Interface

Following is an overview of Genetica's interface. Additional information can also be found on the Rendering Textures page.

The Start tab allows users to easily perform some common tasks. It is divided into three sections.

The Start page's main section allows users to open Genetica's preset textures for rendering and editing, as described in the Quick Start Guide. Any custom textures that you added to the library (number 12 below) will also appear here.

The section at the upper right lists recently opened texture files. Click on any of the filenames listed here to open the corresponding file. This section will not appear if there are no recently opened files.

The lower right section of the Start tab lists some helpful links intended for newer users.

The Nodes tab reveals Genetica's main workspace, where textures are edited. More information is available here.

The Lab tab contains the properties controlling the behavior of the currently selected Lab node. A Lab must be selected within the Nodes tab (number 2 above) for this tab to be available.

The Results tab contains the final images that result when textures are rendered. At least one texture must have been rendered for this tab to be available. More information is available on the Rendering page.

The button bar along the top of the interface contains a number of commonly used functions. From left to right:

Button	Description
New	Creates a new, blank texture.
Open	Load a previously saved texture from your hard drive. The drop-down arrow directly to the right of the Open button will display a list of recently used files and folders that can be opened.
Save	Re-saves the active texture, overwriting the previously saved version. If the texture has never been saved, you will be prompted to choose a location and filename for saving the texture. The drop-down arrow directly to the right of the Save button will display a list of recently used folders. If one of the folders is selected, the Save As dialog will be opened to that folder.
Undo	Undoes the last change made to a texture. Can be used repeatedly to undo a series of changes.
Redo	Redoes the last undone change.
Render Branch	Renders the currently selected node if the Nodes tab is active. If the Lab tab is active, the currently selected Lab section will be rendered.
Render Texture	Renders the active texture using the current render resolution and anti-alias settings.
Render Animation (Studio)	Works the same as the Render Texture, except that an animation will be rendered. Be sure that the current texture is animated before using this command.
Stop Render	Cancels a render that is in progress.
Render Environment Map (Pro/Studio)	Opens the Render Environment Map dialog.
Context Sensitive Help	Opens help to the page that is most relevant to what you are currently working with. If the Texture or Lab tab is active, it will open the help page related to the currently selected node. If the Canvas tab is active, it will open the help page related to the currently selected tool.

Please refer to the Rendering page for an explanation of the controls appearing on the right side of the button bar.

Lists the texture documents that are currently open within Genetica. Clicking on any of the entries will shift focus to that texture.

The Contributors tab provides details on the artists who have contributed to making the current texture. For more information, please refer to the Contributors page.

This tab shows the same information as the Nodes tab (2) found in the main part of the interface, but without the thumbnail images. It's useful for getting a more compact view of a texture's structure.

When a group is being edited, the Group Inputs panel shows the inputs being fed into the group at the previous level. To insert a reference to one of the group's inputs, drag the corresponding image from the Group Inputs panel to the desired position within the texture tree. For an example of this, please refer to Step 4 of the Extending the Library tutorial. Please note that this panel will only be visible as long as there is at least one group input available.

Many textures consist of groups that are within other groups, which may in turn be within groups themselves. The Nested Groups tab helps make sense of this structure by first showing the current group, followed by whichever group contains the current one, and so on, until the outermost level is reached. Clicking on any of the images within this tab will move the view to that level. For more information on how groups can be used, please refer to the Extending the Library tutorial.

Genetica textures often contain a number of "effect maps" that don't alter the texture image itself, but provide additional layers of information that can be used by 3D applications for making materials look more realistic. The Effect Maps tab shows what effect maps are available for the currently selected node. For more information, please refer to the Using Effect Maps tutorial.

Provides easy access to nodes, previously made textures, and texture components so that they may be incorporated into current projects. Your own textures can be added to the Library panel by selecting the folders within which your textures are saved. To select these folders, click the Select button, found at the very top of the Library panel. If during a Genetica session you rearrange the files within these folders, click the Refresh button, located next to the Select button, to have them reloaded. Any folders you add to the library will also appear in the presets section of the Start tab (1). For more information on how this panel is used, please refer to the Extending the Library tutorial.

Most Basic Nodes have a number of properties that affect how they operate. The Properties panel lists these properties so that they can be edited. (Unlike Basic Node properties, Lab Node properties are mainly found in the Lab tab (3).)

Up Down Modifiers

If clicking the up/down arrows next to numeric properties changes the value too quickly, hold down Ctrl while clicking for increments that are 10% of normal, and hold down Shift for increments that are 1% of normal.

You can also type in simple path operations. For example, "2*4" will be interpreted as "2 times 4", and a value of 8 will be entered as soon as the Enter key is pressed. Supported operations are:

+	The first number is added to the second number.
-	The first number has the second number subtracted from it.
*	The first number is multiplied by the second number.
/	The first number is divided by the second number.
^	The first number is raised to the power of the second number.

Lists the nested groups leading to the current position within the texture, mirroring the thumbnails found within the Nested Groups tab (10). For example, the status bar could read 'View: Box Texture.gtx > Group "Tape",' which is the same as saying, "The view is currently showing us the contents of a Group named "Tape," which itself is within a texture named "Box Texture.gtx."

For further details regarding Genetica's interface, please refer to Rendering Textures.