Part 4: Editing a Digital Twin

The Digital Twin Editor

The Digital Twin Editor is a PC application, accessible to both regular and advanced content creators on the frontline.io platform. It enables users to structure model hierarchies, define metadata, apply materials, and configure how the asset will behave and appear in frontline.io applications such as the Digital Twin Viewer or Interactive Flows.

Opening The Editor

If you've imported your model using Fast Track Pro, the Digital Twin Editor will be automatically opened.

To access the Digital Twin Editor from the Web:

1. Navigate to the Digital Twin Dashboard.
   
2. Select Edit Digital Twin. 
   

To access the Digital Twin Editor from the frontline.io PC app:

1. Navigate to the Project containing the desired Digital Twin.
   
2. Open the Digital Twin Viewer.
   
3. In the bottom-left corner, locate the collapsed menu and select Edit Digital Twin.
   

The editor will then open in the frontline.io PC app, allowing you to make changes directly to the model.

Open via Web

Open via PC

User Interface Overview

The Editor interface is divided into four sections - the Scene View (1), the Toolbar (2), the Parts Catalog (3), and the Settings Panel (4).

The Scene View

The Scene View is the main workspace where the Digital Twin is displayed and manipulated. You can orbit, pan, zoom, and interact with model components in real time using the mouse and keyboard:

• Left-click + drag to orbit

• Right-click + drag to pan

• Scroll to zoom

In the top-left corner of the Scene View, you’ll find the Quick Access menu. From here, you can toggle the visibility of the Parts Catalog, open bookmarks, and control advanced visual tools such as X-Ray, Extract, and Slicer.

At the bottom of the screen is the Scene Gizmo, an axis-based navigation aid. Click any arm of the gizmo to align the view to a primary axis (X, Y, or Z), or click the label below it to switch between Perspective and Orthographic view modes.

Perspective View

Orthographic View

Along the left side of the gizmo are the Select, Move, and Rotate tool icons, which allow for precise manipulation of individual components within the Digital Twin.

Extract vs Move Tools

There are two ways to manipulate the position of components within the Digital Twin Editor, with different purposes.

The Move tool permanently repositions a component within the Digital Twin, updating its transformation properties for editing purposes. While these changes can be undone immediately using Undo (Ctrl+Z), the tool should be reserved for intentional, permanent adjustments to the model.

The Extract tool allows you to temporarily separate or “pull apart” components for inspection or demonstration without altering their transformation properties. Any extraction changes can be reverted at any time by resetting the model or the selected component through the right-click context menu.

The Toolbar

The Toolbar provides controls for saving, publishing, and managing models within the editor.

• Use Preview to open the Digital Twin in the Digital Twin Viewer.

• Use Save to store any changes made in the editor. When saving, you’ll be prompted to Publish the updates, making the latest version available to other users.

The Toolbar also supports importing and organizing additional models.

• Click the “+” icon and select Import Model to add another file to the scene, allowing multiple models to be combined.

• Alternatively, select Create Empty Part to add a blank component to the Parts Catalog, which can then be used for custom hierarchy manipulation or placeholder geometry.

Visual Guide

The Grid icon toggles the visibility of the grid within the Scene View, while the Extended Menu icon provides access to additional functionality.

A complete list of mouse and keyboard shortcuts for interacting with the Scene View can be found in the Extended Menu on the left side of the toolbar, under Help.

The Parts Catalog

Located on the right-hand side, the Parts Catalog lists all objects and subcomponents that make up the Digital Twin, providing full visibility and control over the model structure. If hidden, it can be shown by pressing P.

The Parts Catalog allows you to manage individual components and their parent objects within the model hierarchy. By right-clicking on a component, you can open the context menu, which provides access to the following functions:

     Cut, Copy, Paste – Reorganize components within the hierarchy.

      Hide – Toggle visibility of the selected component (also available via the eye icon next to its name).

      Isolate / Show All – Hide all other components except the selected one, or restore visibility to all components.

      Duplicate / Delete – Create a copy of or permanently remove the selected component.

      Export Selected – Export selected components as a .fldt file for reuse in other frontline.io projects.

      X-Ray Selected Parts – Apply X-Ray mode to the selected components only.

     Reset Selected Parts / Reset All Parts – Restore components to their default positions after use of the Extract tool.

      Make All Solid – Revert all components set to X-Ray mode back to solid view.

      Copy Name – Copy the component’s name to the clipboard.

      Metadata – Open the Metadata Panel to view additional information about the selected component.

      Go to Parent – Navigate to the parent object in the hierarchy.

      Find by Similarity – Select all components identical to the selected one.

All options available in the Parts Catalog are also accessible through the right-click menu when interacting directly with components in the Scene View.

The Settings Panel

Displayed on the left-hand side, this panel contains four tabs: Settings, Properties, Materials, and Object Target. Each tab provides access to specific tools and parameters for customizing and managing your Digital Twin.

The Settings Tab allows you to customize your Digital Twin workspace and project visuals, allowing you to set the Cover Photo, a thumbnail image for the Knowledge Base item in the project, the Background Color of the Scene View, or enable the Slicer tool to slice through the Digital Twin for inspection.

The Properties Tab allows you to customize the editable parameters of the selected object, including its name, transformation data, metadata, visibility, and assign additional flags such as spare parts.

The Materials Tab lets you view the existing materials applied to the selected object and assign new materials from the Materials Library. To apply a material, import it from the library, then select the object you want to update and assign the material.

The Object Target Tab allows you to select parts of the Digital Twin and assign them as anchor points for interaction during AR/XR procedures. These anchors are referenced when a procedure is initiated in an AR/XR format.

Save and Publish

After making all desired changes to your Digital Twin, click Save in the toolbar. You will then be prompted to Publish your updates. Publishing ensures that other users with access to the project can view the latest version of the Digital Twin.

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