Workspace
Workspace is the arrangement of Light Stream's windows: which windows are open, where they are docked, and what size they are. The program lets you freely rearrange windows to suit your task and your monitor, save the resulting layouts under names, and switch between them with a single click.
Workspaces are not tied to the project: they are shared across the whole program and stay the same no matter which project you are working in.
Program Windows
The interface is made up of separate windows (panels). The full list of windows is in the Window menu. A checkmark to the left of the name means the window is currently shown: uncheck it to remove the window from the screen, check it again to return it to its previous place.
| Window | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Mapping | The main field where fixtures are arranged and effects are visible |
| 3D View | A three-dimensional scene with the object model and fixtures |
| Timeline | The layouts and effects of the selected composition, arranged in time |
| Compositions | The list of the project's compositions |
| Fixtures | Devices (Player, converters, ports), the project's fixture list, and patching |
| 3D Objects | The list of objects, cameras, and fixtures in the three-dimensional scene |
| Properties | The parameters of whatever is selected: an effect, a fixture, a layout, a device |
| Effects | The effect library from which effects are added to a composition |
| Export | The list of compositions to export to *.cue and the export settings
|
| Playlists | Playlists for the schedule |
| Calendar | Scheduled events by date |
Windows have no close button — they can only be hidden, so a window can never be "lost" for good: it can always be brought back through the Window menu.
In the default layout, Compositions, Fixtures, and 3D Objects are grouped as tabs in the upper left, with Properties below them; the right side is occupied by the Mapping, 3D View, Export, Calendar, and Playlists tabs; the Timeline spans the full width at the bottom. The Effects window is undocked by default and opens as a separate floating window on top of the program, above the Effects button on the timeline toolbar.
Moving and Docking Windows
To move a window:
- Point at the window's tab with its name, hold down the left mouse button, and drag.
- While still holding the button, watch for the docking hints — arrows that appear at the edges and in the center of the area you're over.
- Point at the arrow you need: the spot where the window will land is highlighted with a rectangle. The edge arrows place the window beside, above, or below its neighbor; the center one adds it as a tab in the same group.
- Release the mouse button.
If you release the button somewhere other than an arrow, the window stays floating — a separate window you can move anywhere on the screen, including onto a second monitor. You can bring it back the same way, by dragging it by its title bar, or via the right-click menu.
The size of neighboring windows is changed by dragging the border between them.
Right-clicking a window's tab gives access to:
- Detach — make the window floating;
- Attach — return a floating window to its previous place;
- Hide — remove the window from the screen (same as unchecking it in the Window menu).
The window where the last click was made is considered active and is outlined with a light gray border — this makes it easy to tell which window the current actions and hotkeys apply to.
Editor and Schedule Switch
Below the menu bar are two quick layout-switching buttons:
- Editor — the working windows for building a project: mapping, 3D, timeline, fixtures, and properties;
- Schedule — the windows for building a schedule: Calendar, Playlists, and Compositions; the other windows are hidden.
The program remembers how you arranged the windows in each of the two modes and restores that arrangement when you switch back, so you can switch back and forth freely.
Saving Your Own Layouts
All layouts are gathered in the Workspace window: Window menu → Workspace. This window doesn't block the program — you can leave it open, rearrange windows, and save the result right away.
| Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| New | Remembers the current window arrangement and adds a new row to the list |
| Save | Overwrites the layout selected in the list with the current window arrangement (the program will ask for confirmation) |
| Load | Arranges the windows as recorded in the selected layout |
| On Startup | Marks the layout that will be loaded when the program starts |
| Name | The layout's name; changed by double-clicking it |
To create your own layout:
- Arrange the windows the way that's convenient for you.
- Open the Window menu → Workspace.
- Click New — the current window arrangement is remembered and appears as a new row in the list.
- Double-click the name to give it a clear title, for example "Mapping" or "3D".
To return to a saved layout, select it in the list and click Load. If you later rearrange the windows and want to attach the new arrangement to the same row, select it, click Save, and confirm the question Save the selected workspace?.
The first two rows of the list are standard ones:
- Editor — the factory window arrangement. Load it if your layout has "come apart" and you want a clean start. This row can't be overwritten; it always returns the standard view.
- Schedule — the layout with the calendar and playlists, the same one as the Schedule button below the menu bar. Unlike the Editor, it can be overwritten to suit you.
Deleting layouts isn't supported in this version: you can rename an unneeded row and save a different arrangement over it instead.
Layout on Startup
The On Startup column in the Workspace window determines which layout the program will open with next time. Mark the row you need with a dot — the marked name is shown in bold. If nothing is marked, the program starts with the standard Editor layout.
Good to Know
- The list of workspaces is stored in the program's settings, not in the project: it is the same for all projects and doesn't travel with the project file to another computer.
- The list is written to disk when you exit the program, so close it normally rather than by killing the task.
- After installing a new version of Light Stream, the window arrangement may revert to the standard one — this is normal; just save your layouts again.
- The Effects window can be docked with the others like any other window, and that arrangement will also be saved in the workspace.