> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.intangible.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.intangible.ai/overview/get-started/create-your-first-project.md).

# Create your first project

Two clicks from the homepage to an empty 3D scene with a name you'll actually find later. Before you start building, internalize the scene-and-shot model – it'll save backtracking after the first render.

![A new Untitled project in Build mode with the empty 3D grid visible and the mode switcher centered above the viewport](/files/zLAOw1bp0gjl2KG3DIlo)

## How to do it

1. **Click New Project.** Middle-right of the homepage. The viewport opens with an empty scene named "Untitled".
2. **Rename the project.** Click the project title at the top-left. Type the actual name. The visualizer's auto-prompt later reads project and scene names – "Lambo commercial" feeds the model better than "Untitled-7".
3. **Confirm the starting scene.** Below the project title is the scenes dropdown, with one scene also called "Untitled". Click it, rename to something descriptive ("Manhattan street", "Garage interior"). You can add more scenes later for additional locations.
4. **Set the environment.** Click the **Edit Scene Details** button on the left side of Build mode to open the panel – it's not visible by default, so you need to click it open. Inside: use the Time slider to set the time of day (morning, golden hour, midnight, etc.). Toggle Location to set a geographic position. Toggle Fog if you want depth haze. Toggle Terrain (Show grid) to show or hide the ground grid.
5. **You're ready to build.** Switch to Build mode in the top-center toolbar (it's the default for new projects). The asset library is accessible from the bottom of the screen – click the Asset Library button (the blue button in the toolbar) to open the drawer. See [Place your first objects](/overview/get-started/place-your-first-objects.md) for what to do next.

## Project naming hygiene

This is small but real:

* Don't leave projects called "Untitled". The homepage grid sorts by modified date but identifies by name; you'll lose track within a week.
* Rename scenes the same way. Scenes drop into the auto-prompt; meaningful names produce meaningful prompts.
* Use descriptive names with the client or the brief baked in. "Lambo commercial – establishing pass" beats "Project 4".

{% hint style="info" %}
The auto-prompt reads scene names directly. A scene named "Manhattan city street at midnight" produces a different prompt than one named "scene-2". You're not just naming for yourself – you're naming for the model.
{% endhint %}

## Scenes vs shots

Two different concepts, important to keep straight before you start. The short version:

* **Scenes** are spatial. Different sets, different locations. A commercial with three locations is one project with three scenes.
* **Shots** are temporal. Different camera framings and times within a scene. A scene can have a dozen shots.

Animation lives on the scene timeline, not in Build mode. Move an object in Build mode and the move is permanent – it applies everywhere. Move an object in Compose mode (with a shot active) and the move is recorded as a keyframe on the scene timeline. See [Animation and shot time](/overview/concepts/animation-and-shot-time.md) for why this matters.

## Common mistakes

* **Working in the homepage's "showcase template" copy without realizing it.** Templates open as a new project named after the template. Rename it before you commit time, or you'll have three projects named "Pirate Scene".
* **Adding many scenes before naming any.** Easier to name them as you create them than to rename a stack of "Untitled" scenes later.
* **Forgetting to switch modes.** New projects open in Build mode by default. The tell: if you've moved an object to position it but it ends up in a different spot when you switch to another shot, that move was made in Compose mode and recorded against a specific shot instead of setting the object's permanent position. Build mode is where permanent placements live.

## Related

* [The homepage](/overview/get-started/the-homepage.md)
* [Place your first objects](/overview/get-started/place-your-first-objects.md)
* [Projects and scenes](/overview/concepts/projects-and-scenes.md)
* [The three modes](/overview/concepts/the-three-modes.md)
* [Animation and shot time](/overview/concepts/animation-and-shot-time.md)


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