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Workspace Basics

Last updated on Aug 9, 2021

Learn the basics of the Medium workspace.

Medium provides you with a limitless VR canvas, so you can sketch ideas out of thin air in any direction. The ultra-responsive Oculus Touch controllers help speed up the sculpting process, and the expansive virtual workspace makes it easy to manipulate models.

Medium Workspace

When Medium opens, you see a brief introductory sequence letting you know you are in Medium, see Image 1.
The first time you use Medium, you are asked whether you are right-handed or left-handed. Select the hand that you would like to use as your sculpting had, see Image 2.

Image 1: Startup screen

Image 2: Select your handedness
After that, you can start sculpting right away, or check out the tutorials (recommended for first-timers):
Start Sculpting or Watch Tutorial option.

Start Sculpting: Choose to see the tool hand (dominant hand) and Support hand.

Watch Tutorial: Choose to watch the Introduction video. Follow along and control the playback with the UI on your support hand.

In your environment, you see a ground plane, and a surrounding domed background called the sky box. To learn about how to customize visibility of the ground plane and sky box, see world settings.

Tool Hand and Support Hand

You sculpt in Medium using your Touch controllers. Each Touch controller is represented in Medium as one of your virtual hands, and each hand has a different function.

If you are right-handed:

Your right hand is your Tool hand. You use your Tool hand to use a sculpting tool or to select or use any of the UI.
Your left hand is your Support hand. Your support hand holds menus.
With both hands, you can move, rotate, and scale nodes in the scene (sculpt layers or other objects).

If you are left-handed:

Your left hand is your Tool hand. You use your Tool hand to use a sculpting tool or to select or use any of the UI.
Your right hand is your Support hand. Your support hand holds menus.
With both hands, you can move, rotate, and scale nodes in the scene (sculpt layers or other objects).

Your preference for right or left-handedness is preserved between sessions. See Setting Handedness to your dominant hand.

Button Mappings

Note:

Use this guide to help identify what each button on the Oculus Touch controllers is used for in Medium. Please note: The guide below represents button mappings when the right hand is selected as Tool (dominate) hand.

button-mapping-1 — Oculus Touch Button Mappings for Medium.

button-mapping-2 — Oculus Touch Button Mappings for Medium.

Shortcuts

Below are a list of avaiabe shortcuts in Medium.

Action	Gesture
Undo	Move Support hand thumbstick left.
Redo	Move Support hand thumbstick right.
Open Tool Tray	Push Support hand thumbstick forward.
Swap Tool Mode	Double tap gear button on Tool hand.
alt-Tool (define)	To learn about how to use Alternate tools, see Tool setting menu.
alt-Tool (select)	Squeeze and hold the Support hand trigger. (Note that the tool preview on the Tool hand changes to that of the selected alt-tool) Use the Tool hand as you normally would.
Open Scene Graph	Pull Support hand thumbstick backward.
Add Layer with active layer’s attributes via Shortcut Menu	Push the Support hand thumbstick forward to open the Tool Tray. The Sculpting Modes menu will appear. Above it is the Shortcuts Menu. To add a layer with the active layer’s attributes - transform and material, select Add Layer.
Multi-select in Scene Graph	Squeeze the Support hand trigger, and while squeezing, select multiple elements with the Tool hand trigger.
Multi-select in Asset Browser	Squeeze the Support hand trigger, and while squeezing, select multiple assets with the Tool hand trigger.
Multi-select in scene	With the Scene Graph open, squeeze the Support hand trigger, and while squeezing, select multiple elements directly in the scene.
Open Control Panel	Tap the yellow Control Panel button on the Tool hand.
Tool Settings	Tap the gear button on the Tool hand.
Change the size of your tool	There are two ways to change the size of your Tool: Option 1: Push the Tool hand thumbstick forward to increase the size and backward to decrease the size of the Tool. Option 2: Move and hold the Tool hand thumbstick to left or right, then move the Tool hand controller away from the starting position to adjust the precise scale. Release Tool hand thumbstick to set the scale.
Change the tool applicator’s transform	Click the Tool hand thumbstick in like a button, and while holding this down, the tool applicator transform will detach from the hand. Move the Tool hand to the desired position relative to the detached applicator transform. Release the Tool hand thumbstick to set the new offset.
Select an element in the scene	Push your Support hand thumbstick backward. Aim the Tool hand at the element and squeeze the Tool hand trigger.
Transform an element in the scene by hand	Pull your Support hand thumbstick backward, then aim the Tool hand at the element and squeeze the Tool hand trigger: Squeeze either grip button to move/rotate. Squeeze both grip buttons and move them together/apart to scale the element (if applicable).
Refresh asset browser directory	When managing assets within your computer directory with the asset browser, press Refresh above the directory tree to ask the browser to send you the most updated version of the directory you're viewing.

What's next?

Now that you have learned about the Workspace Basics in Medium, check out Sculpting Basics next.

Have a Question or Idea?

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