Satin Studio Manual

Commands, Help, and Dither

Every Satin Studio action has one home. The same command can appear as a toolbar button, menu item, keyboard shortcut, or line of Dither.

The Help page, visible control, and saved recipe all use the same command definition. They agree about required inputs, availability, background work, and Undo.

Find the command you need

Press M-x—Option-X on macOS or Alt-X on Windows and Linux—when you know what you want to do but not where the control lives. In the native Apple app, the Command toolbar button opens the same completion list. Start typing a command name, use the arrow keys to choose a result, and press Enter. Project creation, compile, undo, and redo; Design, Stitch, and X-Ray modes; all Select, Path, Text, Shape, inspection, and diagnostic tools; selection clear, delete, visibility, lock, and nudge actions; object grouping, group ordering, and group-scope navigation; and Hoop view layer, side, and reset commands are available here. Commands that need information continue into typed prompts in the same completion window. The window opens as a compact shelf across the bottom, moves the workbench upward, and keeps command names, shortcuts, and descriptions in separate readable columns. As you use the arrow keys, the result list scrolls when the selection reaches an edge.

If a browser has trouble with shared-memory background work, run Use Safe Worker Mode from M-x. Satin Studio lets the current job finish, then sends future compile and export work to one isolated background Worker. It does not move heavy work onto the interface thread. Run Use Automatic Workers to let the browser choose its faster supported Worker setup again.

Length prompts require a unit, such as 8mm, 750um, 1.2cm, or 0.25in. Satin Studio does not guess a unit from your locale or last-used display setting. The same explicit values work in Dither recipes.

Press Ctrl-H to open Help. In the native Apple app, choose Help to open command-topic search directly. Follow Ctrl-H with f to describe a command or a to search command topics. The other choices are listed directly in the Help completion window, so you do not need to memorize the sequence.

Press M-:—Option-Shift-semicolon on macOS or Alt-Shift-semicolon on Windows and Linux—to evaluate one Dither expression. The native Apple app's Evaluate button opens this same expression surface. Enter the expression and press Enter. The completion window keeps the formatted result or a readable error in view, and any commands inside the expression follow the same validation and Undo rules as M-x.

The generated command reference lists every command available in this version. Each page gives you:

The Help topics come from the same command information, so they stay in step with Satin Studio.

One action, whichever way you reach it

Every entry point follows the same path:

graph TD
  Choice[Choose an action] --> Command[One Satin Studio command]
  Command --> Work[Edit now or run a background job]
  Work --> Result[Show the result and keep Undo ready]

A toolbar, menu, shortcut, or Dither recipe all enter at the top. Satin Studio validates the inputs once, performs the work once, and records the result once.

Use Dither when repetition gets boring

Dither is Satin Studio's built-in language for repeatable work. It is useful when you want to:

Begin with Getting started with Dither. It starts with a two-number calculation and works through the complete Recursive Firebird. Use the Dither Language Specification when you need the formal grammar, evaluation rules, or built-in call catalog.

Undo without surprises

Commands that change the project create an undo step with a human-readable label. A larger recipe can group related edits so one Undo puts the project back where it started.

If part of a grouped action fails, Satin Studio restores the earlier parts before showing the error. You should not have to clean up half of a command by hand.

Command history shows the actions and inputs you ran. That makes it useful for understanding your own work, trying the action again, or finding the right place to undo.

Long jobs stay out of your way

Compiling stitches, building a proof, importing artwork, and preparing an export can take longer than a small edit. Satin Studio runs that work in the background so the interface stays responsive.

If you edit the project while an older proof is still being prepared, Satin Studio recognizes that the result is out of date and does not replace the newer work with it.

Shortcuts respect typing

Normal shortcuts pause while you are typing in a text field, M-x completion, menu, or dialog. That keeps a letter intended for a project name from accidentally running a tool command.

Browser and operating-system shortcuts remain available. On macOS, Command remains the familiar application modifier, while Option can be used for additional Dither key interactions.