openvistapro/docs/knowledgebase/ui-panel-map.md

OpenVistaPro UI Panel Map

This is a normalized modern shell map derived from the VistaPro manuals, screenshots, and the current OpenVistaPro codebase. It is intentionally not a 1:1 recreation of the legacy menu hierarchy; instead, it groups the old surfaces into a docked shell that can grow with the product.

Proposed panel layout

Modern panel	VistaPro surfaces it absorbs	Suggested placement	Current code support	Notes / gaps
Viewport / preview	Main render window, map preview, perspective view, preview/final render output	Center dock	Partial	src/app.rs already renders the CPU preview into CentralPanel; perspective and top-down preview modes exist, but there is no GPU viewport or direct manipulation overlay yet.
Terrain / import	Load Landscape, Import, terrain source selection, generated terrain presets	Left dock or collapsible section	Partial	The current shell only exposes project-owned terrain presets (Plane, RadialHill) in AppData; legacy format import UI is still absent.
Scene / camera	Camera and target gadgets, lens/range, bank/heading/pitch, water/tree/snow/haze controls	Left dock or inspector stack	Partial	Position/target and scene-band sliders exist. Lens/range, orientation axes, and richer VistaPro camera semantics are still missing.
Render	Preview vs final render, quality/smoothing, detail tradeoffs	Left dock, toolbar, or render tab	Partial	Current code toggles top-down vs perspective render mode, but there is no dedicated quality profile or render preset UI.
Scripts / paths	Script menu, Run Script, MakePath path tools, animation-frame workflows	Right dock or modal workflow	Planned	Script parsing exists in the codebase, but execution and path generation are still deferred.
File / project actions	New/Open/Save landscape, scene load/save, export commands	Top bar / file menu	Planned	The app tracks a loaded scene path internally, but there is no visible file/project action surface yet.
Status / feedback	Coordinate readouts, render state, file path, progress, messages	Bottom status bar	Planned	No dedicated status bar or message strip exists yet.
Deferred features / legacy compatibility	Dense menu hierarchy, advanced lighting, hydrology, vertical exaggeration, palette editing, legacy image/landscape exports	Right dock, tool drawer, or dialogs	Planned	These are best surfaced as future tabs or dialogs rather than cluttering the initial shell.

Recommended shell structure

A practical first-pass shell is:

1. Top bar for file/project actions and render mode shortcuts.
2. Left dock for terrain/import and scene/camera controls.
3. Center viewport for preview output.
4. Right dock for scripts/paths and deferred advanced features.
5. Bottom status bar for current scene, source, and render feedback.

That layout preserves the VistaPro workflow while making room for modern discoverability and incremental feature growth.

Panel-by-panel implementation summary

Panel	Code support today	Implementation evidence	Priority
Viewport / preview	Present	src/app.rs renders the preview into CentralPanel; src/app_state.rs builds the preview image.	High
Terrain / import	Partial	TerrainPreset and AppAction::SetTerrainPreset in src/app_state.rs; terrain radio buttons in src/app.rs.	High
Scene / camera	Partial	Scene, camera position/target controls, and scene-band sliders in src/app.rs and src/app_state.rs.	High
Render	Partial	RendererMode plus preview switching in src/app_state.rs and src/app.rs.	High
Scripts / paths	Not yet	docs/knowledgebase/feature-inventory.md marks scripts and path generation as planned.	Medium
File / project actions	Not yet	loaded_scene_path exists in AppData, but there is no visible file/project UI yet.	Medium
Status / feedback	Not yet	No dedicated status widget or state binding is present.	Medium
Deferred features / legacy compatibility	Not yet	These remain future work in the feature inventory.	Low

Remaining gaps

• No legacy-style menu/dialog layer for file, export, or script workflows.
• No docked status bar or live feedback line.
• No UI for orientation, lens/range, or vertical exaggeration.
• No dedicated scripts/paths editor surface.
• No palette editor, hydrology controls, or legacy export panels.