Surface Explorer — Quick Start (First Launch)

Quick Start (First Launch)

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New to Surface Explorer? You don't need to write a single equation to get started. The fastest way to see the application in action is to load a preset from the built-in library. Follow these three steps and you will have an animated surface on screen in under a minute.

Step 1 — Open the Library

Find the Library button on the bottom status bar and click it once to open the Library dock. This panel holds all the ready-made content shipped with the app, organized into four tabs: Surfaces, Textures, Sounds, and Records.

Step 2 — Load a Record

For your very first look, open the Records tab and double-click any item (for example one of the Ray Marching entries). A Record is a complete snapshot of a whole scene — geometry, colors, textures, camera framing and animation are all restored at once — so it is the single click that shows off the most. The surface appears immediately and, if the preset is animated, it starts moving on its own.

Tip: Records are the best starting point because they load everything together. If instead you only want the bare shape (to then restyle it yourself), pick an item from the Surfaces tab; to change only the look, apply something from the Textures tab on top of the current object.

Step 3 — Explore and Make It Yours

Move around: Drag with the left mouse button to rotate, and use the mouse wheel to zoom. See Interaction & Navigation.
Change the constants: Open the Equations dock and adjust the sliders for the mathematical constants (A–F, S) to reshape the preset in real time.
Restyle it: Open the Renderer dock to switch between Solid and Wireframe, change the colors, or toggle a texture.
Save your version: Once you like the result, use the Save button to store it as your own preset. See Library, Presets & Saving for the full details on each save format.

Nothing on screen? A few presets use heavy Ray Marching surfaces. If a preset looks empty or distorted, try switching the projection to Orthogonal from the status bar, and check the Fixing Visual Artifacts section.

When you are ready to go beyond presets and define your own geometry, continue with the sections below — they cover the interface, the equation system, and the advanced scripting tools in full.

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