UI basics

ArcGIS CityEngine has a flexible user interface (UI) composed of multiple windows where you can access different tools and use for urban design. You can move and resize the windows to create a layout that works best for you.

In the following image, the layout compares two redevelopment scenarios with multiple UI windows displayed:

Note:

The numbers in the image correspond to the numbers in the table below it.

	Scene Editor	Manage layers in the scene, objects, and scenarios.
	CGA Editor	CGA rules.
	VCGA Editor	Edit Visual CGA (VCGA), the node-based programming interface that is used to build procedural designs.
	Navigator	Work with projects and files in the local workspace.
	Viewport	Interact with the 3D environment of the scene using windows, perspective cameras, and scenarios.
	Tool Options	Manage the tool options such as street and shape creation and terrain, or transform tools.
	Inspector	View and modify the attributes and parameters of scene objects, such as shapes, streets, terrain, and scenarios.
	Dashboards	Analyze the key attributes by scenario.

Change to a dark theme

You can choose a dark theme to ease eye strain and give the scenes a more modern look.

Additional windows

You can use the following additional windows when you click the Window menu:

Model Hierarchy	Inspect models generated with CGA and VCGA.
Facade Wizard	Create complex facades and generate CGA rule templates.
Welcome	Connect to recent scenes, new scenes, and CityEngine resources, and get the latest news.
Get Started	Explore the basics of CityEngine when going through the CityEngine tour tutorial.
Progress	View progress reporting of current processing operations.
Log	View messages such as errors or completed operations.
Console	View CGA or Python output.
Problems	View CGA compiler errors and warnings.
Layout	Choose the layout for the windows.