# Main Product Tools

> A short tour of the nittygrid studio, from setting up your display and asking the AI to painting sprites, drawing paths, mapping video, and exporting.

nittygrid is built around one **canvas**. Every animation idea sits on it as a block called an **animation node**. Editors open on top when you need them, and you never have to dig through menus.

---

## 1. Set up your display (Matrix setup)

Click **Matrix setup** in the top bar to tell nittygrid what display you are designing for.

1. **Pick a grid or upload an SVG**
   Choose a size such as `8×8`, `16×16`, `64×64`, or `250×12`, enter your own, or upload an SVG for a custom shape. For grids you can also set the LED shape (`square`, `circle`, `rounded`), size, and gap.
2. **Add a background image (optional)**
   Under **Image**, import a photo of your product and drag the LEDs into place on top of it. See [SVG Matrices & Layouts](/docs/svg-matrices) for details.
3. **Save it as a preset**
   **Save preset** stores the grid, image, and placement in your browser. Applying a preset copies it into your project, so changing the preset later does not touch old projects. If you edit an active preset, an **Update preset** button lets you save the change on purpose.

---

## 2. Arrange and play (the canvas)

- **Position is not order.** Drag nodes anywhere to organize ideas. Only the wires from **`Start`** through your nodes to **`End`** set the playback order.
- **Transitions.** Connect Node A to Node B and a badge appears on the wire. Click it to pick a transition (such as **Crossfade** or **Curtain**) and its duration. Press **Play** there to preview just that pair.
- **Duplicate and autosave.** Hold **Option / Alt** and drag a node to copy it, including its history. Everything autosaves 300 ms after your last edit.

---

## 3. Create with AI

Click **New animation**, or double-click a node, to open the **Animation Editor**.

- **Built-in AI** works right away with a free daily allowance.
- **Your own AI:** enter your own API key (Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek, OpenRouter) or connect a local server (LM Studio, Ollama, `llama.cpp`). Keys stay in your browser.
- **History per node.** Every prompt creates a dated version in that node's own chat. Click an old one to replay it.
- **Nothing changes until you say so.** Edits stay in a draft until you click **Apply to canvas** (update this node) or **Add as new** (create another node).
- **Live sliders.** Every parameter shows up as a slider, color picker, toggle, or dropdown.

> [!TIP] **Ask the AI to add sliders.** If you want finer control, say so in the chat, for example *"add sliders for wave width, spark density, and ring color"*. The AI adds them as live controls, so you can tune the look without generating again.

---

## 4. Create by hand

These three editors share the same view (**Space-drag** to pan, **Ctrl-wheel** to zoom).

- **Draw & Sprite Editor.** Paint pixels with brushes, fill, eyedropper, and mirror tools. Build multi-frame loops with **onion skinning** (a faint view of neighboring frames). Lock a frame as a **Target Frame** and ask the AI to animate into or out of it.
- **Vector Path Tool.** Draw lines or curves over your display. Make glows travel along them, or draw them on, with start times, durations, and easing on the Path Timeline.
- **Video Mapper & Baker.** Load a video and place the LED area over it, with brightness, contrast, saturation, and tint sliders. **Bake to pixel animation** turns it into fixed frames (12, 24, 30, or 60 FPS, up to 64 MiB), so it plays and exports without the original file.

---

## 5. Preview and export

Click **Export** in the top bar (or the `End` node).

- Switch between **Full Color** and **Monochrome** previews.
- Export one node or the whole `Start → End` sequence as a **`.ngrender.zip`**, a **`.ngrender.json`**, or an **`.mp4`** video, optionally on top of your background photo. See [File & Export Formats](/docs/formats).

---

## Technical reference: all tools at a glance

Generated from the code, for technicians and AI agents.

| Tool / Surface | Where to Open | Output / Recipe Type | Key Behavior |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Canvas & Sequence Graph** | Top-level workspace | Project workspace (`nodes`, `edges`, transitions) | Free animation node arrangement; explicit `Start` → animation node → `End` edges define playback order. Autosaves after 300 ms. |
| **Matrix Setup & Presets** | Top bar → Matrix setup | `MatrixConfig` + `BgAlignSettings` | Configures regular Grid (`8×8`, `16×16`, `64×64`, `250×12`, custom) or uploaded SVG layout, background image alignment, and reusable IndexedDB presets. |
| **AI Assistant & Code Editor** | New animation / Editor Chat | `type: "code"` (`render_code`) or `type: "generator"` | Built-in AI (Gemini Flash / Claude Haiku) or Bring-Your-Own key/local server. Scoped per-animation history, live `codeParams`, and explicit `Apply` / `Add as new`. |
| **Draw & Sprite Editor** | New animation → Draw / Sprite | `draw-frame` / `sprite-anim` / `_targetFrame` | Direct pixel painting, multi-frame sprite timeline with onion skinning, and target-frame locking for AI transitions. |
| **Path Animation Tool** | New animation → Path | `path_animation` generator recipe | Interactive vector paths over Grid or SVG layouts with keyframe timing, stroke reveals, and travelling glow objects. |
| **Video Mapper & Baker** | New animation → Video | `video-input` (live) or `flattened-animation` (baked) | Maps video over Grid/SVG coordinates. **Bake to pixel animation** captures exact RGBA frames (12/24/30/60 FPS, up to 64 MiB) for standalone playback and export. |
| **Export Panel** | Top bar → Export / End node | `.ngrender.zip`, `.ngrender.json`, `.mp4` | Renders single animations or connected sequences with color/monochrome toggle and optional background image compositing for MP4. |