.. _onboarding:

Onboarding & Practice Files
===========================

Welcome to The Violence Layer Manager! This guide will help you get set up and provide the practice files you need to follow the tutorials.

Practice Files
==============

Download Practice Files
-----------------------

.. important::

    (FILES to be uploaded soon hosted via git Releases)

To follow along with the examples in this guide, you need the specific Grease Pencil object setup required by the tool.

.. raw:: html

   <div style="margin-top: 1rem; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
     <a href="https://github.com/Danweel/ProjectViolenceDocs/releases/download/practice-files-v1/TheViolence_Practice_File_v1.blend"
        style="background-color: #2da44e; color: white; padding: 12px 24px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; display: inline-block; font-weight: bold; font-family: sans-serif;">
       Download Practice File (v1.0)
     </a>
     <div style="font-size: 0.9em; color: #666; margin-top: 5px;">
       File size: ~45 MB | Format: .blend
     </div>
   </div>

*If the button above does not work, you can visit the `GitHub Releases page <https://github.com/Danweel/ProjectViolenceDocs/releases>`_ directly.*

First Steps
------------

1.  **Open the File**:
    *   Launch Blender.
    *   Go to **File → Open** and select the downloaded ``TheViolence_Practice_File_v1.blend``.
    *   *Note: If you see a "Missing Libraries" warning, click "Ignore" (this is normal for practice files).*

2.  **Verify the Setup**:
    *   Look at the **Outliner** (top right). You should see a Grease Pencil object named ``Violence_Practice``.
    *   Select it.
    *   Press **N** to open the Sidebar.
    *   Click the **Fred** tab. You should see the **LAYER SELECTOR** panel.

3.  **Set keybindings** (Optional but Recommended):
    *   Follow the steps in :doc:`keybindings` to assign hotkeys.

4.  **Try It Out**:
    *   Click the **Body** button in the panel.
    *   Switch to **Draw Mode** and draw a line.
    *   Click the **Head** button. Draw another line.

For more on the intended workflow and what the tool does see :doc:`usage`
For other ways to use the tool and workflows that we know of see :doc:`alt-setups`

Troubleshooting
---------------

*   **The panel is empty?** See :doc:`troubleshooting` for common issues.
*   **The strokes don't switch layers?** Check that you are in **Object Mode** or **Draw Mode**, not Edit Mode.



Next Steps
-----------

Once you have the practice file open and the panel working, head over to the :doc:`usage` page to learn advanced techniques and workflows!