The Build mode and Preview mode enable you to switch back and forth between building your world in the Desktop Editor and previewing it to see how it looks to users.

When you open the editor, by default it loads in Build mode. This enables you to immediatly start building a world, creating a scene, or placing objects in them.

You can then use Preview mode to test-run your world, experiencing it fully rendered, with scripts executing in order to ensure it works properly. Using Preview mode, you can interact with your partially-developed world, test world mechanics, and see player controls and interaction prompts. For more information, see Preview Mode.

You can change modes by selecting the appropriate mode button at the top of the editor.

Note: Your PC’s cursor is not visible while in Preview mode. Instead, the cursor can be used to change your avatar’s orientation, as opposed to the arrow keys or WASD keys, which are used to move in different directions based on the orientation of your avatar.

The Build mode and Preview mode tools are part of the suite of tools in the Desktop Editor UI. You can find out more about the UI at:

You can also try out the editor by working through these beginner tutorials: