Frequently asked questions

Current answers for the shared visualizer platform.

Do I need an account?

No for editing or export. A free username/password account is required for durable Turso saving, private uploads, cross-device access, community publishing, and notifications.

Is Novus free?

Yes. There are no subscriptions, paid tiers, billing entitlements, watermarks, or export quotas.

What happened to 2D, 3D, 4D, and ADV templates?

The public catalog now has nine canonical engines. Each engine owns six modes and shared 2D/3D geometry, effects, and audio controls. Legacy URLs redirect to the closest engine and mode.

What is the difference between Classic and Studio?

Classic is the guided creator. Studio exposes the full layer tree, node graph, timeline, inspector, geometry, assets, and character-rig workspace. Both edit the same composition without serialization loss.

Where are projects saved?

Signed-in projects and revisions are saved in Turso. Uploaded sources are private Vercel Blob objects. Guests can explicitly export and import `.novusvis` project files but do not receive a durable browser library.

Is audio uploaded?

Only if you choose cloud audio saving for that project. Otherwise analysis stays local and Novus stores a fingerprint plus analysis metadata so another device can request the matching file.

How does account recovery work without email?

Use a passkey or a username plus one unused recovery code. Recovery codes are shown once, hashed, and single-use. Without a passkey, recovery code, or authenticated trusted session, the account cannot be self-recovered.

Are community projects public by default?

No. Projects and assets remain private until explicit publication. Publishing freezes one revision and uses a separate public preview derivative; later edits do not change the post.

Does preview match export?

Preview, still capture, and export share the deterministic composition graph, fixed-step runtime, and audio frame contract. Browser codec and color conversion can create small output differences.

Can phones use Studio and export?

All authoring views are available on phones. Capability-aware export limits constrained phones to 1080p, while supported desktops may export up to 4K.