The workspace

Atrium is designed so that, at any moment, you see only what you need right then, and your next step is always in front of you. This page covers the core rules of the workspace and its main parts. The rest of the guide builds on them.

#Core rules

#The hint line is always at the top

Just below the toolbar, a quiet line of text describes your next step in a few words, along with the keys that work at that moment — for example, "Enter Finish". Keys in this line appear as keyboard keys. Any number you type mid-task, in any tool, also appears in this line, next to the current step.

#Messages, warnings and dialogs

Atrium uses a different form for each kind of feedback:

#Fixable issues aren't bugs

If the problem is something you can fix yourself — such as "No category", "This name already exists", "Still in use" or "Archived" — you get a simple message with an OK button. The error dialog, with Details and Report to Bond buttons, opens only for a genuine app or server error.

#Only what you need

The screen stays uncluttered: badges appear when you select something, and a tool's options appear only while that tool is active.

#One core behind every change

There are several ways to make a change: typing a number, using the gizmo, editing the design tree, or dragging a handle. They all end up in the same core and act on the same control points, so use whichever you find easiest.

#Toolbar

The toolbar floats. By default, it sits at the top center of the screen.

• Move it: Drag the toolbar to reposition it. Double-click it to return it to its original position.
• Button names: Rest the pointer on a button and its name appears after 0.2 seconds. From then on, names appear instantly as you move to the next button.
• Process help cards: Instead of a name, process buttons show a help card with an animation of that process.
• Repeat the last command: When no tool is active, press Space or Enter to run the last command again.

#Grouped buttons

Some buttons hold several related tools, such as Line, Shape and Dimension. Clicking one of these buttons starts the tool you last used from that group. For Line and Shape, Atrium remembers your choice even after you close the app.

You can open a group's menu in three ways:

• Click the small triangle in the button's corner
• Right-click the button
• Click and hold the button

The Line and Shape buttons don't have a drop-down menu: all their types appear as icons below the toolbar, and you switch between them there. For details, see Drawing tools.

#Tool options

The active tool's options appear just below the toolbar, in a colored frame, as icons only. Some examples:

• The type of the next line segment (line or arc)
• The process type (Drilling, Groove, Pocket, Chamfer, Fillet)
• Draw with for boards
• The Copy checkbox

#Badges

Badges are small buttons that appear next to your selection and put the actions for that item within reach.

• Which badges appear: When you select something, you get the Move, Copy, Rotate, Mirror and Zoom badges, plus actions specific to that item. Badges are icons only; each one's name is in its tooltip.
• Move them: Drag the six-dot handle on the left of the badges. They stay where you drop them. Double-click the handle to return them to their original position.
• Fading: When the pointer is far away, badges fade. They move out of the way while you orbit the camera or drag, and so do the edge banding toggles and the numbers on the model.
• Placement: In an assembly, badges never sit on top of the selected part.

#Badge cards

Some badges open a small card right below them — for example, the hole size card or the sub-assembly inputs card. The badge stays highlighted while its card is open. Click the badge again or press Esc to close the card.

#Settings badge

The Settings badge has a slider icon and appears on any item that has settings:

These are the same rows you see in the design tree, and each change is its own undo step.

#Round and Chamfer badges

When a corner point is selected (on a free shape, a board or a profile path), the Round and Chamfer badges appear. Type a size, or enter a formula starting with =.

• The point stays where it is, and the size also appears in the design tree under that point.
• A size of zero means a sharp corner.
• The ends of an open path can't be filleted.
• The cross-section editor and the tool profile editor have the same icons and the same number field.

#Panels

#Left panel

The design tree and Scene shapes live in the left panel. The pin button is at the far end of the panel header.

• Unpinned: The panel auto-hides. All you see is a subtle, full-height purple strip with a "›" arrow along the left edge of the screen. Rest the pointer on the strip, or within a few pixels of it, for a moment — or click it — and the panel opens. It closes on its own when the pointer moves away and you're not typing in it. Clicking an empty area also closes it.
• Pinned: The panel stays open. Atrium remembers the pin state, just as it does for the Properties panel.

#Properties panel

In assemblies, the Properties panel has no button: it's the purple strip along the right edge of the screen. Rest the pointer on the strip, or within a few pixels of it, and the panel slides in. If it isn't pinned, it hides again when the pointer moves away. The strip isn't shown while the library is open.

#Design tree

Each type of item in the design tree has a colored tile:

• The + and trash buttons appear only on the selected row and the row under the pointer.
• Every row and formula is always shown in the design tree.
• Rename a part or group: Double-click its name. Press Enter or click outside the field to confirm; press Esc to revert.

#Pointer shapes

The pointer's shape tells you what Atrium is waiting for:

The pointer also turns into a hand over framed numbers on the model, which means you can edit that number. See Numbers, units and formulas.

For orbiting, zooming and the ViewCube, see Camera and views.