Editing

The controls follow Blender’s conventions. Press F1 (or ?) in the app for the full list.

The grid

Everything sits on a square grid. Free-space parts (lasers, mirrors, detectors…) take one cell and are drawn as themselves. Built-in blocks and components are boxes that take several cells: light ports on their left and right edges, signal terminals on the top and bottom edges. The cell size (Inspector → Simulation, 10 µm by default) sets the physical distance light travels between cells, which matters for interference.

Adding parts

There are four ways, all placing into the cell you point at:

• Drag a row from the library onto the grid.
• Click a library row, then click the grid (repeat to place more; Esc stops).
• Shift+A (or right-click empty space) opens the add menu at the cursor.
• The parts browser (▦ next to the library search).

The library

Parts are grouped into folders: Light & detection, Free-space optics, Electronics & I/O, Example components, My components, Waveguide blocks and Component ports. Click a folder to open or close it. Typing in the search box shows matching parts from every folder in one list.

The add menu

Hover a category to open its parts beside it, then click one. Or just start typing: the menu turns into a search, and Enter adds the first match. Scrolling over the menu scrolls the menu, not the grid. Esc or a click on the grid closes it.

The parts browser

The browser shows every part as a tile with its description, folder by folder. Click a tile and then click the grid, or drag the tile onto the grid. ＋ New component starts a component.

Selecting, moving, deleting

• Click selects; Shift+click adds or removes; drag on empty space draws a selection box. Clicking a waveguide or signal wire selects it.
• Drag a part or box to move it, or press G and move the mouse (X / Y lock the axis, click or Enter confirms, right-click or Esc cancels). Parts can’t be dropped onto occupied cells.
• R / Shift+R rotate lasers by 90° and mirrors and splitters by 45°. Double-clicking a part rotates it too.
• Shift+D duplicates the selection (with the wires between the copies) and starts moving it.
• X or Delete removes the selection, or the selected wire.
• Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z undo and redo.

Navigating

• Wheel or pinch zooms at the cursor; trackpad scrolling and middle-drag pan; Ctrl+wheel / Shift+wheel pan sideways / up and down; Ctrl+middle-drag zooms.
• Home frames everything; . (period) frames the selection.

Preferences

Edit → Preferences… sets how Shine looks and behaves, and is remembered between sessions (a settings file on desktop, the browser’s storage on the web):

Setting	Options
Theme	System, light or dark
Grid, port names	Show or hide the grid and the names on component boxes
Light colours	Real colours where visible (infrared and ultraviolet in distinct false colours), a distinct colour per wavelength, or one colour; use lasers’ own colours
Channels	Draw each wavelength on a waveguide or beam as its own strand
Beams, readings	Direction arrows; detector powers on the canvas
New lasers	Their wavelength, typed or from presets
Simulation	Live simulation for new documents; clock speed

Keyboard and mouse reference

Keys	Action
Middle drag / Shift+Middle drag	Pan
Ctrl+Middle drag	Zoom
Wheel / pinch	Zoom at cursor
Trackpad scroll	Pan
Home	Frame all
. (period)	Frame selected
Left click	Select
Shift+Left click	Extend / toggle selection
Left drag on empty space	Box select (Shift extends)
Left drag on component	Move it
Double click	Rotate a part / open a component
Click a number’s bit	Toggle that bit
A / Alt+A / Ctrl+I	Select all / none / invert
G	Grab (move); X / Y constrain axis
Enter / Left click	Confirm grab
Esc / Right click	Cancel grab
R / Shift+R	Rotate clockwise / counter-clockwise
Shift+D	Duplicate and move
X / Delete	Delete selected
Shift+A / Right click	Add menu / context menu
Tab / Double click	Open a component’s definition in its own tab
Drag from a port or terminal	Wire it: light ports take waveguides, square terminals take signals
Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z	Undo / redo
Space	Toggle simulation
T / N	Toggle toolbar / properties
Ctrl+N / Ctrl+O / Ctrl+S	New / open / save
F1 / ?	This help