Opening a File

Method 1: Command-line argument

./cmake-build-debug/MeshCraft test/house.mc3.xml

The file is loaded immediately on startup. The window title shows the file name.

Method 2: In-editor dialog (Ctrl+O)

1. Press Ctrl+O or use File → Open.
2. An in-editor text field appears. Type the path to the file and press Enter.

Method 3: Recent Files

Use File → Open Recent to see the last 10 opened files. The list is persisted at ~/.config/meshcraft/recent.txt.

Exploring the Scene

Hierarchy Panel (left)

• Shows a recursive tree of all objects in the scene.
• Click the triangle next to a group or CSG node to expand/collapse its children.
• Click any object to select it. The selected object is highlighted in the viewport.
• The eye icon toggles visibility without deleting the object.

Properties Panel (right)

• Shows the selected object's name, type, position, rotation, scale, material, and type-specific parameters.
• Click on the Lights, Cameras, Textures, Materials, or Defs tabs to see other scene data.

Viewport

• Middle-drag: orbit the camera.
• Right-drag: pan.
• Scroll wheel: zoom.
• Left-click: select an object.
• F: focus camera on selected object.

The House Test Scene

The repository includes a simple test scene at test/house.mc3.xml:

<mc3 version="0.1" model="House">
  <!-- sky-blue background + linear fog -->
  <!-- ambient + directional sun -->
  <!-- 4 materials: brick, stone, roof, ground -->
  <objects>
    <group name="House">
      <box name="FrontWall"  size="10 4 0.3" …/>
      <box name="BackWall"   …/>
      <box name="LeftWall"   …/>
      <box name="RightWall"  …/>
      <box name="Floor"      …/>
      <box name="Roof"       …/>
    </group>
    <cylinder name="LeftColumn"  …/>
    <cylinder name="RightColumn" …/>
    <sphere   name="Ornament"    …/>
    <plane    name="Ground"      …/>
  </objects>
</mc3>

Making Edits

• Select the "House" group in the hierarchy and press G to activate the Move gizmo. Drag to reposition the entire house.
• Click on "Ornament" and press R for Rotate — drag the gizmo rings to rotate.
• Ctrl+click to multi-select several walls, then press S to scale them together.
• Press Ctrl+Z to undo any changes.

Saving

• Ctrl+S: save to the current file (overwrites the original).
• Ctrl+Shift+S: Save As — opens a dialog to specify a new path.