User Interface¶

This guide explains the VulkanW3DViewer interface and its components.

Overview¶

The interface uses Dear ImGui for immediate-mode GUI rendering. Windows and panels can be moved, resized, and docked.

Main Components¶

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Menu Bar                                                   │
├────────────────┬────────────────────────────┬───────────────┤
│                │                            │               │
│  File Browser  │        Viewport            │   Panels      │
│                │                            │   - Model     │
│                │      (3D View)             │   - Animation │
│                │                            │   - LOD       │
│                │                            │   - Camera    │
│                │                            │   - Display   │
├────────────────┴────────────────────────────┴───────────────┤
│  Console Window                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Windows¶

Viewport Window¶

The main 3D rendering area.

Purpose: Display the loaded model
Interaction: Camera controls (see Navigation)
Features:
- Mesh hover detection
- Model rendering
- Skeleton overlay (when enabled)

File Browser¶

Navigate and load W3D files.

Open: Automatically shown on startup
Features:
- Directory navigation
- File filtering (.w3d only)
- Quick load on click

Console Window¶

Debug output and logging.

Shows:
- Loading progress
- Warnings and errors
- Debug information (with --debug)
Clear: Right-click for context menu

Panels¶

Model Info Panel¶

Displays information about the currently loaded model.

Field	Description
Name	Model/mesh name
Meshes	Number of meshes
Vertices	Total vertex count
Triangles	Total triangle count
Bones	Skeleton bone count
Textures	Loaded texture names

Animation Panel¶

Controls for animation playback.

Control	Function
Animation	Dropdown to select animation
Play/Pause	Toggle playback
Speed	Playback speed multiplier
Frame	Current frame number
Timeline	Scrubber for manual frame control
Loop	Toggle loop mode

Slow Motion

Set speed to 0.1x to analyze animation details frame by frame.

LOD Panel¶

Level of Detail controls.

Control	Function
Current LOD	Active LOD level
Auto	Enable automatic LOD switching
Force LOD	Manually select LOD level
Distances	LOD switching thresholds

Camera Panel¶

Camera settings and controls.

Setting	Description
FOV	Field of view (degrees)
Near/Far	Clipping plane distances
Position	Current camera position (read-only)
Target	Current focal point (read-only)

Display Panel¶

Visual options.

Option	Description
Wireframe	Render as wireframe
Skeleton	Show bone visualization
Bounding Box	Show model bounds
Normals	Visualize vertex normals
Grid	Toggle ground grid

Window Management¶

Moving Windows¶

Click and drag the title bar
Windows can be placed anywhere

Resizing Windows¶

Drag window edges or corners
Minimum size is enforced

Collapsing Windows¶

Double-click title bar to collapse
Click arrow to expand

Closing Windows¶

Click the X button (if available)
Windows can be reopened from View menu

Docking¶

Windows can be docked to create layouts:

Drag a window by its title bar
Hover over docking targets (shown as overlay)
Release to dock

Docking Positions¶

Center: Tab with existing window
Left/Right: Split horizontally
Top/Bottom: Split vertically

Undocking¶

Drag the tab away from the dock
Window becomes floating again

Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl`+`O`	Open file browser
`Esc`	Close popup/exit
`F11`	Toggle fullscreen

Themes¶

The interface uses a dark theme by default, optimized for extended use and matching the Vulkan aesthetic.

Tips¶

Efficient Layout¶

Dock commonly used panels together
Collapse panels you don't need
Use tabs to group related panels

Performance¶

Minimize console output in normal use
Close unused windows
Collapse complex panels when not needed

Debugging¶

Open Console window
Enable --debug mode
Check output for warnings/errors