First launch and activation

Welcome screen

When VIZid Next starts with no document open, the Welcome screen appears.

Start actions

• New Document — create an empty VIZid project
• Open Document… — browse for a saved .vizid file
• Import STEP… — import a STEP or OBJ file (see Importing a model)
• Recent Gallery… — browse all recent projects in a visual grid

Note: the File menu uses Import 3D Model… as the label; the Welcome screen still shows Import STEP…. Both open the same import path.

Recent files — the most recent documents. Each row shows the saved thumbnail, the file name, and its folder path. Click a row to open it. When no recent documents exist, the list reads "No recent documents yet."

Show at startup — toggle at the bottom of the panel. When off, VIZid Next opens to an empty workspace on future launches.

To close the Welcome screen without opening a document: click the close button in its top-right corner.

Reopen it at any time from Help ▸ Welcome Screen…. Toggle the default from Help ▸ Show Welcome on Startup (stays in sync with the pill).

Trial and licensing

VIZid Next includes a free 30-day trial with every feature. The trial period is tied to the machine; reinstalling the app on the same machine does not renew it. Start the trial by clicking Start my free 30-day trial on the Licence & Trial screen on first run, or from Help ▸ Licence & Trial… at any time.

In the last week of the trial the app reminds you once a day. After day 30 it asks for a licence code before opening a workspace. Your documents remain yours.

To activate:

1. Open Help ▸ Licence & Trial… and copy the Request Key using Copy the Request Key next to the key field.
2. Use Contact support… on the Licence & Trial screen, or Help ▸ Contact Support…. Both send your Request Key with the message.
3. You receive a licence code by email. Paste it into the Licence code field using Paste from the clipboard and press Activate.

A code is permanent and tied to one machine. Activation works offline; nothing in VIZid waits for a server. When a connection is available, starting the trial, activating and deactivating each send one small anonymous report (a hashed machine ID, product, version and operating system — never your name, email, files or usage). See Privacy for the opt-out (VIZID_NO_TELEMETRY=1 skips every report).

Moving to another machine: deactivate the old machine from Help ▸ Licence & Trial… ▸ Deactivate this machine. The button asks for a second click (Click again to confirm). Your code stays saved on the screen so Reactivate this machine is then one click. Send the new machine's Request Key for a new code.

If your trial has ended: the screen shows "Your free trial has ended". The footer button becomes Quit for now. Use Contact support… to send your Request Key; support will issue a code.

If the app shows "We couldn't verify this trial": this can happen after restoring a backup or moving the system clock. Use Contact support… on the Licence screen to send your Request Key, and support will resolve it. Your documents are unaffected.

Document types

Extension	What it is
.vizid	VIZid document: geometry, materials, cameras, animation and render settings
.stp / .step / .obj	Source geometry: import only (see Importing a model)

File ▸ Open… (Ctrl+O) opens a document. The file dialog shows VIZid Document (.vizid) files first; a USD filter (.usd, .usda, .usdc, .usdz) is also offered.

Saving

File ▸ Save (Ctrl+S) writes a .vizid file.

File ▸ Save As… can also write a plain USD (.usda) file alongside the standard .vizid format.

VIZid does not save automatically, so save often.

Unsaved changes

When you choose File ▸ New, File ▸ Open… or File ▸ Recent…, or close the window while a document has unsaved changes, VIZid asks whether to save before continuing:

Button	Action
Save	Save the document (prompts for a path if unsaved), then continue with the action. If saving is cancelled or fails, the New/Open/close action is cancelled too.
Discard	Continue without saving.
Cancel	Go back to the document.

Workspaces

The workspace bar is a row of buttons across the top of the window (above the viewport). Each workspace raises the panels most useful for that task to the front of their dock groups, reopening a panel if it was closed. VIZid remembers the last workspace and restores it at the next start when the advanced UI is visible.

Workspace	Shortcut	Panels raised
Model	Ctrl+1	Library
Look Dev	Ctrl+2	Material
Shading	Ctrl+3	Node Graph
Lighting	Ctrl+4	Environment, Lighting
Camera	Ctrl+5	Camera
Materials	Ctrl+6	Materials
Animate	Ctrl+7	Animation
Render	Ctrl+8	Render Queue, then Render Output (in front)

The workspace bar is hidden in the minimal chrome (first-launch) layout. To show it, choose View ▸ Unlock Advanced UI. The full docking UI — panels, editors and the workspace bar — appears. The workspace shortcuts Ctrl+1–Ctrl+8 are also disabled until the advanced UI is unlocked.

Layout commands

All layout commands are in the View menu:

Command	What it does
View ▸ Unlock Advanced UI	Show the full panel and dock layout, including the workspace bar.
View ▸ Save Layout…	Save the current panel arrangement under a name (creates a .vizlayout file).
View ▸ Layouts ▸	Choose All Panels (Default); a built-in task layout (Material Editing, Model Editing, Animation, Lighting, Cameras, or Rendering); a saved layout; or Delete Layout ▸. The submenu is rebuilt each time you open it. All Panels (Default) and saved layouts also unlock the advanced UI.
View ▸ Reset to Minimal	Return to the minimal-chrome layout (just the viewport and the menu).
View ▸ Apply Panel Layout from File	Checkbox. When on, opening a .vizid document restores the panel layout that was saved with it. Also in Settings ▸ Workspace.
View ▸ New Viewport	After unlocking the advanced UI, open a fresh interactive viewport alongside the primary. Each viewport has its own camera and render feed.
View ▸ New Panel ▸	After unlocking the advanced UI, open another instance of Outliner, Palette, Environment, Looks, Materials, Material Editor, Node Graph, Object, Library, Suites, Comps, Layers, Render Settings or Viewport. Camera, Lighting, Rigs, Compositor, After Effects, Colour Grading, Render Output, Render Queue and Animation are listed but greyed with a Coming soon tooltip.

Help menu and recent documents

File ▸ Recent… (Ctrl+R)

Opens the Recent Documents dialog — a visual grid of document thumbnails. Click a thumbnail and press Open, or double-click it, to open the document. The list shows only files that still exist on disk; missing files are removed automatically. If the list is empty, the dialog does not open and the status bar reads No recent documents yet — open or import one.

Help menu

Command	What it does
Help ▸ User Guide	Open the online guide at vizid.app/docs. F1 and a panel tab's Help for This Panel action currently open the same guide entry. Panel-specific links will activate when the new guide pages are published.
Help ▸ Welcome Screen…	Reopen the Welcome screen.
Help ▸ Show Welcome on Startup	Checkbox. When on (default), the Welcome screen appears each time VIZid starts with no document. Stays in sync with the Show at startup toggle inside the Welcome screen.
Help ▸ Show Console	Checkbox. Shows or hides the diagnostic log window.
Help ▸ Licence & Trial…	Manage your licence: activate a code, see trial days remaining, deactivate this machine or reactivate it. See Trial and licensing.
Help ▸ Contact Support…	Open the VIZid support form. Sends your request key and optional diagnostics bundle (version, OS, renderer device, last error, log tail — never file names or document content). You can read the exact bundle text before sending.
Help ▸ Report a Problem…	Same as Contact Support…, opened in problem-report mode.
Help ▸ About VIZid Next	Shows the version, build date, machine ID (short form, for support), Request Key and current licence status.
Help ▸ Keyboard Shortcuts	Opens a quick-reference card of common shortcuts; see Keyboard shortcuts for the full list.