Transaction history and checkpoints

What a history step means#

A transaction records one reversible editor action and its dependent changes. Changing a property can move many nodes, resize stock members, and regenerate attachments in one step. Undo restores that complete change; Redo reapplies it. The Frame and Attachment editors use the same history model.

Names and descriptions are authored edits too. Renaming a model in the editor or Library is part of its history and can be undone. Camera movement, hovering, and switching sidebar tabs do not author model changes.

Move through history#

Use Undo/Redo for nearby steps or select an entry in the transaction log to visit that point directly. The displayed model is the state after the selected transaction. Moving through history keeps the current sidebar tab; choosing a tab does not change the model's history position.

The editor URL records the current document, tab, and history position. Browser Back and Forward use the same navigation. A URL identifies a location in a document available to that browser; it does not upload a local document or transfer it to someone else. Use a workspace archive for that transfer.

Edit after undo#

When you edit from an earlier step, the editor keeps the former continuation as a previous alternative. The normal transaction log shows the selected path, so Undo/Redo still follow one understandable sequence.

For example:

1. Increase a frame's width, then reconcile its junctions.
2. Return to the step before the width change.
3. Try a different width and reconcile again.
4. Expand Previous alternatives in the transaction log and select the earlier continuation to restore it.

Restoring an alternative selects its path without deleting either version. This is useful for comparing modeling choices; it does not require duplicating the document for each experiment.

Preset replay and checkpoints#

Narrated presets play their authored construction history in the actual editor. Pause, scrub to a step, inspect the geometry, and choose Take over to edit from the displayed state. Editing from the middle retains the remaining original continuation as an alternative.

Some presets also provide named checkpoints: authored destinations in the same history. They let a guide or link open a meaningful construction stage. Checkpoints are not separate copies of the model, and not every preset includes them.

Preset construction histories are downloaded when needed and cached locally. Open the preset while online before relying on its complete replay offline. If its history has not been cached and cannot be downloaded, the compact final model can still be available for editing, with the unavailable history reported by the app.

Duplicate a model#

The Library's Duplicate action creates an independent, clean snapshot of the selected history path's final state. It does not copy the source's earlier steps, narration, or retained alternatives, and a temporary position reached by undo or scrubbing does not change which final state is copied.

Use duplication to start a new model from an existing design. Use history and alternatives to explore changes within the same model. Duplicating a Frame that contains non-circular profiles or selects one as its active creation default requires Pro access; inspecting and replaying the original remains available without Pro.

Save and transfer#

History and local edits auto-save in this browser. Use Import/Export to export a workspace archive when you need a separate backup or want to transfer models to another browser. Archives retain editor history and the exact resource dependencies needed to reproduce it.

Signing in restores account access and the current plan; it does not upload, back up, or sync these documents. Clearing browser storage can remove local work, so a retained history alternative is not a substitute for a workspace backup.

Related learning#

Try the Triangle Frame narrated build, then read Getting Started or Reconciliation for examples of reversible multi-entity edits.