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Getting Started with Brain Visualizer

This guide will help you take your first steps with Brain Visualizer and understand the basic interface.

New to FEAGI terminology? Check the Glossary for definitions of terms like cortical areas, neurons, voxels, and more.

Connecting to FEAGI​

Brain Visualizer requires a running FEAGI instance to connect to. When you launch Brain Visualizer:

  1. The application will automatically attempt to connect to FEAGI
  2. You'll see a loading screen while the genome data is being retrieved
  3. Once connected, the interface will activate and display your genome

Connection Status​

The State Indicator in the top bar shows your connection status:

  • Green: Connected and operational
  • Yellow: Connecting or syncing
  • Red: Disconnected or error state

Understanding the Interface​

Main Components​

Brain Visualizer's interface consists of several key areas:

Top Toolbar

  • Connection status and genome statistics
  • Burst rate control (neural processing speed)
  • Root scene bar: Circuits, Inputs, Outputs, and Connectivity Rules. Hover a title to list them. + creates one.
  • Circuit Builder and Brain Monitor tab bars: shown only while the pointer is on that tab. Circuits, Interconnect Areas, and Memory Areas. Those bars are two UI sizes smaller. Hover a title to list them. + creates one.
  • Split view, inspectors, camera animations, this guide, and settings

Circuit Builder (2D View)

  • Node-based graph showing your cortical areas as boxes
  • Lines showing connections between areas
  • Pan and zoom to navigate
  • Double-click regions to explore sub-circuits

Brain Monitor (3D View)

  • 3D volumetric representation of your genome
  • Real-time neural activity visualization
  • Interactive camera controls
  • Hover over areas to see connections

First Look at Your Genome​

When Brain Visualizer loads, you'll see:

  1. Main Circuit: The root region containing all your cortical areas
  2. Cortical Areas: Boxes (2D) or volumes (3D) representing neural processing units
  3. Connections: Lines showing how areas are connected

Basic Navigation​

In Circuit Builder (2D)​

  • Pan: Middle mouse drag or Shift + Left mouse drag
  • Zoom: Mouse wheel
  • Select: Left-click on cortical areas or regions
  • Multi-select: Ctrl + Click to add to selection

In Brain Monitor (3D)​

  • Pan: Left mouse drag
  • Rotate: Right mouse drag
  • Zoom: Mouse wheel
  • Select: Left-click a cortical area
  • Multi-select: Ctrl + Click to add or remove an area, or Shift + Left Drag a rectangle around several areas
  • Focus: Click on a cortical area, then press F

See Navigation Basics for more details.

Top Bar Quick Reference​

Left Section (Genome Info)​

  • Neuron Count: Current number of neurons / maximum
  • Synapse Count: Current number of synapses / maximum
  • Burst Rate: Neural processing frequency in Hz

Middle Section (Quick Access)​

  • Root scene top bar: Circuits, Inputs, Outputs, and Connectivity Rules. Hover a title to open its list. + creates one. Choosing a circuit, input, or output moves the view to it. Choosing a connectivity rule opens the Connectivity Rules Manager on that rule.

Circuits Inputs Outputs Connectivity Rules

  • Circuit Builder and Brain Monitor tab bars: Shown only while the pointer is on that tab. Circuits, Interconnect Areas, and Memory Areas, in that order. The whole tab bar is two UI sizes smaller than the root bar. Hover a title to open its list. + creates one. Choosing an entry moves the view to it. A tab opened on the main circuit also shows Inputs and Outputs. There is no Elements menu and no separate list icon.
  • Add Circuit (the Circuits +) includes Create New, packaged genomes or connectomes such as Logic AND and Logic OR, and Classifier. Classifier is an integrated circuit, marked by a gold IC chip on the top-right of its image. See Integrated Circuits.

Right Section (Tools)​

  • Options: Application settings and preferences
  • Camera Animations: Save and play camera paths
  • Guide: Open this help system
  • Activity Toggle: Show/hide global neural connections
  • UI Scale: Increase or decrease interface size

Creating Your First Cortical Area​

Let's create a simple input area:

  1. Hover Inputs on the root scene top bar
  2. Click the + button to create a new input
  3. Select a template (e.g., "Vision" or "Generic Input")
  4. Set the device count (typically 1 to start)
  5. Choose a unit ID (leave default if unsure)
  6. Click Add

You should now see a new gray box in the Circuit Builder and a volume in the Brain Monitor!

See Cortical Areas for more details.

Using the Quick Menu​

Right-click any cortical area or region to open the Quick Menu, which provides context-sensitive operations:

  • Details: View and edit properties
  • Quick Connect: Connect to another area
  • Clone: Duplicate the object
  • Move/Relocate: Reposition in 2D or 3D
  • Add to Region: Move into a different brain circuit
  • Reset: Clear neural state
  • Delete: Remove the object. A cortical-area delete can be reversed with Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on macOS) until another genome loads
  • Arrange: With 2 or more areas in the same circuit selected, align or distribute them on X, Y, or Z

See Quick Menu and Navigation Basics for complete details.

Viewing Neural Activity​

To see your genome in action:

  1. Ensure FEAGI is processing (check the Burst Rate is above 0 Hz)
  2. Open the Brain Monitor (3D view)
  3. Neural activity will appear as colored highlights on cortical areas
  4. Hover over areas to see their connections

See Neural Activity for more information.

Using Split View​

For the best workflow, use Split View to see both Circuit Builder and Brain Monitor simultaneously:

  1. Right-click a brain circuit in Circuit Builder
  2. Select Open 3D Tab from the Quick Menu
  3. The interface will split, showing both views side-by-side

Alternatively, use the view controls in the top-left of the Circuit Builder tab.

See Split View for more details.

Next Steps​

Now that you understand the basics, explore these topics:

Common Issues​

"No objects appear in my view"

  • Check that FEAGI has successfully loaded a genome
  • Try zooming out or using "Fit All" in Circuit Builder
  • Verify the connection status indicator is green

"Neural activity isn't showing"

  • Check that Burst Rate is above 0 Hz
  • Ensure your genome has active inputs providing data
  • Verify connections exist between areas

"Interface is too small/large"

  • Use the +/- buttons in the top-right to adjust UI scale
  • See UI Controls for more options

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