Web Engine Docs
Preparing documentation
Documentation0%
Use the search bar to quickly find any topic
Content
Search
Examples
Ready
Web Engine v0.1.0-alpha
Edit this page on GitHub
Last updated: 1/16/2026
Was this page helpful?
Preparing documentation
Use the search bar to quickly find any topic
The Hierarchy panel displays all entities in your scene as a tree structure, showing parent-child relationships. It provides tools for selection, organization, search, filtering, and quick visibility/lock controls.
Hierarchical tree structure with expand/collapse for parent entities
Toggle entity visibility without deleting them from the scene
Prevent accidental selection and modification of important objects
Organize related entities into logical hierarchies
The hierarchy displays a tree of all entities with indentation showing parent-child relationships. Child entities inherit their parent's transform and can be moved together as a group.
Each entity row shows:
Entities can be nested to create hierarchies. Child entities:
Player (parent)
├── Camera (child)
├── Weapon (child)
│ ├── Barrel (grandchild)
│ └── Trigger (grandchild)
└── Inventory (child)
Click an entity to select it. The selected entity is highlighted and its properties appear in the Inspector panel.
Tip
Multi-selection allows batch operations like deletion, visibility toggle, and property editing in the Inspector.
| Action | Shortcut | Description | |--------|----------|-------------| | Move Down | ↓ | Select next entity | | Move Up | ↑ | Select previous entity | | Expand | → | Expand selected parent | | Collapse | ← | Collapse selected parent | | Select Parent | ← (on child) | Select parent entity | | Rename | F2 | Start inline rename | | Delete | Delete / Backspace | Delete selected entities | | Duplicate | Cmd/Ctrl + D | Duplicate selected entities | | Cut | Cmd/Ctrl + X | Cut to clipboard | | Copy | Cmd/Ctrl + C | Copy to clipboard | | Paste | Cmd/Ctrl + V | Paste from clipboard | | Toggle Visibility | Space | Show/hide selected entities | | Toggle Lock | L | Lock/unlock selected entities | | Focus in Viewport | F | Frame selected in 3D view | | Group | Shift + G | Create group from selection | | Expand All | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + E | Expand all parent entities | | Collapse All | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + C | Collapse all parent entities |
Click and drag entities to reorganize the hierarchy:
Visual feedback shows where the entity will be placed:
Tip
Hold Shift while dragging to duplicate instead of move.
Select multiple entities and press Shift + G to create a new parent group. This creates an empty parent entity and makes all selected entities its children.
Before grouping:
- Tree_01
- Tree_02
- Tree_03
After grouping (Shift + G):
- Forest Group
├── Tree_01
├── Tree_02
└── Tree_03
Select a parent entity and press Shift + U to ungroup, making all children top-level entities and deleting the parent.
Use the search box at the top to filter entities by name. The hierarchy updates in real-time as you type, showing only matching entities and their parents.
Click the filter dropdown to show only entities with specific components:
Toggle filter options to show/hide:
Change sort mode from the toolbar:
Click the eye icon or press Space to hide entities in the viewport without deleting them. Hidden entities:
Tip
Press Alt + H to unhide all entities at once.
Click the lock icon or press L to prevent accidental selection and modification. Locked entities:
Tip
Lock background/environment objects to prevent accidentally selecting them while working on foreground elements.
Right-click an entity to access quick actions:
The hierarchy can display multiple scenes simultaneously. Each scene appears as a top-level header with expand/collapse controls:
Clipboard operations work across scenes and sessions:
Removes entities from the scene and stores them in clipboard. Cut entities are grayed out until pasted or operation is cancelled.
Copies entities to clipboard without removing them. Includes all children and components.
Pastes clipboard contents into the scene:
Tip
Use descriptive names: Name entities based on their purpose (e.g., "MainCamera", "PlayerSpawn", "NavMesh") rather than generic names like "GameObject_01".
Tip
Group logically: Organize related entities under common parents:
Tip
Lock background elements: Lock environment, skybox, and static geometry to prevent accidental modification while working on gameplay elements.
Warning
Avoid deep nesting: While hierarchies can be arbitrarily deep, too many levels (5+) can make organization confusing and may impact transform performance.