SolidMeta Forge has an intuitive interface enriched by a comprehensive suite of powerful 3D real-time optimisation, export and analysis features. We have meticulously integrated a blend of UX/UI workflows, keyboard shortcuts, and mouse actions to boost user efficiency and streamline the workflow. These functionalities are thoughtfully designed to significantly elevate the quality and efficiency of your project development experience. And don’t worry, you don’t need to be a chameleon with eyes darting in different directions on the screen to use SolidMeta Forge – that’s what we have an AI for. On the other hand, we humans have our heads mounted on a neck, enabling us to move our point of view easily. Therefore, we recommend a set of two monitors to display the 3D Viewport conveniently on one monitor and the Forge editor on the other.
Interface #
This document is designed to help you familiarize yourself with the various UX elements of the Interface, like icons that we use in SolidMeta Forge.
Interface Overview #
In the screenshot, you can see the SolidMeta Forge application with the default layout. The user can customize the entire design according to their requirements.
Main Menu Bar #
File Menu Item #
New Project
A new dialogue opens under the menu item New Project. There, you enter the project’s name and the project’s storage location. If you do not create an empty project and have project data, select the location of the directory to be imported. Forge only supports 2 level hierarchies.
Open Project
This menu item allows you to open an existing SolidMeta Forge project. You can also select an existing project under the menu item Recent Projects.
Close Project
This menu item closes the current project.
Recent Projects
Under Recent Projects, you will find your existing SolidMeta Forge projects that the user can open.
Import – Import a Predicted Project
Please choose the location of a predicted project, a name and the target location where the project is saved.
Analysis
Select a category to be analyzed. You can also enter a different storage location and project name. Check the ‘Include reduction parameters’ box to include the reduction parameters. Click on OK to start an analysis.
Export
In the export dialogue, the user can select an Unreal preset. The coordinate system and the length unit of the model will be changed from Maya to Unreal settings. Furthermore, the user can export the entire project or only the selected items.
Quit
Quits the application.
Edit Menu Item #
The user will find the Undo (CTRL+Z) and Redo (CTRL+Y) functions in the Editor menu. The user can also find the Settings dialogue under Settings.
Settings Dialogue
Houdini: The Houdini installation directory is specified here.
Log Level: The User can set the log level.
💡 The user can view the information in the Log Viewer or the sms.log file (path: C:\\Users\\<YOUR_USER_NAME>\\AppData\\Local\\Unevis\\SolidMetaForge\\sms.log).
Solid Meta: Forge Environment for Houdini: The user can install or uninstall the environment in Houdini.
View Menu Item #
Editors Submenu Item
This submenu contains all available editors that can be used.
Windows Menu Item
Layouts Submenu Item
These two menu items are responsible for creating and deleting layouts.
💡 The user can find the same functionality in the toolbar.
A Reset Layout item is under the two menu items to get the Default state of layouts.
Help Menu Item
About: Information about SolidMeta: Forge
EULA: End-user license agremeent
TOS: Terms of service
💡 The user must accept the EULA and TOS during installation.
Tool Bar #
Start Houdini: Houdini will be started via this toolbar item (see 2.1 Settings Dialogue for selecting the Houdini installation path).
Layouts
- Layout Chooser: Please select the current layout.Save Layout: Save a newly created layout with a name. <aside> ⚠️ The default layout can be overwritten. </aside>Remove Layout: Remove the selected layout.
Processing When the SolidMeta Forge/Houdini connection exists, all editor changes (e.g. reduction) are transferred to Houdini and the required calculations are performed there. If the user only wants to view the model, he can switch off these calculations with this statusbar item.
Status Bar #
The status bar displays information on actions performed and a loading bar.
Keyboard Hotkeys & Shortcuts #
These shortcuts are crucial for enhancing your productivity in SolidMeta Forge, enabling you to perform frequent actions quickly and with minimal disruption to your creative process.
File Menu Actions #
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Create new project | Ctrl + N |
| Open existing project | Ctrl + O |
| Import predicted project | Ctrl + Shift + P |
| Start analysis of project | Ctrl + Shift + A |
| Export project or data | Ctrl + Shift + E |
Edit Menu Actions #
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Undo the last action | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo the last undone action | Ctrl + Y |
Help Menu Actions #
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Online Help | F1 |
Project Editor Shortcuts and Mouse Actions #
Node Operations #
| Action | Shortcut | Mouse Action |
|---|---|---|
| Rename selected node | F2 or Return | N/A |
| Delete selected node(s) | Del | N/A |
| Change the tag of a node | Enter | Click in the Tag column |
| Show model in Houdini | Space | Click in the visibility column |
| Navigate to the child nodes | Right Arrow Key | N/A |
| Return to the parent node | Left Arrow Key | N/A |
