Flows in Giraffe are reusable sets of instructions that generate geometries, like apartment buildings or parking lots, from simple shapes on your site.
The Flow Controls section of the properties palette is where you apply a flow to the selected geometries and adjust the settings that change the flow result.
Apply a flow
Apply a saved flow to the selected geometries from the Flow dropdown in the Flow Controls section of the properties palette.
Select one or more geometries.
In the Flow Controls section, click the Select a flow dropdown.
Choose a flow from the list. Flows are listed alphabetically.
Choosing a different flow clears any input values set for the previous flow.
Create a new flow
Create a new flow from the Flow dropdown in the Flow Controls section of the properties palette. Giraffe creates an empty flow and applies it to the selected geometries.
Click the Select a flow dropdown.
Choose + New Flow.
OR
Type a name into the Flow dropdown.
Choose + Create "name".
To build the new flow, hover the Flow field and click the pencil icon to open it in the Flow app.
Open a flow in the Flow app
Hover the Flow field in the Flow Controls section and click the pencil icon (Open flow). Giraffe opens the applied flow definition in the Flow app, with its flow graph on the canvas.
Change flow inputs
Flow inputs appear under the Flow dropdown in the Flow Controls section once a flow is applied. The inputs are different for every flow. They may be custom input parameters (configured by someone on your team), algorithm settings built by Giraffe, or a combination.
A custom input shows as a single field, such as a number, a checkbox, or a color. Hover the info icon next to its name to read its description, if it has one.
A list input shows a Manage button. Click it to edit the values in the list.
Algorithm settings, like those of the apartment and parking lot tools, show as a collapsible group with many inputs. Click the group name to expand or collapse it.
Revert a flow input to its default
Hover a flow input in the Flow Controls section and click the back-arrow icon (Revert to default). The input goes back to the default value set in the flow. Each input reverts on its own.
Remove a flow from a geometry
Hover the Flow field in the Flow Controls section and click the X (Remove Flow). Giraffe removes the flow and the geometries it generated from the selected geometries. The flow itself stays saved in the project.
Delete a flow from the project entirely when no geometry needs it.