Working with Elements

Working with Elements

Elements are the building blocks of a scene breakdown. Every prop, costume, vehicle, cast member, or special effect mentioned in a scene is tracked as an element. This guide covers how to add, create, edit, merge, and link elements.

Adding an Existing Element to a Scene

If an element already exists in your project (because it was created for another scene), you can tag it in the current scene:

  1. In the scene detail view, click Add category in the elements tab.
  2. The Add Element dialog opens, showing a searchable list of all project elements.
  3. Use the search field to find the element by name.
  4. Optionally filter by element type using the dropdown.
  5. Click Tag next to the element to add it to the current scene.

Elements already tagged in this scene are disabled or hidden in the list.

Creating a New Element

When you encounter something in the script that doesn’t exist in your project yet:

  1. Click Add category in the elements tab.
  2. In the Add Element dialog, use the “Create & Tag” inline form.
  3. Enter:
    • Element Name (required, max 255 characters).
    • Element Type (select from the 26 available types).
  4. Click Create.

The element is created in your project and immediately tagged in the current scene.

Alternatively, you can create elements without tagging them to a scene:

  1. Use the Create Element dialog (accessible from the elements overview).
  2. Fill in:
    • Element Name (required).
    • Element Type (dropdown).
    • Description (optional).
  3. Click Create.

Editing an Element

To change an element’s name, type, or description:

  1. Find the element in the scene detail or elements overview.
  2. Open the Edit Element dialog (via the overflow menu or edit button).
  3. Modify the fields:
    • Element Name (required).
    • Element Type (dropdown).
    • Description (optional text area).
  4. Click Save.

Changes apply everywhere the element is used across all scenes.

Merging Elements

When the same real-world item was entered under different names (e.g., “Police Radio” and “Walkie-Talkie”), you can merge them:

  1. Select the duplicate elements (multi-select from the elements overview).
  2. Open the Merge Elements dialog.
  3. Choose the survivor — the element whose name and properties will be kept. All scene associations from the other elements transfer to this one.
  4. Click Merge.

A success toast appears with an undo option in case you merge the wrong elements.

Linking Elements

Element links let you track dependencies between elements (e.g., a prop that always appears with a specific costume):

  1. Open the Element Links dialog for an element.
  2. You’ll see any existing links listed, each with a delete button.
  3. To add a new link:
    • Use the search field to find the element you want to link.
    • Optionally filter by type using the dropdown.
    • Click the link button.
  4. To remove a link, click the X next to it.

Links are bidirectional — linking A to B also links B to A.

Removing an Element from a Scene

To untag an element from the current scene (without deleting it from the project):

  1. Find the element tag in the elements tab.
  2. Click the X button on the tag.

The element remains in your project and in any other scenes where it’s tagged.

Tips

  • Use search and type filters in the Add Element dialog to quickly find existing elements before creating duplicates.
  • Merge duplicates early. It’s easier to clean up the element library when there are fewer scenes to untangle.
  • Element links are useful for tracking items that always appear together (e.g., a character’s signature prop).
  • Edits to an element’s name or type apply globally — every scene using that element reflects the change.