Multi-User Collaboration

This article describes multi-user sessions in Cintoo Workspace - how to create, join and leave a session, which collaboration tools are available inside it, and how guided collaboration with Lead, Gather and Follow works. Desktop and VR users share the same session and see each other in real time.

Permissions: creating a multi-user session requires a Collaborative subscription, checked at account level and not per user.
Joining a session does not require a Collaborative subscription - any signed-in user with a session ID can join.

Note: Igloo features are covered by a separate Igloo subscription, independently from Collaborative subscription.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Session Management
Avatars and Presence
Collaboration Panel
Laser Pointer
Lead, Gather & Follow
Annotations and Measurements in a Session

Session Management

This section covers what to check before starting a session, how to create, join and leave one, and how connection errors are handled.

Prerequisites

Before creating or joining a guided session, confirm every participant already has access to project you plan to use. There is no in-app way to invite a user to a project - invite them from web app first.

Create a Session

Open Sessions tab on the left side
Enter Username - obligatory step, saved between sessions
Click Create Session
Wait for creation confirmation. Connection to a new session is automatic.
Copy session ID and share it with participants
Note: a session lasts 6 hours. Session ID stays same for entire duration.

Join a Session

Joining works on Desktop and in VR egocentric and exocentric modes.

Open Sessions tab
Enter Username - obligatory step, saved between sessions
Click Join Session
Paste session ID shared by session creator and click Join
Note: a participant just invited to project used in session must log out of Cintoo Workspace and log back in before joining - project list is refreshed at login only.
Note: wait until every participant's interface has fully loaded target project before relying on Gather - a request sent before this finishes loading may not arrive, or may be declined automatically.
Once connected, collaboration tools become available - avatars, text chat, voice chat and laser pointer.

Leave a Session

A session can be left in several ways:

Click Leave Session in session interface
Join another session - disconnection from a current one is automatic
Log out of application
Close application

Session stays active for other participants, and leaving does not interrupt them. Avatar is removed for everyone else.

Note: a session also closes automatically once it reaches its 6-hour lifetime, regardless of number of remaining participants.

Session Errors and Reconnection

If a room ID is invalid or a session no longer exists, a message is displayed directly
After a temporary disconnection, reconnection is handled automatically
After rejoining, an old avatar is removed and a new one is created

Avatars and Presence

An avatar spawns automatically when a user joins a session.

Avatar consists of a head, a torso and two hands
User name is displayed above each avatar
Avatar color differs per user, helping to tell participants apart in a scene
Desktop and VR users see each other in the same session
Avatars are removed automatically when a user leaves or disconnects

Head orientation, hand and controller motion, position, rotation and scale are synchronized across all participants, and stay visible through every navigation method - walk, fly, teleport, pan, orbit and scan to scan. A VR user's scale changes (Exo/Egocentric or Dynamic Scaling) are visible to others as their avatar changing size in real time.

Note: in exocentric view nametag scaling keeps labels readable at distance. Pointing laser at a user label temporarily enhances it.

Collaboration Panel

It groups core session tools - text chat, voice chat and Members list - together with guided-collaboration actions like Gather, Opt in and Opt out, Take Lead and Demote - all in one place.

Note: in VR, rotate wrist holding Tools controller towards yourself to reveal wrist menu or access Collaboration Panel from Sessions tab.

Text Chat

Available in a dedicated panel on Desktop and in VR.

On Desktop, activated from Collaboration Panel by clicking on Chat.

In VR, activated from wrist menu or from Collaboration Panel on Sessions tab.

Open and close panel at any time - message history is kept for a session
Desktop users type with a keyboard, VR users use a virtual keyboard
Movement stays available in VR while chat panel is open
Chat doubles as session activity log - join and leave activity, Gather attempts and project-access-denied messages are all posted in chat stream
When panel is closed, an indicator on Chat icon on Collaboration Panel signals new activity

Voice Chat

Connects all participants of a session on Desktop and in VR.

Select microphone input device
Select audio output device
Mute and unmute microphone
Set dedicated Voice chat volume, separate from other application audio - set it to zero to mute voices without muting rest of application

Controlled from Collaboration Panel button on Desktop.

In VR, controlled from wrist menu or from Collaboration Panel in Sessions tab.

Note: by default, every participant hears everyone else in a session, regardless of role.

Mute All

Leader can mute all other members of a session at once, on Desktop and in VR, with Mute all button at bottom of Members panel.

Any member can unmute themselves at any time from Collaboration Panel
Members joining after Mute all was used are not muted
A new Leader takes over Mute all, and previous Leader loses it
Mute state stays as it is when Leader changes

Members

Main hub for understanding session roles. It displays connected users, their names and role badges.

On Desktop, activated from Collaboration Panel by clicking on Members.

In VR, activated from wrist menu or from Collaboration Panel in Sessions tab.

Go to Remote User Location

Members list allows to jump directly to position of another user, without waiting for a Gather. Position is aligned with a selected user, and orientation and scale are matched as well.

Useful to catch up with a teammate, to inspect a point someone is already reviewing, or to regroup informally without changing session leadership.

Assign Leader

Leader can assign another user as Leader by clicking on Crown icon next to Username in Members list.

Actions by Role

Collaboration Panel contains actions relevant to current role, and updates immediately after a role change.

Role	Collaboration Panel actions	Panel buttons
Leader	Trigger Gather Demote - renounce the lead
Participant	Request Lead Opt out to stop following Leader
User	Take Lead if Leader is absent Opt in to guided navigation

Enforcing project is a Leader action, but is not done from Collaboration Panel - see Project Enforcement.

Laser Pointer

It draws attention to a location, an object or an area. It is visible to other participants, with a marker at its endpoint.

Platform	Controls
Desktop	Press L or click Laser on Collaboration Panel to toggle. Aim with mouse. Press J to elongate (or arrow up ⬆️). K to shrink (or arrow down ⬇️).
VR	Aim with controller. Hold Navigation controller grip to toggle, adjust length with joystick.

Note: in fly mode movement takes priority over laser length. Laser stays usable, but its length cannot be adjusted while flying.

Lead, Gather & Follow

Guided collaboration keeps a team coordinated without removing individual control.

Session Roles

Indicated in Members list with badges.

Leader has a distinctive Crown icon next to Username in 3D environment.

Role	Description	Actions
Leader	Guides a session. Identified in Members list, in 3D scene and on radar overlay.	Trigger Gather, renounce or assign the lead, enforce project, mute all
Participant	Opted in to guided navigation - follows Leader's project and can be gathered.	Accept or decline Gather, request Leader role
User	Opted out of guided navigation, navigates autonomously and stays in session.	Navigate freely, opt in later

Opt in and Opt out

Opt in makes a user a Participant - enables Gather notifications and prompts to follow a new Leader
Opt out makes a user an autonomous User. Gather requests and follow prompts no longer interrupt navigation

Following does not move a Participant continuously - navigation stays free, and only an accepted Gather relocates them.

Structured walkthroughs and independent exploration can run in one session at same time.

Request and Take Lead

A Participant can request Leader role - current Leader accepts or declines
Leader can renounce the lead with Demote on Collaboration Panel
If Leader leaves session, session continues without a leader - everyone becomes a User, and any participant can take Leader role with Take Lead button

Follow the Leader

Whenever a user becomes Leader - assigned by a previous Leader, after a request, or with Take Lead - every Participant is notified in chat and asked whether to follow a new Leader. Users are not asked.

Accept - user stays a Participant
Decline - user becomes an autonomous User
No answer - prompt closes after 15 seconds and user becomes an autonomous User

Gather

Gather brings a group to Leader location, matching Leader's position, scale and orientation.

Note: Gather can be triggered by a Leader only, and relocates Participants only. Users who opted out are neither notified nor moved. Default action for a Gather request is decline - a Participant is not relocated unless they explicitly accept.

For a Leader:

Move to a location to be reviewed
Trigger Gather
A request is sent to every Participant
For a Participant:
A confirmation prompt is displayed
Accept or decline relocation
On accept, relocation to Leader area happens - users are placed around a Leader at Leader's scale. Participant also gets Leader's workzone and resource visibility.
On decline, nothing changes - role stays the same and session is not left
Warning: Exocentric scale is VR only (see Exo/Egocentric Scale). If a Leader in Exocentric scale triggers Gather, Participants arrive in Exocentric scale as well and this cannot be matched for Desktop Participants, who cannot enter Exocentric view. Use scaling carefully during a guided session.

Spatial Awareness

Leader indicator - crown icon next to name in 3D environment and a small crown on radar overlay, shows who guides a session
Nameplates and remote markers - identify users in a scene
Beacons - keep distant users readable when nametags become too small, showing user initials - first letter of each word of their name. Distance at which markers switch adapts to user scale.
Radar overlay - shows relative positions with user initials and avatar colors alongside Members list

Project Enforcement

Leader can enforce a project, so everyone reviews same context. To do that - change project from Projects tab. Project enforcement applies to everyone in session - Leader, Participants and Users.

As long as session has a Leader, other members cannot change project - a notification explains that only Leader can do it. Without a Leader, anyone can change project.

Note: resources are not enforced - Leader's workzone and resource visibility changes do not change anyone else's view, as members may have different access rights or want to review something else. A Participant gets Leader's workzone and resource visibility only by accepting a Gather.

Enforcement is validated against platform access rights - a user without access to a project is not switched into it and is removed from session
There is no in-app way to invite a user to a project - invite them from web app before starting a session
Users joining a guided session get a prompt to switch to session project. Declining ends session participation
Only a Leader is notified, in chat, when a member lacked access to enforced project

Warning: switching to an enforced project requires closing a current project. Work in progress and open resources are discarded or closed.

Annotations and Measurements in a Session

Annotations and measurements can be reviewed together, so everyone discusses same item.

Annotations - more details in Annotations in Cintoo Workspace:

When Leader fetches annotations, annotation list of Participants is refreshed too
When Leader opens an annotation - by clicking it in list or its bubble in 3D environment - its details open for Participants too. Descriptions of several opened annotations are stacked
When a member creates and pushes an annotation, Leader gets a notification in session chat

Measurements - more details in Measurements in Cintoo Workspace:

Any member can take measurements, and once validated, a measurement is visible to everyone in a session
Only Leader can delete a measurement - deletion applies to everyone
Measurement details panel is visible only to member who opened it
Measurements are temporary - they are not saved to Cintoo project, and are gone after changing project or leaving session

Recent Searches

Multi-User Collaboration