App Guide

A visual walkthrough of the Tervika app. This guide covers every screen and feature, from your first sign to production-ready exports.

Settings

Start by opening Settings from the gear icon in the top bar. Here you configure the app to match your preferences before designing your first sign.

• Theme — Light, Dark, or System (follows your device setting).
• Language — Choose from 18 supported languages.
• Distance Unit — Kilometers, Miles, or Nautical Miles. This sets the default for new plates, but you can override the unit on each individual plate.
• Measurement Unit — Millimeters or Inches. All dimensions in the app use this unit.

Getting Started — Your First Sign

When you open the app for the first time, you'll see an empty signs list. You have two ways to begin:

• New Sign — Press the green button at the bottom to create a sign from scratch.
• Browse Examples — Press the sparkle icon in the top bar or the "Browse Examples" button to explore pre-built signs. Pick one to copy it as your own starting point.

Example Signs

The example signs gallery shows real sign designs with descriptions, destination lists, and distance chips. Press "Use This Example" to copy any example into your signs list and start customizing it immediately.

Edit Sign

The Edit Sign screen is the main workspace for your sign. At the top you set the basics:

• Sign Name — A label for your sign (shown on the top plate by default).
• Sign Location — Search for an address, pick a point on the map, or use your device's current GPS position. The app finds the coordinates automatically.
• Coordinates — Displayed in Decimal Degrees or Degrees Minutes Seconds format. You can edit them manually for precision.

Below the inputs, the Preview section shows a live visualization of your sign. Toggle between Side, Top, and 3D views. Below the preview, tabs give access to all parts of the sign: Top Plate, Plates, Post, Master Template, Sign Summary, Sign Export, and AI Prompt.

Preview Modes

The preview section supports four viewing modes:

• Side view — Shows the sign from the front with dimension lines, plate shapes, text, and colors.
• Top view — A compass dial showing each plate as a directional arrow at its true bearing angle. Cardinals (N, E, S, W) and the post cross-section are visible.
• Both — Side and top views together.
• 3D — An interactive 3D model with PBR materials. Rotate, zoom, and inspect the sign from any angle.

Plates

The Plates tab shows all destination plates on your sign. Each plate displays its destination name, distance, and bearing. You can reorder plates by dragging, or add new ones with the "Add Plate" button.

Edit Plate

Each plate has its own editor where you set the destination and customize the appearance:

• Destination — Search for a place, pick on the map, or enter coordinates. The bearing and distance are calculated automatically from the sign's location.
• Shape — Choose from 8 plate shapes: arrow, rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse, pointed, notched, shield, and organic.
• Dimensions — Width, height, and thickness. Respects the measurement unit from Settings.
• Distance Display — Override the distance unit per plate (km, m, mi, ft, nm) and set decimal precision.
• Use Master Template — When enabled, the plate inherits material, color, font, and dimension settings from the Master Template. Disable it to customize this plate individually.

Master Template

The Master Template defines shared settings used by the post, top plate, and all plates that have "Use Master Template" enabled. This saves time when all parts of a sign should share the same style.

The template covers:

• Dimensions — Default width, height, and thickness for plates.
• Spacing — Vertical gap between plates.
• Anchor Point — How plates attach to the post: centered, flush with one side, or at a custom margin.
• Material and Finish — Wood, aluminum, stainless steel, composite, or acrylic. Finish options include gloss, satin, matte, weathered, and coated.
• Color Theme — Choose from 13 predefined color themes (standard, water, forest, beach, and more) or set custom colors manually.
• Font Settings — Font family, weight, style, text height (in mm, not font size), and text color. Eight font families are bundled, and you can import your own TTF fonts.
• Cut Type — Laser or CNC, affecting the CAM sidecar file output.

Post

The Post tab lets you configure the vertical support pole:

• Height — Total height from ground to top.
• Width — Cross-section diameter or side length.
• Cross-Section Shape — Circular, square, rectangular, hexagonal, or octagonal.
• Taper — Enable taper for a narrower top width, creating a tapered post shape.
• Material and Color — Independent from plate settings, or inherited from the Master Template.

Top Plate

The Top Plate sits at the top of the sign and typically displays the sign name and optionally the GPS coordinates of the sign location.

• Show Top Plate — Toggle visibility. Some signs don't need one.
• Mount Position — "Side" mounts the plate on the side of the post (traditional). "Above" places it on top of the post.
• Dimensions and Shape — Independent width, height, and plate shape.
• Show Coordinates — Display latitude/longitude on the top plate in your preferred format.
• Top Distance — Vertical gap between the top plate and the first destination plate.

Sign Summary

The Sign Summary tab generates a complete text specification of your sign. It lists every property of every component: post dimensions, top plate settings, each plate's destination, bearing, distance, shape, colors, and font. Two modes are available:

• Full — Detailed output with all properties.
• Compact — Condensed version including Master Template settings.

Press "Copy to Clipboard" to paste it into a document, email, or order form.

Sign Export

The Sign Export tab is where you generate production files:

• DXF — CAD files with organized layers (CUT_OUTER, TEXT_ENGRAVE, GUIDES). Choose content mode: Shape Only, Shape & Text, or Text Only. Optionally include a CAM sidecar file (.cnc.json) with machine settings like stock thickness, safe-Z height, and tool hints.
• PDF — A multi-page A4 document with title block, side-view preview, top-down compass view, dimension lines, post summary, and per-plate sections. Colors and fonts are embedded.
• 3D (GLB) — A 3D model of the complete sign assembly. Open it in any GLB viewer such as Babylon.js Sandbox, or import it into Blender or Three.js.

Each export includes the top plate and all plates — two files per piece (front and back) for DXF.

AI Prompt

The AI Prompt tab generates a structured prompt you can paste into ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL-E, or another AI image generator to create a photorealistic visualization of your sign in a realistic setting.

Configure the scene:

• Scene Preset — Choose from 14 environments: beach, lakeside, forest, mountain, village, urban park, and more. Or select "Custom" to define your own ground, background, and vegetation.
• Camera Facing — Set the viewing direction (North, South, East, West, etc.). The 3D preview syncs to this angle.
• Aspect Ratio — 3:4, 4:3, 1:1, or 16:9.
• Lighting — Natural sunlight, golden hour, overcast, dramatic sunset, bright midday, or soft morning.

The generated prompt appears in a text window. Press "Copy to Clipboard" to use it. For better results, press "Save Reference Image" to download a 3D screenshot from the selected camera angle. Upload this image alongside the prompt in your AI tool — it helps the AI understand the sign's structure and layout.

That covers every feature in Tervika. The best way to learn is to try it — open the app and create your first sign.

If you have any questions, feature requests, or feedback, reach out at support@tervika.app.