Perspectives tab

The Perspectives tab is a section within the template editor where you create and manage the different 2D views, or snapshots, of a product model. These perspectives are generated from different angles of the 3D model and are displayed in the customizer interface for the end-user.

Key Functions of the Perspectives Tab

  • Creation and Management of Views: The primary function of this tab is to build, edit, and delete the various 2D perspectives for a product template. These are described as "designs that you build the different side of the product template". For example, you can create views for the front, back, and side of a shirt.

  • Dynamic Previews: The perspectives you create are not static images. They are dynamically generated snapshots that will update in real-time as a customer makes customization choices, such as changing a color.

  • Interactive Editing: To build or edit a perspective, you can interact with the model directly within the tab, much like using the customizer itself. You can rotate and zoom the model to get the exact angle you want, and the system automatically adjusts the properties for that view. Once you are satisfied, you can save the perspective.

Build a new perspective

Here is a step-by-step procedure on how to create a new perspective:

  1. Navigate to the Perspectives Tab: While editing a template, select the Perspectives tab.

  2. Build the New Perspective: Within the tab, you will find an option to build a new perspective "Build New". Clicking this will launch an interactive view where you can define the perspective.

  3. Perspective settings: Name, code, and render dimensions are to be updated here for new perspective.

  4. Position and Adjust the Model: In the editor, you can interact directly with the 3D model to set the desired view.

    • Rotate and zoom the model until it is in the exact position you want for the new perspective.

    • As you manipulate the model, the system automatically adjusts the camera properties for that view.

  5. Save the Perspective: Once you are satisfied with the model's position, click Save to finalise and save the new perspective to the template.

  6. Preview Your Changes (Optional): You can use the Save and Preview option to see how the new perspective appears within the template's customizer interface before making it live.

Important Settings and Features

When editing a perspective, there are a few key settings in the "advanced properties" that control its behavior.

  • Render and Save Options: Within the advanced properties for each perspective, there are important settings:

    • Render: This determines if the perspective will be visible as one of the 2D images in the customizer UI.

    • Save: This checkbox controls whether the generated image for that perspective is saved to the recipe (the file containing all the order's customization details).

  • Thumbnail Perspective: The first perspective in the list within the tab is automatically designated as the "thumbnail" perspective. This thumbnail is also saved to the recipe along with the other saved perspectives.

  • Permissions: Only users with Administrator permissions can add, edit, and delete perspectives within a template.

It is important to distinguish the views created in the Perspectives tab from the main interactive 3D model. The Perspectives tab is for the 2D snapshots, while the main camera for the interactive 3D scene is configured separately in the Scene tab.

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