.

dots The halftone pattern uses dots.

lines The halftone pattern uses lines.

cross The halftone pattern uses crosshatched lines.

Levels Reduces the picture to a few flat colours.

This slider in the POSTERISE section ranges from off at its lowest end up to 16 flat levels per colour channel, simplifying the image's colour palette.

Look

Accumulated

The card renders depth of field, soft shadows and motion blur by accumulating frames while the view is still.

The card averages many slightly different pictures over successive frames, so the picture refines while the view is still. It renders real lens blur, soft shadows from the point lights and motion blur. These effects cost frame rate. The card is organized into two sections: Lens for depth of field, and Motion for motion blur.

Every slider returns to its default on a double-click. The card's Reset button restores every default.

On Turns accumulation on.

Lens blur Real depth of field from a camera lens, with true bokeh.

Point light shadows The point lights cast soft shadows whose width follows each light's Size.

Motion blur Moving objects in an animation blur along their motion.

Aperture How wide the lens opens, 0% to 25%; a wider opening blurs more.

Focus The focus distance as a multiple of the distance to the camera's target, 0.05× to 4×; 1.00× focuses on the target.

Blades The shape of the out-of-focus highlights: circular at the low end, then a polygon of 3 to 11 blades.

Rotation Turns the blade polygon, 0 to 360 degrees.

Shutter How long the shutter stays open, as a shutter angle from 0 to 360 degrees: 360 blurs over the whole frame interval and 0 freezes motion, as in cinema cameras.

Look

Volumetric

The card fills the air around the model with haze that the lights shine through, so beams and shafts of light show in the air.

The haze amounts are measured against the model's own size, so a small earring and a building haze over the same share of the picture. Every slider returns to its default on a double-click; the card's Reset button restores every default.

The card holds three sections. IN THE AIR names which lights shine through the haze. MEDIUM controls the haze itself, with a colour picker documented on the Colour page. QUALITY sets the haze's fineness. A note on the card states "Density thickens the air; Glow brightens it alone."

On Turns the haze on and off.

Key light The key light shines through the haze.

Point lights The placed point lights shine through the haze.

Emissive The model's own glowing surfaces light the haze.

Density How thick the haze is, 0.005 to 2.

Thicker haze also dims the model behind it.

Height How high above the floor the haze reaches before it thins away, 0.1 to 8 model heights.

At the top of the range the haze is even throughout, as in a room full of fog.

Glow Brightens the light in the haze while leaving its thickness as it is, 0 to 8.

Scatter Which way the haze sends light, -0.9 to 0.9.

Positive values send light forward, so beams blaze when the camera looks towards the light; 0 sends it evenly; negative values send it back towards the light.

draft Fastest haze.

medium Medium haze.

high Fine haze.

ultra Finest haze.

Bloom the haze Bloom from the Effects card also glows around the bright shafts in the haze.

Look

Volume

Set a volume's density, droplet size, colour and light, with presets for clouds, smoke and fire.

The card appears when the file is a volume: a three-dimensional grid of density values such as a cloud, smoke or fire simulation. A sequence of volume files plays as an animation on the time dock. The card has three sections: PRESETS holds material templates, MEDIUM holds the volume's density and appearance, and LIGHT controls how the key light and sky light pass through it.

Each preset sets the whole medium in one press: its density, colour, droplet size and glow. The sky light and inner glow settings stay as they are.

Every slider returns to its default on a double-click. The card's Reset button restores every default.

Cloud Set the volume to look like a cloud.

Fog Set the volume to look like fog.

Steam Set the volume to look like steam.

Smoke Set the volume to look like smoke.

Soot Set the volume to look like soot.

Fire Set the volume to look like fire.

Dust Set the volume to look like dust.

Density How dense the volume is, as a multiple of the file's density.

The density slider ranges from 0 to 4, with a default of 1.

Droplets The size of the droplets the light scatters off.

The droplets slider ranges from 5 to 50 micrometres, with a default of 20. The size shapes how light passes through the medium, as in real clouds of that droplet size.

Sky light How strongly the sky lights the volume.

The sky light slider ranges from 0 to 4, with a default of 1.

Fire glow How brightly a file's temperature or flame data glows.

The fire glow slider ranges from 0 to 4, with a default of 1. The glow shows the colours of heated material from deep red to white.

Inner glow Light that bounces inside the volume brightens its interior.

Inner glow is on by default. Light that bounces many times inside the volume is carried round it, which brightens the inside of thick clouds.

Look

Traced effects

The card chooses ray traced effects and controls texture map streaming into memory.

Ray tracing is an option layered on the everyday picture; each switch adds accuracy at some cost in frame rate. The first four controls enable ray traced effects.

The TEXTURES section controls how texture maps stream into memory. As the camera approaches, each map grows toward the size the view needs, limited by maximum size (Largest), minimum size (Smallest), and graphics memory (Budget). The Capture a still card's "Trace saved images" option renders saved pictures with all four ray traced effects. Reset restores every default.

Ambient occlusion The darkening in creases and corners is ray traced, following the true shape.

Key shadow The key light's shadow is ray traced, sharp where objects touch.

The shadow is softer further away.

Specular occlusion Reflections are darkened where surroundings are hidden from a surface.

This happens inside crevices.

Transmission Light passing through glass and other see-through materials is ray traced.

1K 1024-pixel maximum or minimum texture size.

In the Largest row, 1K caps maps at 1024 pixels. In the Smallest row, 1K makes 1024 pixels the size every map keeps at least.

2K Maps grow up to 2048 pixels.

4K Maps grow up to 4096 pixels.

file Maps grow up to the full size stored in the file.

auto The viewer chooses the starting size or graphics memory budget.

In the Smallest row, the viewer chooses the starting size. In the Budget row, the viewer chooses how much graphics memory textures may use.

256 The smallest size every map keeps, in pixels.

512 The smallest size every map keeps, in pixels.

1 GB How much graphics memory texture maps may use.

2 GB How much graphics memory texture maps may use.

4 GB How much graphics memory texture maps may use.

Rigging

Fit a skeleton

Fits a skeleton to a model so it can be posed and animated.

The fit finds the body's joints by itself, including fingers and toes, and takes a few seconds. Bones take standard names, so animation clips made for common skeletons play on the figure. A line on the card shows how many bones the skeleton has.

The buttons change as you work: Stop appears while a fit runs, Place points and Clear points guide the fit with manual landmarks, Rig the shape creates a skeleton from the model's shape alone, and the joint tools appear once there is a skeleton to adjust.

Fit a skeleton Fits a skeleton to the model; once there is one, reads "Fit again".

Stop Stops the fit.

Place points Lets you press points on the model to guide the fit: the top of the head, each hand and each foot; the card names the next point.

Clear points Removes the placed points.

Rig the shape Fits a skeleton that follows the model's shape, for a model that is not a standing figure; bones carry plain names.

Adjust joints Shows the joints on the model so you can drag them into place; press again to finish.

Remove skeleton Takes the fitted skeleton out; a skeleton that came in the file stays.

Use as character Adds the rigged model to the character library so animation clips can play on it.

Export model Saves the model with its skeleton, skin weights and clips to a .glb or .fbx file you choose.

Move this joint only Dragging a joint moves that joint alone; when off, the joints below it move with it.

X Shows the held joint's position along its X axis.

Drag to move it a millimetre per pixel, or type a value.

Y Shows the held joint's position along its Y axis.

Drag to move it a millimetre per pixel, or type a value.

Z Shows the held joint's position along its Z axis.

Drag to move it a millimetre per pixel, or type a value.

Center Moves the held joint to the middle of its limb.

Refit Puts the held joint back where a fresh fit would place it.

Mirror Moves the held joint's partner on the other side of the body to its mirror image.

Add bone Adds a bone under the held joint, for a tail, an ear or a strap.

Remove bone Takes the held bone out; its children hang from its parent and its skin goes to the parent.

Reach How far the held bone's influence reaches into the skin, 0.1 to 4, default 1.

Falloff How gradually the influence fades beyond the reach, 0.05 to 4, default 1.

Rigid pieces Separate pieces of the model, such as armour plates, follow a single bone whole.

Rigging

Pose a limb

Pose a model with a skeleton, by hand.

The card poses a model that has a skeleton, by hand. While the card is open, the skeleton's joints show as handles on the model; dragging a handle poses it. Closing the card takes the handles away.

The card's title line names the joint being held. The held joint's angles show as X, Y and Z in degrees, in the joint's own axes; they can be typed or dragged. Two cells under A drag choose whether a drag reaches or turns.

Reaches Dragging a hand or foot moves it, and the limb above follows it.

Turns Dragging turns the one bone under the pointer.

Chain Set how many bones follow a reach, from 2 to 5 (default 3).

Undo Takes back the last drag.

Clear pose Returns the figure to the pose it had when the card opened.

X Shows the held joint's angle around its X axis.

Number boxes display degrees; type a value or drag across the box.

Y Shows the held joint's angle around its Y axis.

Number boxes display degrees; type a value or drag across the box.

Z Shows the held joint's angle around its Z axis.

Number boxes display degrees; type a value or drag across the box.

Key pose Keeps the pose as animation keys at the current frame.

Reset joint Puts the held joint back to its rest angle.

Mirror Copies the held joint's pose onto its partner on the other side of the body.

Rigging

Motion

The card is a library of motion clips that play on the model's skeleton; press a clip to play it.

The clips come from the CMU motion capture library and Quaternius, credited on the card. When the model has no skeleton, a line on the card points to the Fit a skeleton card.

Add a clip file A clip file of your own is added to the library.

Repair motion Mends glitches in a clip as it is put on the character, and leaves the clip file unchanged.

Repair motion is on by default. When it is on, a clip is mended as it is put on your character. A single sample that jumps far from the samples on both sides of it is replaced by the value between them. A knee that bends backwards past straight is brought back to at most 10 degrees past straight. A foot that twists about the shin more than 45 degrees from the direction its knee points is turned back to 45 degrees. Only the motion playing in the viewer is mended, and the clip file on disk is never changed. When the switch is off, clips play exactly as their files hold them. The switch applies to the next clip you press or open.

Rigging

Mannequin colours

The card sets the two colours of the shipped mannequin: its body and its joints.

The setting is global. Your own characters retain their colours from their files. The colour picker's controls are described on the Colour page. The Reset button returns the mannequin to the clay preset.

clay Neutral clay with darker joints, the default for judging motion.

bone Bone white with dark joints.

slate Dark slate with light joints.

authored The mannequin's own colours from its file.

body The colour picker edits the body's colour.

joints The colour picker edits the joints' colour.

Rigging

Character

A motion file plays on a body you choose from the characters shown on the card.

The bodies appear as cells: the mannequin that ships with Heimdall3D and any rigged models of your own. When a character is added, the card reports whether every joint of the motion reaches it.

Add a model A rigged model of your own becomes a character.

Open folder The folder where your own characters are kept opens.

A model file dropped into that folder becomes a character.

Animation

The card lists animation clips in a scrolling grid; press one to play it, and its name appears at the top right.

The current clip's cell is highlighted. Play and loop controls are on the Timeline dock, which runs the same clock as the animation.

Play in place The model stays on the spot during the clip.

A jump still rises and falls through its motion.

Show rig The skeleton appears over the model during playback.

Animation

Key shape

This card shapes animation keys: their type, the motion curves between them, how handles are computed, and where the motion eases.

The card shapes the animation keys you have picked. Each key type is drawn in its own colour on the timeline.

Key A main pose.

Breakdown The pose between poses; it keeps its share of the time when the keys around it move.

Hold A pose held still.

Extreme The furthest point a motion reaches.

Step The value holds until the next key, as for a stop-motion pose or a switch.

Curve / Linear The default: the value moves in a straight line to the next key.

Bezier A smooth curve shaped by the keys' handles.

Bounce Settles onto the next key in a run of shrinking hops.

Elastic Overshoots and springs about the next key before settling.

Auto The default: smooth through the neighbouring keys and level at a peak or a dip.

Plateau Like Auto, with every peak and dip falling exactly on a key, so the curve stays within the key values; the safe choice for a whole channel.

Clamped Like Auto, and level wherever two neighbouring keys hold nearly the same value, so a held value stays held.

Flat Level handles on both sides.

Tangents / Linear Handles aimed straight at the neighbouring keys.

Free The handles stay exactly where you place them.

In The motion eases into the key.

Out The motion eases out of the key.

Both The default: the motion eases at both ends.

Sine Gentlest ease preset; sets the keys' handles to that curve at the end chosen under EASE.

Quad Ease preset; sets the keys' handles to that curve at the end chosen under EASE.

Cubic Ease preset; sets the keys' handles to that curve at the end chosen under EASE.

Quart Ease preset; sets the keys' handles to that curve at the end chosen under EASE.

Quint Ease preset; sets the keys' handles to that curve at the end chosen under EASE.

Expo Strongest ease preset; sets the keys' handles to that curve at the end chosen under EASE.

Back Overshoots slightly before arriving; sets the keys' handles to that curve at the end chosen under EASE.

Animation

What a key holds

Choose which animation channels Add key writes.

The card opens from the button beside Add key on the Timeline dock. The button's word names the current choice. The card chooses which channels Add key writes, sets a breakdown between two keys, and clears every animation key.

All Add key writes every channel: position, rotation and scale.

Move Add key writes position alone.

Turn Add key writes rotation alone.

Scale Add key writes scale alone.

Between Write a breakdown key at the playhead, between the key before and the key after.

At 0 it matches the key before, at 1 the key after, and past either end it overshoots. Range is -0.5 to 1.5 with a default of 0.5.

Clear all keys Remove every animation key in the scene.

The action asks once more before clearing.

Animation

Timing

Set the frame rate and how times are shown.

The card opens from the Timing button on the Timeline dock. It sets the frame rate the scene's range counts in and chooses how times are shown: as frame numbers or as timecode in minutes, seconds and frames. The File's range button returns the scene's range to the range stored in the file.

24 Set the frame rate to 24 frames per second.

25 Set the frame rate to 25 frames per second.

30 Set the frame rate to 30 frames per second.

48 Set the frame rate to 48 frames per second.

50 Set the frame rate to 50 frames per second.

60 Set the frame rate to 60 frames per second.

Frames Times are shown as frame numbers.

Timecode Times are shown as timecode, in minutes, seconds and frames.

File's range Set the scene's range back to the range stored in the file.

Scene

The Scene dock lists every object in the view, so you can select, arrange and limit their textures.

The dock lists everything in the scene as a tree: the models, the lights (the studio rig, the file's lights and the glowing parts) and the cameras. Pressing a row picks it; the buttons below act on the picked rows. A line above the list sums up the lights. The dock stays open until the toolbar button or the close button at its top right closes it; the view makes room for the dock.

The TEXTURES section sets texture limits for the picked object alone. The SCENES section lists the saved scenes that already hold this model; press a scene twice to open it. When there are none, a line says so. Every control on the dock shows its default, and the dock's Reset button restores every default.

Save scene Saves the whole scene, with every object, its position and the look, as a scene file.

Load scene Opens a saved scene file.

Lighting card Opens the Lighting card, where the studio rig is set.

Add a model Adds another model file to the scene.

Attach Makes the picked object follow another object as it moves and animates.

Pick an object in the list and press Attach, then click the object it should follow, either in the picture or in its row in the list. Esc cancels. The object stays exactly where it stands, and from then on it moves, turns and plays its keyframes together with the object it follows. Objects can follow in a chain, such as a cup on a tray on a cart.

When you click a character with a skeleton, the picked object follows the joint nearest the click, or the joint picked on the Pose card if one is picked. A sword clicked onto a hand follows that hand through a walk or any animation clip. While an object follows something, the button reads Detach. Pressing it lets go, and the object stays where it is at that moment.

Duplicate Puts a copy of the picked object beside it and picks the copy.

Duplicate sets a copy of the picked object one object-width beside it along X and picks the copy. Copies are named after the original with a number, such as "Chair 2" and "Chair 3". A copy of a group copies everything in it, a copy of an object carried by a group or a hand stays with that group or hand, and a piece row copies just that part. Ctrl+D duplicates the picked object; Ctrl+C copies it and each Ctrl+V puts a copy one step further along, including after opening another model, so an object can travel from one scene to another. Copies share the original file's model data, so they open instantly and add almost no memory. Undo takes a duplicate back out.

Add light

Add light places a new Point, Spot, Sun or Area light in the scene and picks it. The light appears above the model on the side facing the view, aimed at the model's centre, and bright enough to light the model about as much as the main key light does. A light is an object in the scene. Its row is in the list, and you can pick it by pressing its round marker in the view. Move and turn it with the move and turn tools or by typing values, hide it with its eye, key it on the timeline, or duplicate it. The row under it switches the light on and off and sets its shadow, and the light is saved with the scene.

Point Shines in every direction from one spot.

Spot Shines a cone of light in the direction it faces.

Sun Lights the whole scene from one direction; only which way it faces matters, not where it stands.

Area A glowing flat rectangle that lights softly, like a window or a softbox.

Light

The Light section appears in the Scene dock while a light you added to the scene is picked. Its four tiles, Point, Spot, Sun and Area, change the picked light to that type in place. The light keeps where it stands, which way it faces, its colour and its brightness, and a light changed to Area takes an area's usual size while one changed from Area takes a lamp's. Below the tiles you set the light's colour, with a temperature mode in kelvin, its brightness from 0 to 4, its size, its shadow, and the cone width of a Spot.

Brightness Sets how bright the light is; 1.00x lights the middle of the model about as much as the main key light does.

Cone Sets how wide the spot's cone is, as its half angle in degrees.

Size Sets the light's size compared with the model; a bigger light gives softer shadows, and an Area light's rectangle grows with it.

Shadow Sets whether the light casts shadows.

Remove Takes the picked object out of the scene.

Name this object The name that Rename gives the picked row, or that Group gives a new group.

Group Makes a group of the picked objects; moving the group moves them all.

Rename Gives the picked row the name in the box.

Override global The picked object's own texture limits below replace the Traced effects card's for this object.

1K The picked object's maps grow up to 1024 pixels.

2K The picked object's maps grow up to 2048 pixels.

4K The picked object's maps grow up to 4096 pixels.

file The picked object's maps grow to the full size in its file.

auto The viewer chooses the smallest size the picked object's maps keep.

256 The picked object's maps keep a minimum size of 256 pixels.

512 The picked object's maps keep a minimum size of 512 pixels.

Open the folder Opens the folder the scene was saved in.

Scene

Move, rotate and scale

Show the picked object's position, rotation and scale as X, Y and Z.

The card opens from its button on the edit rail, the column of editing tools on the left of the view. It shows the picked object's numbers for the tool that is held: Move shows position, Rotate shows rotation, and Scale shows size. Each number can be typed for an exact value or dragged. The card notes that holding Ctrl snaps to 15 degrees, 0.1, and steps of 0.1 times.

X Shows the picked object's X value for the held tool.

Move shows position, Rotate shows angle, Scale shows scale. Type a value or drag across the box.

Y Shows the picked object's Y value for the held tool.

Move shows position, Rotate shows angle, Scale shows scale. Type a value or drag across the box.

Z Shows the picked object's Z value for the held tool.

Move shows position, Rotate shows angle, Scale shows scale. Type a value or drag across the box.

Level Take the tilt out of the picked object and keep the way it faces.

Zero Return the held tool's three numbers to their defaults.

Uniform Scale all three axes as one, so the object keeps its proportions.

Scene

Timeline

Manage animation keys and playback across time.

The dock runs along the bottom of the view. It opens from the Timeline button, and entering the Animation section opens it. The picture makes room for it.

The transport controls in the top row step through frames and keys, play the scene, record the animation to a file, set the playback range and choose the loop mode. The buttons labeled All, Move, Turn and Scale specify what channels a new key will hold; pressing any of them opens the card where the choice is made.

Current frame Shows the frame the clock is on.

Type a frame to go there or drag across the box.

Start Sets the first frame of the scene's range.

End Sets the last frame of the scene's range.

Rows Shows the keys as rows, one row per animated object or setting.

Press a key to pick it. Ctrl+click adds a key to the picked keys, and Ctrl+click on a picked key takes it out. Shift+drag across the lanes draws a box and picks every key inside it, across as many rows as it covers, and Ctrl+Shift+drag adds the box to what is already picked. Dragging any picked key moves all the picked keys together. Ctrl+C copies the picked keys (in the Graph, the keys picked there), and Ctrl+V pastes them at the playhead with their spacing in time kept. When the copied keys all belong to one object and another object is picked, they paste onto the picked object, and Undo takes a paste back. A key on an object's top row stands for every channel keyed at that time. Picking a key on the Rows or in the Graph draws the path its object or joint travels between the first and last key in the view. The stretch up to the picked key is amber and the key's mark fills amber, so the first key lights only its own mark and the last key lights the whole path before it, while the rest of the path stays a thin white line.

Graph Shows the keys as curves of value over time.

All New keys hold every channel.

Move New keys hold position only.

Turn New keys hold rotation only.

Scale New keys hold scale only.

Clip to keys Turns the playing animation clip into keys that can be edited.

This button is active when a clip plays.

Cameras Opens the Cameras card, where cameras are added, keyed and looked through.

All actors Every character plays its animation together.

This button is shown when the scene holds more than one character.

Frame Sets the picked key's frame.

This number box appears in the Graph view. The picked key's frame shows above the curves, where it can be typed or dragged.

Value Sets the picked key's value.

This number box appears in the Graph view. The picked key's value shows above the curves, where it can be typed or dragged.

Second value Shows the second value of a key picked on the rows.

Shown when the key holds more than one channel such as X, Y and Z of a position; set it here.

Third value Shows the third value of a key picked on the rows.

Shown when the key holds more than one channel such as X, Y and Z of a position; set it here.

Scene

Material variants

For a model file that carries material variants, the card lists each variant as a cell, and pressing one shows the model in that variant.

A material variant is a set of colors and textures, such as different color options for a product. The card appears on the toolbar when the loaded file carries variants.

Scene

Reset

The scene returns to its defaults.

The Reset card puts the scene back to its defaults. A separate Reset view button on the toolbar resets the camera alone. The same three reset options appear in the right-click menu under Reset. Any reset can be undone with one Undo press.

Everything Every position and the scene's look return to their defaults.

This resets both positions and the scene's appearance. All animation keys are removed. You can press Undo to restore everything.

Positions Every moved object returns to where it was, and the camera returns to its default.

Moved objects return to their original positions, and any extra cameras are removed. The main camera returns to its default view. Animation keys on objects and cameras are removed. You can press Undo to restore them.

Scene The scene's look returns to its defaults.

The environment, lighting, floor, effects and all other settings return to their defaults. Any saved appearance for this file is cleared, and animation keys on settings are removed. You can press Undo to restore them.

Read

Model info

The card displays the open model's properties and carries the tooltips switch.

The card shows properties of the open model: format, triangle and vertex counts, material and texture counts, the model's dimensions in width, depth and height, and its up axis. The tooltips switch here controls tooltips throughout the viewer and the image viewer. One setting applies to both viewers and is kept with the viewer's settings.

Tooltips Shows a tooltip when the pointer rests on a control.

When on, the switch shows a tooltip whenever the pointer rests on a control throughout the viewer and the image viewer. The switch is on by default. The image viewer's tone card carries this same switch.

Read

Shading mode

The card picks how the model is drawn: the finished look, one of four wireframe views, or a view of one material property for inspecting a model.

Each mode is a cell with its own glyph; pressing one switches the view. The card's title names the current mode. The Reset button restores the default, shaded.

shaded The finished model with its materials, textures and lighting.

wire on shaded The mesh's edges drawn over the shaded, textured model.

wire on flat The edges drawn over a plain untextured grey surface.

hidden line The edges alone, with the surfaces hiding the edges behind them.

see-through Every edge, including those the model's own form hides, which are drawn dimmer and thinner so they read as further away.

albedo The base colour of every surface, unlit.

normals The direction each surface faces, shown as colour.

roughness The material's roughness shown in grey: white is rough, black is glossy.

metalness The material's metalness shown in grey: white is metal.

UV checker A checker pattern laid on through the model's texture coordinates, which shows stretching and seams in the texture mapping.

backfaces Faces seen from their back side are shown in a colour of their own, which reveals faces pointing the wrong way.

overhang Faces coloured by their angle to the print's up direction, so the places a 3D printer will need supports under are visible. The same view as the switch on the Print section's overhang card.

Edge width Adjust the width of the wireframe lines in pixels, from 1 to 12.

The slider is active in the four wireframe modes and greyed in the others. Double-click to return to the default width.

Read

How big this is, in millimetres

The card shows the model's dimensions in millimetres.

The SIZE card displays the model's size along X, Y and Z in millimetres. A 3D file stores plain numbers without units, so the card explains how they are read: "Units: from the file" when the file states its unit, "Units: assumed" when Heimdall3D has judged the unit from the model's size, and "Units: not stated" otherwise. The unit cells set how the file's numbers are read in, and this choice is remembered for that file.

mm The file's numbers are read as millimetres.

cm The file's numbers are read as centimetres.

in The file's numbers are read as inches.

m The file's numbers are read as metres.

Make

Capture a still

The card takes a still picture of the current view at a chosen size, with or without its background, and copies or saves it as a PNG.

The picture leaves out the toolbar. Every choice is set before the press, so a large render is taken right the first time. The size in pixels of the chosen multiple is shown under the size cells.

While the card is open, dragging a rectangle across the view marks a region, and the capture takes only that region; the card shows the region's size in its Region line. After a save, a link to the folder appears.

1× Sets the picture to the pane's own size.

2× Sets the picture to twice the pane's own size.

3× Sets the picture to three times the pane's own size.

4× Sets the picture to four times the pane's own size.

Allow sizes past 8192 px Sizes wider or taller than 8192 pixels become available.

Pictures wider or taller than 8192 pixels take longer and use more memory.

Transparent background The backdrop is removed and the background is transparent.

The environment still lights the model and shows in its reflections, so a chrome object stays chrome on a transparent background.

Keep ground shadow The shadow the model casts on the floor stays in the picture.

This is active when Transparent background is on.

Trace saved images Saved and copied pictures are rendered with the ray-traced effects.

When off, they follow the Rendering card's switches.

Whole frame Sets the region to the whole view.

Clear Removes the region so the capture takes the whole view.

Copy Copies the picture to the clipboard.

Save PNG Saves the picture as a PNG file in the export folder.

Open the folder Opens the folder the picture was saved in.

Make

Shot templates

Produces the set of pictures and clips a destination asks for in one press.

Pick a template and press Produce to render every shot of the template. A template is a list of shots at the sizes that destination uses, showing the scene from set angles, as turntables, or as wireframe passes.

The templates that follow a destination's published requirements keep to them; the rest are Heimdall3D's own recommendations for that destination. A caption for the post is written from the scene before the run and can be edited on the card; a count beside it measures it against the destination's own limit, and a button beside it restores the generated caption.

An edited template can be saved under a name and appears among the templates. After a run, a link opens the folder the run wrote.

TurboSquid The five product angles TurboSquid asks for, a wireframe pass and a 36 frame turntable as numbered images.

CGTrader Preview pictures and a turntable for a CGTrader listing.

Fab Preview pictures and a turntable for a Fab listing.

ArtStation Preview pictures and a turntable for an ArtStation listing.

Microsoft Store Poster art at 2:3 and a 1920 by 1080 trailer for a Microsoft Store listing.

Behance Pictures of a portfolio post for Behance.

Cara Pictures of a portfolio post for Cara.

Instagram feed The picture or clip in the shape that Instagram feed shows.

Bluesky The picture or clip in the shape that Bluesky shows.

Mastodon The picture or clip in the shape that Mastodon shows.

X The picture or clip in the shape that X shows.

LinkedIn The picture or clip in the shape that LinkedIn shows.

Reddit The picture or clip in the shape that Reddit shows.

Discord The picture or clip in the shape that Discord shows.

YouTube The picture or clip in the shape that YouTube shows.

Instagram Reels A tall turning clip for Instagram Reels.

YouTube Shorts A tall turning clip for YouTube Shorts.

TikTok A tall turning clip for TikTok.

Web still A still image for web use.

Blog header A still image for a blog header.

Story or short A tall still image for stories or short posts.

Pin or poster A still image for pins or posters.

Turnaround sheet The model from the front, right, back and left for a character or product sheet.

Product set A hero view, a detail view and a wide view of a product.

Movie Turntables written as a video file.

Stills Turntables written as numbered images.

Both Turntables written both ways from one run.

Frames How many frames one turn has; the same controls as the Presentation card for this template's turns.

Length The same turn given in seconds.

Rate Frames per second a turn plays at.

Frame The room around the model in every shot; more Frame makes the model smaller in the picture.

Produce Renders every shot of the template; pressing it again while it runs stops the run.

Reset Returns the template to how it was last saved.

Re-derive Returns an edited copy to the built-in template it came from.

Caption The caption for the post, filled in from the scene and editable here.

Credit Heimdall3D Adds a line crediting Heimdall3D to the caption.

Name this template The name the edited template is saved under.

Save Saves the edited template under the name in the box.

Delete Deletes a template you saved.

Pick a template Asks for a template before a run; after a run, opens the folder the run wrote.

Make

Presentation

The model turns on a turntable while the camera and lights stay still or walk around it, and you record one full turn as a sequence of images or video.

The Presentation card runs an automatic turntable: the model rotates continuously in front of the camera. Use it to record a sequence of pictures or video from all angles. A recording captures the model at the size and background you set on the Capture a still card.

Every slider returns to its default when you double-click it. The Reset button restores all settings to their defaults.

Turntable Starts and stops the rotation.

This switch shares its state with the turntable button on the toolbar.

Speed How fast the model turns, in degrees per second.

Choose a speed from 3 to 180 degrees per second. The default is 24 degrees per second.

Elevation The camera's height angle during the turn.

The camera looks at the model from below or above during the rotation. Angles range from 85 degrees below the horizon to 85 degrees above.

Turn the other way Reverses the direction of rotation.

The turntable rotates in one direction by default. Turn this on to rotate in the opposite direction.

Keep the lighting still The lights stay fixed while the model turns, like a real turntable.

When this switch is on, the model rotates under fixed lights and the camera stays still. When this switch is off, the camera walks around the model and the lighting rotates with the model. This switch is on by default.

Frames How many pictures one full turn is recorded as.

The slider ranges from 24 to 360 frames per turn, with a default of 120. You can type a value from 1 to 100000 to set an exact frame count.

Length The recording's duration at playback rate.

This shows the same recording expressed in seconds. Typing a length automatically adjusts the frame count to match.

Record PNG sequence Records one PNG per frame, saved beside the model.

Record APNG Records one lossless file that keeps transparency.

Record GIF Records one file with 256 colours and one-bit transparency.

Record MP4 Records one compressed video file.

Make

Record

Records the animation to a file with your choice of format, size, frame rate and sample count.

The card sets which frames are recorded, what kind of file, how fast it plays, how large and how smooth. The turntable on the Presentation card records with the same format, size and samples. Lines at the foot of the card show the recording's final size and what it will cost in time.

Start The first frame recorded.

The frame number where the recording begins. The range is the same as the Timeline's Start control.

End The last frame recorded.

PNG Record to one PNG file per frame in a numbered sequence.

APNG Record to one animated PNG file, lossless, keeping transparency.

GIF Record to one animated GIF file with 256 colours and one-bit transparency.

MP4 Record to one compressed MP4 video file.

Rate Frames per second the recording plays at.

Choose between 1 and 120; the default is 30. Higher frame rates produce smoother playback and larger files.

Pane Record at the pane's own size.

512² Record at 512 by 512 pixels.

720p Record at 1280 by 720 pixels.

1080p Record at 1920 by 1080 pixels.

8 Render each frame with 8 samples.

32 Render each frame with 32 samples.

The default. More samples take longer to render and produce a smoother image.

64 Render each frame with 64 samples.

Record the animation Record the frames from Start to End with these settings.

Make

What a lister thumbnail shows

This card sets how Heimdall3D draws thumbnails in folder listings.

The card controls how thumbnails appear in Directory Opus listers and Windows Explorer, as a computer-wide setting that also appears on the Directory Opus Configure page. Changes take effect when a listing next draws its thumbnails. The refresh button redraws the thumbnails in the currently visible folders, and a line beneath it shows the result.

Stamp size in mm Print the model's size in millimetres on the thumbnail.

This helps sort 3D prints at a glance.

Auto Heimdall3D chooses the renderer for thumbnails.

GPU Thumbnails are drawn on the graphics card.

CPU Thumbnails are drawn on the processor.

Clear Thumbnails have a transparent background.

Env Thumbnails show the environment behind the model.

Flat Thumbnails have a flat colour behind the model.

Refresh the folders I am looking at The thumbnails in the currently open folders are drawn again with the current settings.

Recall

Named setups

Save and load a whole look under a name.

A setup stores the entire look of a scene: environment, lighting, floor, tone, effects and all the other cards' settings. Setups are shared across every file, so a look made on one model can be put on another. The saved setups appear as cells; press one to pick it. Setups saved from another viewer window appear when the card opens.

Name this setup The name a new setup is saved under, or the new name for Rename.

Save Saves the current look as a setup with the name in the box.

Load Puts the picked setup's look on the scene.

Rename Gives the picked setup the name in the box.

Delete Deletes the picked setup.

Recall

Bookmarks

The card keeps camera views for the file that is open.

Each row is one slot: a wide button that takes you to a saved view, and a Save button beside it. Bookmarks are kept per file, so each model has its own set.

empty The button shown in this slot before saving a view.

The button reads "empty" and is greyed. Once you save a view in this slot using Save, the button displays the view's name and becomes active to move the camera there when pressed.

Save Saves the current camera view in this slot.

Save replaces any view that the slot previously held.

Recall

Recently opened

The card shows recently opened files as a grid of pictures, most recent first.

The card displays recently opened files as thumbnail images arranged in a grid, with the most recent at the front. Each thumbnail shows the file as it appeared when last opened. Model files and environment maps display a small mark indicating their type. Files that have been moved or deleted remain in the grid as greyed thumbnails. Pressing a thumbnail opens that file. The name of the file under the pointer appears below the grid. The search box is active when the card opens.

Type to find Typing narrows the grid to files whose names match, best match first.

Typing in the search box filters the grid to display only files whose names match the text, ordered by best match first. Pressing Enter opens the first matching file.

Will it fit the machine

The card shows the model on each 3D printer's build volume.

The BUILD VOLUME card lists 3D printers as cells. Press one to draw that printer's build volume around the model on the floor and see whether the model fits. The chosen printer is remembered for every file. A line shows "No machine chosen" until a printer is selected. For a printer with a round bed, a line on the card says the bed is circular. To add your own printers, create a file named printers.ini in the Heimdall3D folder of your application data.

Where supports will be needed

The card colours faces that overhang too steeply to print unsupported.

The card colours the faces of the model that overhang too steeply to print unsupported, so the places a slicer will add supports are visible before slicing. Faces within 10 degrees of the limit are amber and faces past it are red, as a legend on the card shows. The angle is measured from vertical. Each preset names the slicer whose default it sets.

Show overhangs Shows the overhang colouring.

The same view as the overhang cell on the Shading mode card.

Orca 40° Sets the limit to 40 degrees, OrcaSlicer's default.

Cura 45° Sets the limit to 45 degrees, Cura's default.

Prusa 55° Sets the limit to 55 degrees, PrusaSlicer's default.

From vertical Sets the overhang limit in degrees from vertical.

The limit ranges from 0 to 90 degrees.

Sprite sheet

The card lays out the animation clip from several directions, one row per direction and one cell per frame.

The card lays out a sprite sheet of the chosen animation clip, seen from several directions, with one row per direction and one cell per frame. A line shows the sheet's size in pixels and whether the clip loops or plays once. Every slider returns to its default on a double-click; the card's Reset button restores every default.

4 Renders the sheet from four directions.

8 Renders the sheet from eight directions.

16 Renders the sheet from sixteen directions.

Lock angles When on, the 2D view turns only to the sheet's directions.

The cells stay exactly as set whatever the view does.

Scene light and effects When on, the cells are lit as the view is, with its effects.

Turning it off gives plain sprites.

Tilt Sets the camera's tilt for every cell, from 0 to 90 degrees.

Side Side on view.

2:1 2:1 pixel art isometric view.

Iso True isometric view.

Top Straight down view.

Frames Sets how many frames of the clip each direction has.

The range is 2 to 24, with a default of 8.

Animate keys When on, the frames follow the animation keys.

Cell Sets the size of each cell in pixels.

The range is 64 to 2048 pixels, with a default of 256.

Padding Sets the clear pixels between the figure and its cell's edges.

The range is 0 to 64 pixels, with a default of 2.

Top and bottom Adds a view from straight above and one from straight below.

Parallel (orthographic) When on, the cells are drawn without perspective, as 2D games expect.

Transparent background When on, the cells have a transparent background and no floor.

The cells sit on the game's own ground.

Start at the model's front When on, the first row faces the model's front exactly.

Cells in the pane The view shows the cells as they will be written.

Pixel look

Renders the model as pixel art with a limited colour palette.

The viewer draws the model at a low resolution with crisp square pixels. The look works on its own or together with the Cartoon look. Settings are kept with the viewer's configuration and in saved setups. Each slider returns to its default on a double-click, and the card's Reset button restores every default.

Pixel look Turns the pixel art look on.

Height Sets the picture's height in art pixels, from 16 to 256.

Model A palette taken from the model's own colours, with as many colours as the Colours slider sets.

PICO-8 The 16-colour PICO-8 palette by Lexaloffle.

Endesga 32 The 32-colour Endesga 32 palette by ENDESGA.

Colours Sets how many colours the Model palette holds, from 2 to 64.

Dither Blends between palette colours with a regular pattern of pixels for smoother gradients.

Outline A dark outline of pixels around the model's silhouette.

Maps

The card chooses extra maps written beside the colour sheet, cell for cell, for lighting and effects in a 2D engine.

Maps are additional textures written alongside the colour sheet, one per cell, for lighting and effects in a 2D game engine. None are chosen by default.

Normal Writes the surface direction of each pixel for 2D lighting.

The normal is recorded in the camera's frame.

Depth Writes how far each pixel is from the camera.

Occlusion Writes the ambient occlusion that shading uses.

This is the darkening in creases.

ID Writes a flat colour per material for picking out parts.

The colour is the same in every cell.

Export

The card writes the sheet, its maps and the data files game engines and tools read to cut it into frames.

The export writes the sprite sheet, any chosen maps, and data files that game engines and tools use to cut the sheet into individual frames.

Godot Writes the data file Godot reads alongside the sheet.

TexturePacker Writes the data file TexturePacker reads alongside the sheet.

Aseprite Writes the data file Aseprite reads alongside the sheet.

GameMaker Writes the data file GameMaker reads alongside the sheet.

Export sheet Writes the sheet, the chosen maps and the chosen data files.

While the export runs, this button reads "Stop export" and pressing it stops.

Open the folder Opens the folder the export wrote.

This link appears after an export finishes.

Image viewer

Image tone

Sets how the picture's range of brightness becomes what the screen shows.

The 3D view's Tone card works on the same tone mapper, so a picture and a model can be graded alike. The Reset button restores every default; sliders return to their default on a double-click.

Exposure Brightens or darkens the picture in photographic stops.

Range -5 to +5, default 0.

Gamma Sets the display's transfer curve.

Default 2.2; 1.0 for a display that applies its own.

Linear Operator: brightness as it is, clipped at white.

Reinhard Operator: rolls bright values off smoothly towards white.

ACES Operator: the ACES filmic curve used in film production.

The default operator.

Filmic Operator: the Hable filmic curve with a soft toe and shoulder.

Readout Shows the pixel under the pointer in a line under the toolbar.

It appears on screen only and stays out of saved pictures. On by default.

Tooltips Shows a tooltip when the pointer rests on a control.

Available here and in the 3D viewer; the same setting as the switch on the Model info card. On by default.

Image viewer

Channels

Chooses which channel of the picture is shown.

A source section appears above these controls when the file offers more than one choice of what feeds the colour.

RGB Shows the full-colour picture.

This is the default.

R Shows the red channel alone in grey.

G Shows the green channel alone in grey.

B Shows the blue channel alone in grey.

A Shows the alpha transparency channel in grey.

Lum Shows the luminance, the perceived brightness, in grey.

Image viewer

Alpha

Shows how the picture stores its transparency.

The card displays edge pixel counts and how many will show as a fringe. The Behind section chooses what shows through where the picture is clear.

Alpha only Shows the alpha channel alone.

Read as premultiplied Reads the colour as already multiplied by alpha.

Mark fringes Marks the edge pixels that will show as a fringe.

Checker Shows a checkerboard through the clear parts.

Black Shows black through the clear parts.

White Shows white through the clear parts.

Grey Shows grey through the clear parts.

Image viewer

Pixels

Set how enlarged pictures are drawn and at what factor they are saved.

When a pixel art picture is shown larger, the viewer draws it using one of three enlargement methods. A save enlarges the picture by the chosen factor.

Nearest Each pixel grows into a sharp square block.

Scale2x An enlarger made for pixel art that smooths diagonal edges while keeping the pixel look.

xBR An enlarger made for pixel art that rounds curves and slopes more smoothly still.

1x The picture is saved at its original size.

2x The picture is saved at twice the original size.

3x The picture is saved at three times the original size.

4x The picture is saved at four times the original size.

Image viewer

Region

Selects the region that a save writes.

Dragging a rectangle over the picture selects the region. The Selection line shows its size, and after saving, the card names where the file went.

Whole image Selects the whole picture.

Clear Removes the selection.

With no selection, a save writes the whole picture.

Image viewer

Frames

Plays an animated picture or a sprite sheet.

The card contains the playback transport, the file's animation names, and a grid to divide sprite sheets when the file carries no frame description.

Back Steps one frame back.

Pause Pauses or resumes playback.

Next Steps one frame forward.

Loop Plays the frames round and round.

Onion skin Shows the frames either side faintly over the current one.

Speed Sets the playback speed from 0.25x to 4x.

Columns Sets how many columns the sheet is cut into, from 1 to 64.

Rows Sets how many rows the sheet is cut into, from 1 to 64.

Image viewer

Mips

The smaller copies of a picture made for display at smaller sizes: which to view and how to average them.

A picture shown at smaller sizes is made into smaller copies, each half the previous size. The card shows which copy to display, the averaging method, the size and detail lost from each, and how linear and sRGB averaging differ.

0 The full-size picture.

Numbered levels from 1 are each half the previous size; the list shows as many as the picture has.

Linear light The levels are averaged in linear light, as light adds up physically.

sRGB The levels are averaged on the stored sRGB values.

Image viewer

Use this HDRI

Add this picture to the environment gallery so it can light 3D renders.

The card puts the picture into the environment gallery. A line shows whether it is already in the gallery.

Use this HDRI Copies the picture into the environment gallery.

Show folder Opens the gallery folder.

Image viewer

Brightest region

Finds the brightest region of an HDR picture and reads out its direction, brightness and size.

The card finds the brightest region, usually the sun, and shows its direction in the sky, peak luminance, size and what share of the picture's light it produces. When the picture's projection is unknown, the direction reading explains why.

Image viewer

Probes

Three balls lit by the picture as an environment to judge its light for 3D renders.

The card renders three balls lit by the picture: one chrome, one 18% grey, and one matte. The render starts when the card opens, so the picture's light can be judged before it lights a 3D model.

Image viewer

Analyse

Four views of the picture: histogram, false colour, clipping and brightness positioning.

The card shows a histogram from dark through 18% grey to blown highlights. False colour paints the picture in the same colour scale. Readouts show the scene's brightness, dynamic range, clipping at the bright and dark ends, and how the picture sits relative to middle grey.

False colour Paints the picture in the histogram's colour scale so every brightness level reads at a glance.

Image viewer

Image sections

Opens the list of sections available in the image viewer.

The section chip at the left end of the toolbar names the current section. Pressing it opens this list. The cross on the chip leaves the section.

Browse Shows the picture and the everyday tools.

Light Shows what an HDR picture will do to a render as an environment.

The section displays the histogram and false colour, the brightest region, probe balls lit by it, and a button to add it to the environment gallery.

The toolbar

Sections

The section chip at the left of the toolbar opens a list of specialized tool groups for different kinds of work.

The section chip at the left of the toolbar names the section the viewer is in, and pressing it opens the list: Print, Rigging, Animation, 2D and Gaussian Splat. A section shows its own tools plus undo, redo, the camera tools, reset view, reset scene, the floor and grid switches, the scene list and Save scene. Every other tool is one press away in the More menu at the end of the toolbar, and a switch that is on, such as free camera, stays on the toolbar so you can turn it off. The cross on the chip leaves the section and brings every tool back. The viewer remembers the section for each kind of file, and a section a file has no use for appears greyed with the reason beside it.

Print Measure the model's size and whether it fits a printer's build volume.

The tools for 3D printing show the model's dimensions in millimetres and mark where supports will be needed.

Rigging Fit a skeleton to the model and pose it.

Animation Make animation keys on the timeline.

2D Export the model as sprite sheets with their maps.

The model becomes sprites: sheets, their textures and their export settings.

Gaussian Splat Walk through a captured scene and jump to its saved places.

A capture opens in this section. It is a photographed scene made of splats. Named views let you jump between places inside it.

The toolbar

More controls

The toolbar's last button opens a card that lists every control without room at the pane's current width.

The controls are grouped under the same headings the toolbar uses. Each row works the same way as its toolbar button does. A row that opens a card shows a chevron. When the list is longer than the card, it splits into pages.

More controls Go to the next page of the list.

This row sits at the foot of the first page.

Back to the first page Return to the first page of the list.

This row sits at the foot of the last page.

The toolbar

Documentation

Opens the Heimdall3D manual in your web browser.

The Documentation button, a book icon at the top right of the viewer, opens the manual at heimdall3d.com/docs. The manual has a searchable page for every card with its controls, and the viewer's tooltips use the same words.

Alerts

This installation is incomplete - rendering on the CPU, without textures

Some rendering files are missing from the installation folder.

Some of Heimdall3D's rendering files are not on your computer. Pictures are drawn by the processor in a simpler form without textures and several effects. Installing Heimdall3D again will restore the files.

Alerts

Windows blocks previews of downloaded files - click to clear the mark

Downloaded files are marked by Windows and skipped by the preview pane.

Windows marks every file downloaded from the internet. The Explorer preview pane leaves a marked file unpreviewed. Thumbnails and this viewer window show the file as usual. The card names the file and can clear its mark, which is the same as ticking Unblock in the file's Properties.

Unblock this file Clears the downloaded mark so the preview pane shows the file.

Alerts

This picture was drawn without some of what the settings asked for

The graphics card renderer was unavailable.

The picture was drawn by the processor renderer, which leaves out some of what the settings ask for. The card's title reads SIMPLIFIED RENDER and lists what the picture was drawn without and why the graphics card renderer was unavailable. The picture stays as it is and the button appears quietly.