“Building the world”: what the four steps on the episode card are
The other waits on this card: the wait messages · closing the page is fine: does generation continue?
Why it waits at all
Before the storyboard is written, SceneMixer wants to know the places it will be set in: what the room looks like, how big it is, where the furniture is, and where each person would be standing or sitting. With that known, a shot that says over her shoulder, with the door behind him can be framed from the room instead of guessed, and people do not swap sides between cuts. That work happens once per scene, so the first storyboard in a new project waits longest and later ones mostly find the rooms already built. What a world model is.
The four steps
| Block | What is happening | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Scene image | The picture of the place is still being drawn, or is being looked at to work out what kind of space it is (indoors or out, an enclosed room or open ground). | Generate the scene images in step 2 before you parse; this block is then already done. |
| 360° panorama | The place is turned from one picture into a room you can look around. | Nothing; this is the longest block. |
| Measuring the set | The room’s size and its furniture are worked out so people can be put in it. | Nothing. |
| Placing the cast | Who starts where, so the first shot already has everyone in the right place. | Nothing; this is the shortest block. |
The blocks are different widths because the steps take different lengths of time. The line below them names the current step, shows the time so far and what is usual, for example Building the world · 360° panorama · 1:12 · usually about 2 minutes. If it passes the usual time the line changes to say it is taking longer than usual; it has not failed.
When you see only “Preparing scenes”
Not every scene is turned into a 360° room — for example on an account that has not paid yet, or for some enclosed spaces. When none of the scenes in the episode needs one, the card shows a single bar: Preparing scenes and the time so far. The storyboard is still written against the scenes you have; it just has no room to measure. Looking around the set.
How long, and what happens at the end
Over the last weeks the middle wait has been around two to three minutes, with the slowest tenth near eight. Eight minutes is as long as the card waits. If a scene’s room is not ready by then, the storyboard is written anyway, without that room: shots set there still work, but the framing has less to go on. If a room could not be built at all, the site tries again the next time you press Parse Storyboard for an episode that uses it, after about an hour.
Nothing about the wait is charged. The price is the storyboard’s price on the button; if the storyboard fails, it is refunded as for any failure. Generate the storyboard for an episode.
How to make it shorter
- Generate the scene images first. In step 2, open the Scenes tab and generate the images before you go to step 3. The first block is then finished before you start. Generate all.
- Parse the episode that uses the most scenes first; the rooms it builds are reused by every episode after it.
- Do not re-parse for nothing. Regenerating a storyboard reuses the rooms, but it throws the segments away. What you lose.
- Leave the page. The work is on the site’s side. Come back later and the card has moved on.
When it looks stuck
A block that does not move for several minutes is normal during the panorama. If the card says Building the world for much longer than eight minutes, refresh once; if it is still there, the storyboard task has probably already moved on and the card has not caught up. How to get help has what to send us.
FAQ
Why does Parse Storyboard take minutes before any text appears?
The storyboard waits for the scenes it uses to be ready: scene image, 360° panorama, measuring the set, placing the cast. The card shows which step it is on.
How long does Building the world take?
Usually two to three minutes. The card waits for at most about eight minutes; after that the storyboard is written without a room that is still not ready.
Am I charged for the wait?
No. You pay the storyboard price on the button, and a failed storyboard is refunded as usual.
What is Preparing scenes?
The single-bar version of the wait, shown when the scenes in the episode are not being turned into 360° rooms, for example on an account that has not paid.
Can I close the page?
Yes. The work continues on the site's side.
Can I make it faster?
Generate the scene images in step 2 first, and parse the episode with the most scenes before the others.
Is it slower for the first episode?
Usually, because the rooms are built for the first time. Later episodes reuse them.
What if it never finishes?
After about eight minutes the storyboard is written anyway. If the card is still on Building the world much later, refresh; if it stays, contact support with the project and episode numbers.
Start the clock before you click.
Generate your scene images first, then parse the storyboard.
Updated October 26, 2026