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Use Canvas in Cognite Data Fusion (CDF) to investigate industrial data visually. Create a canvas, upload files, and add project data such as time series and engineering diagrams. You can also work with PDFs, build cause maps, organize your canvases with labels, and use agents during analysis.

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Create a canvas

1

Navigate to Canvas

Navigate to Flows > Canvas.
2

Create a new canvas

Select + Create canvas to start a new canvas.
3

Upload files or add data

Drag a supported file or image from your device onto the canvas or select + Add data to find and select data from CDF.
Files you upload are visible to all users with access to that canvas.
Canvas workspace with toolbar, settings, menubar, agents, and Add data callouts
➀ Toolbar — hover over each tool to see a description.➁ Settings — select canvas settings, add or remove labels, save as PDF, lock, or duplicate a canvas.➂ Menubar — select an item on the canvas to show relevant options for the item, for example, Explore with AI.➃ Agents — open the Atlas chat and select an AI agent to work with the canvas.➄ Add data — find and select data to add to the canvas.
To navigate on the canvas:
  • To pan, use the Spacebar and the mouse, or use two or more fingers on a touchpad.
  • To move items, select and drag.
  • To zoom, use the mouse scroll wheel, or pinch and stretch on a touchpad.

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Labels

Labels are keywords that describe the content on a canvas. Use them to organize your canvases and to find the right canvas faster.

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Assign or remove labels

On a canvas, select the arrow next to the canvas name > Edit name and labels, and then select the labels you want. You can choose from the labels an administrator has created.

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Filter on labels

On the canvas overview, where all canvases are listed, filter on labels to narrow the list.
To create labels and set up the capabilities required to manage them, see Canvas labels.

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Use an agent to find data

Open an agent on the canvas to find data from selected locations and add it to your investigation.
Agent panel on a canvas with session, location, Add to Canvas, and agent selector callouts
➀ New session — start a new conversation with an agent. ➁ Select locations — see your current location. Select locations to choose which data the agent can access. ➂ Add to Canvas — add the selected data to the canvas. ➃ Select agent — select the agent you want to start a conversation with.
To interact with an agent, you need these capabilities.Learn more about Atlas AI agents.

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Engineering diagrams

Add engineering diagrams and related data to a canvas.
Engineering diagram on a canvas with related data and live time series callouts
➀ Add related data — select a purple or orange link and the plus sign (+) to add related data, such as engineering diagrams, files, and time series. ➁ View live time series data — pin a time series to the canvas, set threshold values, and use colors to visualize any breaches.

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Time series

Add time series to a canvas from Add data, or from related data on an engineering diagram.

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Adjust time series display

After you add a time series to a canvas, you can switch to value view, turn off auto-refresh to see historical data, and set how many digits appear after the decimal point.
1

Change to value view

Select the time series on the canvas, then select Change to value view. The time series switches to value view, and additional tools appear on the menubar.
2

Optional. Turn off auto-refresh

Auto-refresh keeps the values updated and synchronized every 5 minutes as they change in CDF.To stop the values from updating automatically, select Disable auto refresh. With auto-refresh off, you can select a date in the past to see historical data for the time series.
3

Adjust fractional digits

Select Adjust fractional digits (.5x), then use the up and down arrows to set how many digits appear after the decimal point. The minimum is 1 (.0) and the maximum is 3 (.000).

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Cause maps

Use a cause map on a canvas to structure a root-cause analysis or a fault-tree investigation. Build a tree of cause nodes under the root node. As you add nodes, the tree auto-aligns.
1

Create a cause map

Add a cause map from the canvas toolbar. A root node appears on the canvas.
2

Add cause nodes

Select (+) on a node to add a child cause node. When you add a node, choose the direction it should grow, horizontal or vertical. You can’t switch that orientation later. Continue selecting + on nodes to grow the tree. The layout auto-aligns as you add nodes.
3

Move the cause map

Drag the root node to move the entire cause map tree on the canvas.

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Work with PDF files

When you add a PDF file to a canvas, you can view it directly, extract individual pages for comparison, and download the canvas or specific pages as a PDF.

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Extract pages

Extracting pages lets you view multiple pages side by side for comparison or analysis.
1

Select a file

Select a file and, on the toolbar, select Extract pages .
2

Select pages

Select all pages, specific pages, or a range of pages to place them on the canvas.Extract pages doesn’t create a new file. Each extracted page is a view of the original file focused on a specific page. You can use the page controls to navigate to other pages from any extracted view.
For example, if you extract pages 3-6 from a 10-page PDF, you get 4 additional views of the original file, each focused on a specific page from 3 to 6. If you extract all 10 pages, you get 10 additional views next to the original file.

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Download files

Download a canvas Use Download as PDF to save the canvas and its contents as a PDF file. Select the canvas name > Download as PDF, select the containers and files to include, and select Download.
By default, all containers and files on the canvas are selected. Clear the checkboxes for any items you don’t want to include. You can also reorder the pages before downloading.
Download a file Download an individual file directly from the toolbar. Select the file and then select Find related data > Download.
Download specific pages from a PDFIf you only need certain pages from a PDF file, select the canvas name > Download as PDF, select the checkbox next to the file, and select Multiple pages. Switch to Selection, specify the pages you need, and select Download.

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Supported file formats

You can upload these file types to a canvas.

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Further reading

Last modified on August 28, 2026