Basic Canvas Navigation

Before we dive into the UI menus and begin building your first hydraulic model, it is crucial to understand how to physically interact with the drawing space. The interactive Canvas Editor is the heart of R-THYM, where all your network topology and components live.

Mastering these basic mouse and keyboard controls will make the modeling process much smoother.

Camera Controls

• Pan the Camera: Left-Click + Drag
  Hold down the left mouse button and drag your mouse to move around the canvas. Alternatively, if you are on a laptop trackpad, you can generally use a two-finger drag to pan.

• Zoom In / Out: Scroll Wheel or Zoom Controls
  Roll the mouse wheel forward to zoom in for precise details, and backward to zoom out to see your entire network overview. (Pinch-to-zoom on a trackpad also works!)

Alternatively, you can use the zoom tool located in the bottom-right corner of the screen to zoom in (+), zoom out (-), or fit the entire project to the screen (Fit):

Adding Components to the Canvas

Building your digital twin model involves placing two primary types of elements on the drawing canvas: Nodes and Links.

Adding Node Components

Nodes represent specific physical locations, boundary conditions, or storage units in your network (e.g., Junctions, Tanks, Pumps, Batteries, or Solar Arrays).

• How to Add: Simply drag and drop any node component from the Component Toolbar (located along the left edge of the screen) directly onto the canvas.
• General Behavior: This drag-and-drop workflow is the standard way all node-type components are initialized and added to your model workspace.

Left click on the icon you wish to add:

Drag onto the canvas:

Drop by letting go of the left click on your mouse:

Adding Link Components (Drawing Connections)

Links represent the physical or logical conduits that transport resources or carry control signals between nodes. These include: * Pipes: Transport fluid between hydraulic nodes. * Power Links: Route electrical energy between power components. * Fuel Links: Connect fuel storage to combustion generators. * Control Links: Transmit operational rules and PID control signals.

Unlike nodes, links cannot be dropped onto an empty canvas; they must always connect two existing nodes. To add any link component to your model, follow this general workflow:

1. Select the Link Tool: Click the desired link icon (such as the Pipe or Power Link) in the Component Toolbar.
2. Select the Source Node: A prompt will appear in the notification bar at the bottom of the screen. Hover over your starting node (it will highlight in blue to show connectivity) and left-click it.
3. Select the Destination Node: The prompt will update, asking you to select the destination. Hover over your target node and left-click to complete the connection and draw the link.
4. Cancel Drawing: You can press Esc at any point during this process to cancel drawing the link.

Copy and Pasting Components

You can copy and paste by selecting a component by clicking on it then use Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V keys to copy and paste them. You can also hold the Shift key while dragging to select multiple components to copy and paste.

Interacting with Components

• View Telemetry: Left-Click (Single Click)
  During an active simulation run, click once on any component (pump, valve, pipe, etc.) to immediately view its live telemetry outputs and charts in the side panel.

• Edit Properties: Double-Click or Right-Click and select Properties Before running a simulation, double-click on a component to open its detailed Properties Dialog, where you can configure its physical parameters.

• Move an Item: Left-Click + Drag (on the item)
  Click and hold directly on a node or component to drag it to a new location. Connected pipes will automatically stretch and adjust to stay attached.

• Delete an Item: Right-Click
  Right-click on the component or pipe you wish to remove to open the canvas context menu, then select Delete.

Once you are comfortable flying around the canvas and selecting elements, you are fully prepared to start dropping in new components and drawing links!