Dropzone Mode

Dropzone is a studio-style composition workspace that replaces the old flat layer list. It organizes your signal flow into six resizable columns:

Gen Palette | Gen Chain | Gen Params | FX Palette | FX Chain | FX Params

Building a Generator Chain

1. Drag any generator from the Gen Palette (left column) into the Gen Chain — or simply click a generator to add it.
2. The generator appears as a swatch in the chain. Click it to select it and view its parameters in the Gen Params column.
3. Selected swatches highlight in the accent color. Click the ✕ button on a swatch (or press Delete/Backspace) to remove it.
4. Generators are blended together in chain order using the opacity and blend mode controls shown on each swatch.

Building a Global FX Chain

The FX Chain applies post-processing to the combined output of all generators:

1. Drag a post effect from the FX Palette into the FX Chain.
2. The effect appears as a swatch. Click it to configure its parameters in FX Params.
3. Effects run sequentially from top to bottom, after all generators are blended.

Per-Generator FX Sub-Chains

Each generator can have its own private FX chain that runs before it is blended into the composition:

1. Select a generator swatch — its parameters appear in the Gen Params panel.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the Gen Params panel to find the Per-Generator FX drop zone.
3. Drag a post effect from the FX Palette and drop it onto the per-gen FX zone.
4. The effect applies to that generator only, before blending.

Noodle Connections (Generator Input Routing)

Generators that accept texture input (Datastream, Rain, Ryoji, all noise types, etc.) have small port notches on their swatches:

• Output port (right side, colored dot) — present on every generator.
• Input port (left side, hollow dot) — present only on generators with an input port.

To route one generator's output into another:

1. Drag from the output port (right notch) of the source generator.
2. Drop onto the input port (left notch) of the target generator.

A dangling noodle curve appears between the two swatches, with a light trace animation showing signal direction. The connected input port turns cyan, and a "← SourceName" label appears above the target swatch.

• Click a connected input port to disconnect the noodle.
• Connections are automatically mirrored in nerdGRAPH mode.

Resizing Panels

Drag the thin divider bars between any two columns to resize them. Drag the horizontal divider between the viewport and the panel row to adjust how much vertical space the output canvas takes.