Menu
1.1. Introduction
1.2. Interface
1.3. Navigation
1.4. Preferences
1.5. Workspace Settings
1.6. Environment Settings
2.1 Dollhouse project, part 1
2.2. Dollhouse project, part 2
2.3. Windows
2.4. Beds
2.5. Armchair & Sofa
2.6. Chairs & Table
3.1. 3D Print - Slicer interface
3.2. 3D Print - Settings
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You already know how to navigate in the SelfCAD app using a mouse, keyboard, rotation cube and camera settings. The second group of settings I want to show you are Preferences, which are the settings of the whole app. They define how the program looks like and how it works.

Step 1: Startup

Your project is saved automatically every 3 minutes. But imagine that you have done lots of work in 2,5 minutes, 30 seconds left to autosave and then your computer crash, you lose everything you did in those 2,5 minutes. To avoid such situations, SelfCAD saves some cache on your computer and uploads it at the start of a new session. It means that you don't lose your unsaved data. In Preferences, you can turn off this ability. Then, there are no cache files on your computer, but remember that you can lose your unsaved changes.

Step 2: Undo-redo

Be careful with your mistakes because the number of Undo usings is limited. In Preferences you can change this limit and choose how long the history log should be.

Step 3: Selection Colors

When you are about to select a region, it is highlighted when you move the cursor over it and changes its color when you select it. In Preferences you can change the color of highlighted and selected regions.

Step 4: Hold Shift to Select Multiple Objects

Imagine that you have more objects in your project and one of them is selected. If you want to edit another one, you have to select it and deselect the previous one. Then you want to edit another object again, so you need to perform another two clicks. For situations like this, you can turn on the "Hold shift to select multiple objects" option. It causes that when you select a new object, the previous one is automatically deselected and if you want to select more than one model, you simply select them with holding Shift.

Step 5: Editor Mode

If you don't like looking at the bright screen you can change the editor mode to dark. After you do it, two more options are available: apply dark background and apply dark mode to grid.

See how all three options work:
- Dark editor mode changes all panels colors except the editor to dark.
- Apply dark background changes the background of the editor to dark, but your workspace still looks like in light mode.
- Apply dark mode to grid changes replaces the colors of your workspace - all segments become gray and all grid lines become white

Step 6: Units

If you use imperial units you can change them from millimeters to inches in Preferences. Note that after units change your model still keeps its size. It means that 100 mm doesn't become 100 in, but 3.94 in, so when you want to model in inches change the units at the beginning of your work.

Why are units important?

The answer is - printing. If your model is 84 mm high in the editor, the height of its printed version also will be equal to 84 mm. In fact, if you don't want to print your project, you can ignore the units or use them as if they were equal to meters, centimeters, etc.