LoadOptimizer.ai
Sign Up
Back to Documentation

Viewer Edit Mode

Manually adjust, add, remove, and rotate boxes in the 3D viewer to fine-tune your stacking plan.

Getting Started

In Edit Mode you can reposition individual boxes, rotate them, select and move groups, add new boxes using auto-place, and remove boxes you do not need. All changes can be undone or reset to the original AI-calculated result.

3D viewer with the Edit button visible in the top-right corner
The Edit button (pencil icon) appears in the top-right corner after calculating a load.
Edit mode active with floating toolbar and Box Types panel
Edit mode active: floating toolbar at the bottom, Box Types panel on the left.

Workflow Overview

1
Enter Edit Mode

Click the pencil icon in the top-right corner of the 3D viewer after calculating a load.

2
Make Adjustments

Select boxes to move, rotate, add, or remove them. Work with individual boxes or groups.

3
Save or Revert

Exit edit mode and choose to keep your changes or revert to the original AI result.

Selecting and Moving Boxes

Click on boxes to select and reposition them within the carrier.

Select a Box
Left-click

Left-click on any box to select it. The selected box follows your cursor along the container floor. A green checkerboard pattern indicates valid placement surfaces. Click again to place the box at its new position.

Gravity Snapping
Automatic

Box height is automatically calculated using gravity snapping. You control the XY position and boxes stack naturally on top of each other.

A box selected and following the cursor with green checkerboard placement surfaces
A selected box follows the cursor. Green checkerboard indicates valid placement surfaces.

Rotating Boxes

Change box orientation manually or let the system find the best fit automatically.

Manual Rotation
Right-click or Toolbar Toggle

Right-click a box to enter rotate mode, or use the Move/Rotate toggle in the toolbar. Rotation arrows appear around the box. Rotations snap to 90-degree increments for precise alignment.

Auto-Rotate
Toggle in Toolbar

When Auto-Rotate is enabled, boxes automatically rotate to find the best fit as you drag them into position. Toggle this off to keep boxes in their current orientation when moving.

A box in rotate mode with rotation arrows visible
Rotate mode: rotation arrows appear around the selected box for 90-degree increments.

Working with Groups

Hold Shift and click multiple boxes to build a group selection. Each Shift+click adds another box to the group.

  • Groups move together, maintaining their relative positions.
  • Switch to rotate mode to rotate the entire group as a unit.
  • Press Escape or click on empty space to deselect the group.
Multiple boxes selected as a group
Multiple boxes selected as a group using Shift+Click.

Staging Panel

The staging panel is a clipboard-style shelf in the top-left of the viewer. It lets you temporarily lift a box (or a whole multi-box group) out of a carrier so you can rearrange the remaining cargo, then place the staged item back into the same carrier or into a different one. Every stage, place, and discard action is undoable with Ctrl+Z and re-doable with Ctrl+Shift+Z.

Stage the Selection

Select a single box or a multi-box group, then click the Stage button in the toolbar (or press S). The boxes are removed from their carrier and parked on the staging panel as a single chip. The chip preserves the original box identity, dimensions, color, and source carrier.

Single-Box Chips

Show a color swatch matching the box, the box display name, dimensions in mm, and a "from: carrier <id>" line so you can always tell where the box originated.

Group Chips

A multi-box group becomes a single chip labeled "Group of N" with the cluster's bounding-box dimensions. Click the eye icon for a 3D preview of the group layout, or the chevron to expand an inline list of every member box with its own swatch and dimensions.

Place a Chip

Click Place on a chip to insert its contents into the currently active carrier. The box (or whole group) appears at the carrier origin and follows the cursor. Click in the scene to commit the placement.

Discard a Chip

Click the small × on a chip to remove it without restoring the boxes to any carrier. Discards are undoable with Ctrl+Z, so an accidental click is recoverable.

Collapse the Panel

Click the "Staging (N)" header to collapse the panel down to a single header line. The chips stay on the shelf; the panel only hides them visually so they don't obscure the 3D scene.

Edit mode active with the Staging panel expanded showing one single-box chip and one group chip
The Staging panel with a single-box chip and a group chip.
A group chip with its chevron toggled open, revealing the inline list of member boxes
Expanded group chip: chevron reveals the cluster's member boxes.
The Staging panel collapsed to its header line with the count badge visible
Collapsed Staging panel: chips are hidden but stay on the shelf.

Moving Boxes Between Carriers

To move a box (or a whole group) from one carrier to another, use the staging panel as the bridge. The shelf is global to the edit session, so chips stay visible while you switch the active carrier. Place always inserts into whichever carrier is currently active.

1
Select a Box or Group

In the source carrier, click the box you want to move. To move multiple boxes together, hold Shift and click each additional box to build a group selection.

Source carrier with a box selected, ready to be staged
2
Stage the Selection

Click the Stage button in the toolbar (or press the S key) to send the selection to the staging panel. The chip appears on the shelf with the source carrier label preserved.

Stage button in the toolbar being clicked, with the chip appearing on the staging panel
3
Switch to the Destination

Use the existing carrier navigation to switch the active carrier to the destination. The staging panel and all of its chips stay visible across the switch.

Carrier navigation used to switch the active carrier to the destination, with the staging panel still visible
4
Place into the Destination

Click Place on the chip. The boxes are added to the destination carrier and enter cursor-follow placement; click in the scene to commit. Their original IDs, dimensions, rotation, and metadata are unchanged.

Place button on the staging chip being clicked, inserting the boxes into the destination carrier

Adding Boxes with Auto-Place

The Box Types panel appears on the side of the viewer in Edit Mode. It shows each box type from your order with a count of how many are currently placed.

Auto-Place Remaining Boxes

When not all boxes of a type are placed, an amber warning icon is shown. Click the arrow button next to that box type to auto-place one box at the optimal position. Repeat to place additional boxes one at a time.

Add Extra Boxes

When all boxes of a type are placed, a green check icon is shown. Click the plus button to add an extra box beyond the original count. A confirmation dialog will ask you to confirm before adding.

Box Does Not Fit

If there is no space available for the box, a dialog will inform you. Try removing some boxes first to free up space, then try again.

Fine-Tune After Placing

After auto-placing a box, you can still select and move it to a different position. Auto-placed boxes behave the same as any other box in edit mode.

Box Types panel showing placed/total counts with action buttons
Box Types panel with placed/total counts and action buttons.
Add Extra Box confirmation dialog
Confirmation dialog when adding an extra box beyond the original count.

Removing Boxes

  • Select a box or group and press the Delete key, or click the Remove button in the toolbar, to remove the selection from the carrier.
  • Use the Remove All button to clear all boxes from the carrier at once.
  • Removals can be undone with Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac). You can also use Reset to restore all boxes to their original positions.
Toolbar with a box selected showing the remove action
A box selected with the Remove and Remove All buttons visible in the top-right corner.

Toolbar Reference

A floating toolbar appears at the bottom of the viewer when Edit Mode is active.

Box Info

Displays the name and dimensions (W x L x H in mm) of the currently selected box.

Stage

Sends the current selection (a single box or a multi-box group) to the staging panel. Disabled when nothing is selected. Keyboard shortcut: S.

Move / Rotate Toggle

Switch between Move and Rotate modes. Move lets you reposition boxes, Rotate lets you change their orientation.

Auto-Rotate

When enabled, boxes automatically rotate to find the best fit as you drag them into position.

Undo

Reverts the last action. You can also use the Ctrl+Z keyboard shortcut.

Reset

Returns all boxes to their original AI-calculated positions, undoing all manual adjustments at once.

Height Warning

A red warning appears when a box exceeds the container height. Reposition the box to resolve the violation.

Full edit mode toolbar with all controls visible
The floating toolbar with box info, mode toggle, auto-rotate, undo, and reset controls.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+Z / Cmd+ZUndo last action
Ctrl+Shift+Z / Cmd+Shift+ZRedo last undone action
SSend current selection to the staging panel
DeleteRemove selected box
EscapeDeselect current box and undo current edit
Shift+ClickAdd box to group selection

Exiting Edit Mode

Keep Changes or Revert to Original confirmation dialog
Choose to keep your manual adjustments or revert to the original AI-calculated positions.

Related Documentation

Learn more about the 3D viewer controls and creating loads.

3D Viewer Guide→Load Optimization Guide→