GemDiagram Docs

Guided Creator: Overview

Guided Creator (also called "Guided Mode") is a step-by-step wizard that walks you through designing a gemstone cut in four stages. It's the friendliest way to start if you're new to faceting design — you don't have to think about all the tiers at once; the wizard sets sensible defaults and asks you to fill in just the details that matter.

When to use Guided vs. Manual

Guided Mode is best if you:

  • Are building a design for the first time.
  • Want step-by-step guidance through naming, shape, and symmetry.
  • Prefer clicking tier positions on a visual index wheel instead of typing index lists by hand.
  • Like to see a live preview update as you work.

Manual Mode is better if you:

  • Already have a design in mind and want to skip the wizard.
  • Prefer typing angle/distance/index values directly into a tier table.
  • Are importing a design from another tool and want to tweak it quickly.

Both modes produce the exact same .facet files — the only difference is the path you take to get there.

The four-step flow

  1. Setup (3 sub-steps): Name your design, pick a shape, set the symmetry (fold count and mirror).
  2. Design (Pavilion, Crown, Girdle tabs): Add tiers one at a time, clicking the index wheel to choose which facets each tier occupies.
  3. Live preview: Every click updates the 3D view, so you see the stone take shape in real time.
  4. Finish & handoff: Click Finish to open the complete design in the main editor, then save it as a .facet file.

The wizard lives in its own page — don't reload or navigate away until you click Finish, or your progress is lost (the wizard state isn't saved to the browser).

The index wheel

The index wheel is the core of Guided Mode. It's a visual 96-point dial showing all the positions around the stone. To add facets to a tier, you click positions on the wheel — the symmetry you set in Setup automatically expands your clicks into the full ring.

For example, under 4-fold + mirror symmetry (the round brilliant's default), clicking position 6 lights up 8 positions (6, 18, 30, 42, 54, 66, 78, 90) — the symmetry does the work for you.

See Guided Creator: Step 2 Design for a full walkthrough.

Preset defaults

When you pick a shape in Setup step 2, Guided Mode pre-seeds some tiers with sensible starting values:

  • Pavilion P1 (a main tier) is seeded at a typical angle for that shape.
  • Crown C1 (the main tier above the table) is similarly seeded.
  • Girdle (the edge) is seeded with one tier.

You can add more tiers, edit angles and distances, or delete tiers entirely. The seeded values are just a starting point, not a constraint.

Moving forward