Tutorials

Welcome to the Xspiral User Guide! Below is a catalog detailing the features of our product.

1. Getting Started

1.1 Create an account

Register for Xspiral with your email address or Google account.

Detailed Steps:

1. Visit the official Xspiral website at https://www.xspiral.com and click "Get Started."
2. Choose to create your account via email or Google, and follow the instructions to complete your registration
3. If opting for email registration, select between using an email with a password or an email with a verification code.
4. After registration, log in to be directed to your My Space.

1.2 Account Setting

After signing up, you'll be directed to the workspace. Here, you have unlimited access to your personal files and team files. You can adjust your settings via the account information button located in the top right corner of the interface, covering account settings, general settings, and security settings.

Settings Breakdown:

1. Account Settings: Set your avatar, nickname, bio, and find options to delete your account.
2. Security Settings: Update your password, manage, and modify or disconnect your third-party accounts.

1.3 File Management

1.3.1 My Space

This space is for managing private files. You can create and edit your private files here, which others can only access or edit if you share the file link with them.

My Space Details:

1. You can only create new files or upload files from your local storage to your My Space.
2. Files from your My Space can be moved to project spaces in any teams you've created.
3. Community materials and cases must be downloaded to your My Space before use.
4. Subscription services are included.

1.3.2 Team Space

The Team Space is for managing public files. Collaborate on files or projects with your team members. Each member can access all files according to their role-based permissions.

Team Space Details:

1. Create one or more independent teams, each with distinct permissions.
2. Each team can house multiple projects, each with several files.
3. Only team owners or admins can move files to the My Space.
4. Subscription services are included.

1.3.3 Import

Xspiral allows you to import local materials, enhancing your resources.

Import Details:

Only supports the import of ".spiral" formatted files.

No size restrictions on imported files.

Imported files are stored in My Space and opened on a new page within the creative space.

1.4 Team Management

1.4.1 Create Your Team

Create a team by entering its name and description.

Team Membership Perks:

1. Free/Personal-Pro: Limit of one project per team. Only the three most recent files are editable; others are view-only.
2. Team-Pro: No limits on the number of projects or editable files.

1.4.2 Team Roles and Permissions

Each team has various roles with specific permissions, whether it's a team you've created or joined.

Roles and Permissions:

When a file is created, permissions are assigned based on the member's role. Administrators can adjust editing and viewing permissions.

1.4.3 Set Up Your Team

Go to team settings for management options. Customize your team's avatar, name, and description.

1.4.4 Invite Members

Team administrators can invite others to join collaborative projects, assigning them as managers, collaborators, or viewers.

1.4.5 Disband Your Team

Only creators can dissolve the team. Be cautious when using the "Disband Team" button, as it involves deleting files and forfeiting team rights.

1.5 Shortcut

Leverage keyboard shortcuts to enhance workflow efficiency. Incorporate as many as you can into your project routines.

1.6 How to get help

For assistance, contact us directly at support@xspiral.com.

2. UI Introduction

Discover the layout of the Xspiral workspace, divided into four zones: Top bar, Left bar, Property bar, Creation Space, and Control bar, each designed to streamline your 3D design workflow.

2.1 Left Bar

2.1.1 Project Directory

Also called the sidebar, view the hierarchical structure of files or objects in the list.

2.1.2 Shortcut Bar

To enhance your creative efficiency, Xspiral has developed a comprehensive material library. Access it via the shortcut bar to quickly find and integrate materials into your projects.

Selection Tool

Activate this tool by clicking the button or pressing Shift + left mouse button. The cursor will change to selection mode.

Usage Notes:

1. Press the ESC key to exit selection mode.
2. This tool is single-use; after one use, it reverts to the standard cursor.
3. To select, click and drag to draw a box. All elements fully enclosed within the box will be selected. This includes ungrouped graphics that need to be entirely enclosed to be selected, and grouped items where a part selection implies the whole group is selected. Sub-elements within a panel (e.g., board, plane, section) are not selected unless the whole panel is selected.
4. Annotations outside the selection area but linked to selected elements will move with those elements.
5. For multiple selections, the coordinate system automatically centers on the selected items, displaying their collective properties which include only position and size.
6. You can rearrange the Apps, Basics, and Assets sections on the shortcut bar by dragging and dropping them. Customize your workflow to better fit your preferences and needs.

The shortcut bar facilitates quick drawing of various elements, categorically divided into Apps, Basics, and Assets for user-friendly access.

For more information on the elements, please read Article 3 (Elements).

2.1.3 Xspiral AI

With AI, you can boost your productivity and quality.

Xspiral AI Assistant supports fast mind mapping and intelligent writing, including one-click rewriting, summarizing, and expanding.

• Currently, the feature uses fixed prompts, custom prompts will be available in future releases.
• Supported features (Mind map): Intelligent extension.
• Supported features (Document / Note): Intelligent writing, Improve writing, Continue writing, Make shorter, Make longer, Brainstorm idea, SWOT analysis.
• Free plan users consume 1 credit per AI use.
• Each new user receives 5 credits.
• Personal-Pro and Team-Pro subscribers enjoy unlimited AI usage.

See how to use AI in Xspiral with this interactive demo:

2.2 Control Bar

2.2.1 Camera Views

This tool allows you to save and switch between camera views at specific orientations and zoom levels.

1. Initially, the camera view list is empty; you must add views manually.

   

2. Click the "+" button to save a new camera view based on the current perspective and dimensions, naming it "Camera View n," where n represents the sequence of addition.

   

3. Manage and select views by expanding the camera view list. You can edit names by double-clicking, delete views with the trash can icon, and switch views by clicking on a camera view.

   

4. Support for navigating between multiple camera views is available, allowing you to click left/right buttons to switch views. Camera views can also be reordered by dragging.

   

2.2.2 Focus Bar

Includes three options: Focus, Orthographic, and Perspective.

1. Focus: Automatically adjusts the camera to optimally display and center focus on all or selected scene elements.
2. Orthographic: Maintains consistent and parallel angles, regardless of object distance.
3. Perspective: Adjusts angles based on the distance of objects from the camera.

Reactivating an already active mode has no effect.

2.2.3 Coordinate Bar

Features six perspectives that can be freely toggled by clicking any of them.

2.3 Property Bar

• Displays settings for the currently selected item. If nothing is selected, canvas settings are shown by default.

  

• Selecting an object will display its settings in the right bar.

• To revert to canvas settings, press Esc or click in any blank canvas area.

For a more comprehensive understanding of property settings, please read Article 3.2 (Element Properties).

2.4 Top Bar

Includes Menu, Creation Bar, and Collaboration Bar.

2.4.1 Menu

Navigate back to the workspace, and access functions like new, open, import, save, favorite files, view historical versions, settings, and help.

2.4.2 Creation Bar

Offers options for workspace, animation, interaction, and export.

1. Workspace: The default setting.
2. Animation Mode: Allows the creation and adjustment of animations on the timeline.
3. Interaction Mode: Set up triggers, conditions, and actions for interactive elements.
4. Export: Provides various options to export your content.

• For more on animation and interaction, please read Article 5 (Animated & Interaction).
• For more on export, please read Article 8 (Export).

2.4.3 Collaboration Bar

Displays current users, including oneself. In a team, view other members and enter "Perspective Follow Mode" by clicking on their avatar.

For further details on collaboration, please read Article 6 (Collaborative & Communication).

Each collaborator can [Preview] all creative content and share results via links.

For further details on preview and share, please read Article 7 (Preview & Share).

2.5 Creation Space

This central area, also referred to as the scene or canvas, is where all creation happens.

2.6 Right-click Menu

Access a variety of commands such as copy, paste, cut, duplicate, delete, and more by right-clicking on any graphical element. This menu also allows for group management and element properties adjustments like show/hide, lock/unlock, and adding to my assets or scenes.

3. Element

3.1 Element Classification

Xspiral offers a diverse range of elements to facilitate user creation, organized into three main categories:

3.1.1 Apps

These elements have specific functional features akin to applications, implementing basic functions via built-in strategies to assist in constructing 3D office environments. These application-type elements support project planning and management within a 3D space, aiding the transition of your work into digitalization.

Apps Include:

1. Flow chart: Visually represent business processes using specific symbols and descriptions, useful for project and process management, as well as marketing planning.
2. Mind map: A dynamic tool for visual thinking, ideal for note-taking, inspiration gathering, planning, task management, report creation, business planning, and efficient presentations.

3. Document: Online documents for recording text, images, and tables, typically used for office documents, data analysis, proposals, and record-keeping.

4. Kanban: A management tool to control on-site production flows, often utilized in project and process management.

5. Gantt: Display project timelines and progress through bar charts, essential for project management and tracking.

6. Mockup: Scale models of real devices to showcase design and functionality.

7. Note: Small, convenient stickers for recording miscellaneous notes and reminders.

3.1.2 Basics

These are the simplest forms of graphics, including 3D and 2D shapes, which form the foundational elements of 3D creation.

Basic Elements Include:

1. Frame: Such as boards, planes and sections, which can host other elements or combinations.

   

These panels allow for the retention of sub-elements when deleted and provide options for detaching or adding elements to enhance organizational flexibility.

2. Objects: Including 3D boxes, spheres, cones, cylinders, and torus. 2D plane including some commonly used geometric panels

   

3. Lighting: Options like spotlights, directional lights, and point lights are available for creating the desired ambiance.

   

For a detailed exploration of lighting, please read Article 4 (Lighting Settings).

4. Text: Provides both flat and convertible 3D text options.

   

5. Icon & Stickers: Including icons, emojis, and stickers for adding character to designs.

   

6. Images: Supports uploading images in PNG, JPG, and SVG formats.

   

7. Pen Tools: For drawing flat shapes that can be converted into three-dimensional objects.

   

3.1.3 Assets

Xspiral's built-in assets, such as scenes and components, simplify the creation process by providing readily available design elements.

Assets Include:

1. Components: Useful for various settings including common office spaces, home life, sports equipment, fun models, 3D icons, outdoor scenes, and food models.

2. Scenes: Such as Desk exhibition, Home cabin, Simple panel, Simple exhibition, Booth combination.

3.2 Element Properties

When an element is selected, its properties are displayed on the right-side property bar, offering adjustments for position, size, parameters, material settings, and animations.

3.2.1 Transformation

This includes adjustments for the center, angle, scale, and size of elements, with specific details available in the property bar for precise modifications.

1. Center：Based on the world coordinates, the three-dimensional center point of the element object (the yellow point where the three axes intersect in the image below).

   

2. Angle：Rotation around the X/Y/Z axis of the world coordinate system.

   

3. Scale：Scaling in the X/Y/Z directions of the world coordinate system:

   • Actual size in space = Dimension * Scale.
   

4. Size：The "original size" in the X/Y/Z directions of the world coordinate system:

   • Irregular objects are displayed according to the dimensions of their minimum bounding box.
   • 1 world coordinate unit = 100 space dimensions.
   

Special parameters of elements:

• Each different element has its own set of different property parameters, which are detailed in each element’s property bar.
  • For example: A box has "edge radius," and a sphere has "spherical segmentation," among others.

3.2.2 Material Setting

Xspiral provides several preset materials and customization options such as color selection, texture mapping, and the addition of normal maps for enhanced detail.

1. Preset Materials

Choose from 13 built-in materials, with more options to be added.

2. Color

Directly select from a palette or enter specific color codes.

3. Texture and Normal Maps:

Upload custom textures or normal maps for added depth and realism. Colors, images, and normal maps can be combined for rendering!

4. Advanced Settings: Opacity, Roughness, Metalness, and Transmission

These settings allow for detailed adjustments to the appearance and rendering of materials.

5. Animations

Preset animations: Xspiral provides preset animations for basic elements, facilitating quick animation creation and enhancing productivity.

For a deeper understanding of animations, please read Article 5.2 (Preset Animations).

3.3 Element Editing

When an element is selected with the mouse and held down with the left button, its coordinate system will be displayed, as shown in the diagram below:

3.3.1 Coordinate System Operations

Movement: Click and drag the arrows along the X, Y, or Z axes to move the element in the corresponding direction.

2. Planar Movement: Click and drag the circular handles on the XY, YZ, or XZ planes to slide the element across those planes.

   

3. Rotation: Click and drag the circular arcs on the XY, YZ, or XZ to rotate the element within those planes.

   

4. Free Movement: Click and drag the coordinate origin (the point where the XYZ axes intersect, highlighted in the red box below) to move the element freely in space.

   

3.3.2 Stretching/Scaling

Proportional Stretching: Click and drag the points along the X, Y, or Z axes to stretch or scale the element proportionally along the selected axis.

2. Uniform Scaling: Click and drag the uniform scaling button (indicated in the red box below) to scale the entire object proportionally.

   

4. Lighting Settings

Xspiral provides three types of lighting sources to enhance your 3D models:

4.1 Spot Light

Emits light in a conical shape from a single point, allowing adjustments to light color, softness, and spot size.

4.2 Directional Light

Simulates sunlight with light emitted from a theoretically infinite distance, ensuring all shadows cast are parallel. You can modify the light color and intensity.

4.3 Point Light

Radiates light evenly in all directions, with adjustable color and softness.

5. Animated & Interaction

5.1 Frame Animation

Xspiral offers tools for creating smooth frame animations that enhance the visual presentation. Here are the steps:

Steps for creating animations:

Setting Keyframes: Move the cursor to a specific time position or click on a keyframe to position the cursor automatically:

1. Add a keyframe to the animation track, adjust the scene elements, then update the keyframe.
2. Alternatively, adjust scene elements first, then add a keyframe.
3. Changes in parameters are indicated by the left side turning red.
4. Hovering over a keyframe shows an "Update Button" if changes are pending.

Managing Keyframes: Each element has its own animation track. Collapsed tracks show global changes; expanded tracks show individual parameter changes.

1. Deleting or moving keyframes affects all related animations accordingly.

Animation Playback: Supports single, loop, and ping-pong playback modes.

5.2 Preset Animations

Quickly add preset animations to basic elements to streamline the animation process:

1. Adding Animations: Select an element, open the property bar, find the "Animation" option, and choose a preset from the list.
2. Animation Types: Include options like rotation, translation, scale, and transparent.

A trigger activates when any of its conditions are met. Additionally, all criteria within the additional conditions must be satisfied to initiate interactive action.

See how to create Animation in Xspiral with this interactive demo:

5.3 Interactive Events

Enhance your projects with dynamic interactions that make the virtual environment more engaging and interactive:

Creating Interactive Events: Enter the "Interaction Space" and use the "+" to initiate a new event.

Configuring Events: Define trigger conditions and additional parameters. For example, set triggers like clicks or mouseovers, and define actions like changing visibility, starting animations, or altering positions, the details are as follows:

1. Interaction

   • Trigger: lets you “force run” another interaction, bypassing its triggers and conditions.
   • Toggle: toggle the Enable and Disable state for another interaction.
   • Enable: make another interaction available. (i.e. the interaction can be triggered)
   • Disable: makes the other interaction unavailable. (i.e. the interaction cannot be triggered)

2. Animation

   • Play: starts from the beginning or from a pause.
   • Pause: paused in the current position.
   • Stop: stopped and reset to the beginning.

3. Transform & Camera

   • Target: select the object.
   • Switch to: select the camera to be switched to.
   • Transition type: select the type of interpolation, that is the smoothness of motion between the current view and the new view.
   • Linear: motion has no acceleration, it starts and stops instantly.
   • Ease in & out: achieves smooth motion between 2 keyframes.
   • Ease in: motion starts slowly and stops instantly.
   • Ease out: motion starts immediately and stops slowly.
   • Switch Directly: no motion, value is changed at the moment when the next keyframe is reached.

4. Visibility

   • Hidden: hidden target.
   • Shown: show the target.
   • Toggle: toggle the visibility of the target, if shown becomes hidden. If hidden becomes shown .
   • Custom: customize the visibility of the target.

5. URL

   • URL: click on the target to jump to the linked URL.

Implementation: Once configured, interactive events can be previewed and tested within the project environment, providing a real-time view of how interactions will function.

• Tips: Adding a condition to monitor the status of interactive events (not started/in progress/completed) will limit all interactive actions to a single execution. To continue executing interactive events, please click the "Refresh button" to reset the preview space.

6. Collaborative & Communication

6.1 Online Collaboration

Xspiral enhances team collaboration by allowing multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously in real-time. Mouse operations by online members are synchronized across all collaborators' canvases, making it possible for team members to see each other's tasks and the effects in real-time. This significantly boosts creative efficiency by allowing each collaborator to work independently while being fully aware of the team's progress.

6.2 Comments and Annotations

Elevating collaboration to a new level, comments and annotations are integral for effective communication and feedback within Xspiral.

• To annotate a spiral file, click the “Comment” button in the collaboration bar (top right corner). Your cursor will change to a comment cursor.
• Freely add comments by clicking anywhere on the canvas.
• Annotations are dynamic; when modified or replied to, notifications are sent to your personal center, ensuring you stay informed even when offline.
• Comments are linked to elements and move with them. Replies nest under the original comment and do not clutter the comment list.
• You can manage comments directly on the canvas: read, add, or reply to comments in the comment mode, which you can exit by pressing the Esc key.

7. Preview & Share

7.1 Preview

Each collaborator can access the preview page by clicking the [Preview] button, showcasing the entirety of the created content.

• Manipulate the canvas to view content from various angles and scales.

• Interactive events and animations can be demonstrated here, providing a comprehensive view of the dynamic elements.

• Use the [Refresh] button to revert any displaced scenes to their original state.

• You can choose to preview interactions, animations, or camera views.

  

7.2 Share

Once your creation is complete, easily share it with others. The shared link allows external viewers to access the content without needing to log in, and if they are logged in, the link is added to their "Recently Viewed" for easy future access.

8. Export

8.1 Export Styles

Xspiral supports a variety of export options to suit different needs:

8.1.1 Publish URL

Deploy projects on Xspiral’s servers, creating accessible websites.

8.1.2 Integration Embed

Integrate and embed projects into web pages with an option to update content seamlessly without redevelopment.

8.1.3 Code Export

For website integration that requires manual code updates whenever project updates occur.

8.1.4 Export Images

Capture the current view in high-resolution JPG or PNG formats.

8.1.5 Video Recording

Create videos in formats like MP4, WebM, GIF, or as a sequence of frames, showcasing animations or interactions.

8.1.6 Spiral File

Save projects locally in the ".spiral" format for offline access or distribution.

9. Other Instructions

9.1 Recommended Browsers

Xspiral is a browser-based 3D visualization collaboration software that can be used online without downloading a client.

Supported Operating Systems:

1. MacOS
2. Windows
3. Linux

Recommended Browsers:

1. Chrome（highly recommended）
2. Microsoft Edge
3. Mozilla Firefox

9.2 User Preferences

Customize your Xspiral experience by setting preferences that stay saved with your account. These settings adjust the presentation of opened files and include options for High Performance Mode, Turn on Power Saving, Display Operating animation, Display Multiplayer cursors, Show Comments, Automatically Join frame (Press Ctrl to move the element to the Frame/Plane/Section).

Trigger：lets you “force run” another interaction, bypassing its triggers and conditions
Toggle：toggle the Enable and Disable state for another interaction
Enable：make another interaction available (i.e. the interaction can be triggered)
Disable：makes the other interaction unavailable (i.e. the interaction cannot be triggered)