nested canvases and the library
put a canvas inside a canvas, save reusable parts to the library, and reuse them across projects without copying.
A node can be another canvas. That is how a messy stage of work becomes one tidy card, and how something you built once gets reused in every project that needs it.
three kinds of nested canvas
A nested canvas card shows a colored badge for what it is.
| badge | what it is |
|---|---|
| PROJECT | a canvas inside a canvas, only to keep the board tidy |
| ASSET | a set of files, such as a logo family. Its output is its images. |
| TOOL | a canvas with inputs and a result: wire something into it, run it, get something out |
Processes also appear as nested canvas cards, with PROCESS on the badge; they are covered in make a process.
Click the arrow button (Open nested canvas) to go inside. The breadcrumb at the top left shows the path you took; click an earlier crumb to climb back out.
group nodes into one
- Select the nodes: <kbd>Shift</kbd>-drag a box around them, or <kbd>⌘</kbd>-click each.
- Right-click one of them.
- Choose:
- Group into nested canvas for a plain project card
- Group as tool (offered when the selection includes a model or another tool) and name it
- Group as asset (offered when it is all data, such as images) and name it
The selection moves into a new child canvas. Wires that crossed the selection's edge become the card's inputs and output, and ixi rewires them to the card. Nothing changes in what the nodes do.
choose a tool's inputs
Inside a canvas, right-click a node and choose Mark as input. The node becomes a public input of that canvas, and any card that points at it grows a matching handle on its left edge, typed like the node it came from. Unmark as input takes it away.
the library
The library is where reusable parts live. Find it on the dashboard's Library tab.
- Assets: press New asset on the dashboard, or Group as asset from a canvas.
- Tools: made with Group as tool.
- Saved sandboxes, designs and 3D models: saved from their own node.
To use a library item on a canvas:
- press + on the dock, then Assets, search under Search assets… and click one. The same browser appears when you drag a wire off an image input, with the option to upload a fresh file instead.
- or press <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>K</kbd>, search, and press <kbd>Enter</kbd> on the item.
An asset or tool is inserted as a reference, not a copy. A sandbox, design or 3D model arrives as its own node and stays linked to its library item.
linked copies and forks
Pressing Duplicate on a nested canvas does not copy its inside. It makes a LINKED card pointing at the same canvas, so a change to the original shows in every copy. A linked card can't be edited directly.
Click the LINKED badge for two options:
- Go to original opens the canvas it mirrors.
- Fork to standalone makes an independent copy, named "<name> (fork)", that you can change freely.
where is this used
When a canvas is used in other places, a used in N button appears in the breadcrumb. Click it to see Referenced by each parent and jump to one. Check it before you change an asset or tool that other projects depend on.
limits & good to know
- Deleting a card removes the reference, not the canvas it points to. To delete the canvas itself, delete it from the dashboard.
- The dashboard's Duplicate copies the whole tree, nested canvases included, unlike the card's Duplicate.
related
- nodes and wires
- dashboard
- make a process
- 3D overview for saving models to the library
checked against the product · 2026-10-23