====== Application Preferences dialog reference ======

The Application Preferences dialog lets you set application-wide settings.

To open the dialog, select **Edit** > **Preferences** (macOS: **SpeedTree Modeler** > **Preferences**).  

===== General =====
These settings are basic, high level options for the Modeler.

^**Property**^**Description**^^
|**Display scaling**|Change the size of GUI components such as fonts, icons, buttons, and scrollbars. This feature is particularly useful on high-resolution monitors (e.g., 4K monitors on laptops). Using **Display scaling** is preferable to using the operating system's tools to increase readability/usability.||
|**Warn about node edit losses**|Get a warning when an operation might result in the loss of a node edit. Where possible, any operation that might result in the loss of a node edit will be delayed until the user permits it to proceed. This feature is in place to prevent the accidental loss of carefully edited model components.||
|**Use multiple processors**|When enabled, many of the Modeler's CPU intensive operations (like computing the model) will use all available logical CPUs. **Note**: Collision is always performed in a background thread, regardless of this setting.||
|**Always use native file dialogs**|Bypass the SpeedTree-specific open dialog.||
|**Use background computing**|Allow edits to load in the background while the model remains interactive. Disable this option to make edits load in full before you can continue editing.||
|**Autosave**|The settings in this group control the automatic background saves used for crash recovery.||
|:::|**Enable**|Enable automatic saving.|
|:::|**Notify in console**|Print a message to the console when an automatic save occurs.|
|:::|**Interval (min)**|Set how often a file automatically saves.|
|**Reset General Preferences**|Set all General preferences to the system default.|| 

=====Tree Window=====
The settings in this group apply to the [[tooltree_window|Tree Window]].

^**Property**^**Description**^^
|**Hide selection indicator on edit**|Hide the selection indicator after you make an edit. When you make a new selection, the indicator appears again.|| 
|**Scene unit**|Specify a unit of measure for the model and change the size of the height indicator to help with scaling. See [[kcunits|Units]].||
|**Texel density target (texels/unit)**|Set the approximate number of texels per unit.||
|**Show fan**|Set when the Fan icon appears: **Always**, **When wind is on**, **Never**.||
|**Navigation**|The options in this group modify the default mouse control mechanism.||
|:::|**Reverse panning**|Change the direction of pan operations.|
|:::|**Reverse rotating**|Change the direction of rotation operations.|
|:::|**Reverse zooming**|Change the direction of zoom operations (including the mouse wheel).|
|:::|**Control scheme**|Select the scheme used for mouse navigation: **Default**, **Autodesk Maya**, **Autodesk 3ds Max**.|
|**Reset Tree Window Preferences**|Set all Tree Window preferences to the system default.|| 

=====Property Bar=====
The options in this group affect the behavior of the [[property_bar|Property Bar]].

^**Property**^**Description**^
|**Group click**|Control what happens when you select a group heading in the Property Bar.|  
|**Reveals**|Expand the group where it is to show its properties.| 
|**Slams to top**|Move the group to the top and show its properties.|
|**Animate scrolling**|Choose whether scrolling is animated or instant.|
|**Use group stacking**|Enable the standard mode where only the properties near the scroll position are revealed. The rest of the property groups stack above and below the scroll position for easier navigation. Disable this mode to show the properties as a static list in each group.|
|**Reset Property Bar Preferences**|Set all Property Bar preferences to the system default.| 

=====Render=====
The properties in this group control the graphics quality used when rendering the model in the Tree Window.

^**Property**^**Description**^
|**Multi-sampling**|When the graphics driver allows application-controlled multi-sampling, use this option to enable/disable the feature and control the quality. Higher settings result in better anti-aliasing. **Note:** Multi-sampling must be enabled for the “sample alpha to coverage” (A2C) transparency technique to work. This option applies to all newly created windows (existing windows will be unaffected).| 
|**Shadow anti-aliasing samples**|The Tree Window uses depth maps for shadow effects. The edges of these shadows can be softened by sampling the depth map multiple times. Select how many times the depth map is sampled with this parameter. Higher values result in softer edges and slower render times.|
|**Max texture resolution**|Each material asset has a **Max resolution** setting. For any material using the **Default** setting for this property, this application preference value controls the maximum size of the largest dimension of any texture map loaded for that material.Lower this value to decrease texture memory usage and increase rendering speed in the window. **Note:** Actual exported texture resolutions will not be affected. This preference only governs texture usage inside of the Modeler.|
|**Cache shaders to disc**|Store shaders to improve compute times.|
|**Clear Shader Cache**|Delete stored shaders.|
|**Reset Render Preferences**|Set all Render preferences to the system default.|