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Smode
Smode's interface is similar to Blenders in a few ways. Every panel's display can be selected in the top left corner dropdown menu.
Compositing
Smode composites whatever is present in the Element Tree from top (back) to bottom (front).
Smode's timeline is used whenever you need to animate an item's property.
Compositions can be nested inside the Element Tree of a composition.
When selecting an element, the Parameter panel has several tabs, notably the Generator tab with parameters on how the element is built and the Renderer tab with parameters on how the element is displayed.
Viewport
The Viewport panel can toggle between the 2D view and the 3D view. It's handy to split the viewport in two to have both 2D and 3D views side by side.
In the 3D View, double-clicking in the viewer opens the quad view to choose TOP/FRONT/SIDE or PERSPECTIVE views. Navigation is done by holding down ALT and left (orbit) middle (pan) and right (zoom) mouse buttons.
2D layers can be rendered in the 3D scene by selecting the 3D Renderer property in the Renderer tab, Type option.