diorama – Typst Universe

A library of illustrated CeTZ scene elements for building word problem figures. Draw mountains, tunnels, lakes, buildings, vehicles, creatures, fairground rides, and geometric annotations — all composable inside a single cetz.canvas.

Designed for mathematics teachers who need clear, consistent figures for trigonometry and geometry word problems.

Full manual

Gallery

Click on an image to see the source code.



Quick Start	Terrain	Vehicles	Structures	Luna Park

Features

Terrain — mountain (with snow, smoothness), tunnel, lake, river, hill, cliff, valley, beach, cave, island, road
Nature — tree (pine/oak/palm), group of trees, cloud, sun, moon, stars, rain, snow, lightning, bush, rock, flower, seaweed
Vehicles — hot-air balloon, airplane, helicopter, drone, rocket, parachute, cable car, boat (rowboat/sailboat), submarine, mine cart, car
Creatures — person (standing/pointing/anchored), bird, fish, dog, butterfly, crab
Structures — house, building, tower, lighthouse, wall (plain/brick), ladder, bridge (beam/arch), pole, box, windmill, crane, kite, antenna, telescope, stairs, ramp, rope, fence, slide, shadow projection
Luna Park — ferris wheel, roller coaster + cart, carousel, swing ride, ticket booth, party balloon, bunting
Annotations — dimension arrow, sight line, horizontal reference, angle arc, right-angle mark, dashed line, brace, point mark, label
Theme — consistent colour palette via scene-theme, overridable per element with bg, color, line-color

Quick Start

#import "@preview/cetz:0.5.2"
#import "@preview/diorama:0.1.0": *

#cetz.canvas(length: 1cm, {
  import cetz.draw: *

  scene-sky(-1, 12, 7, bottom: 0)
  scene-ground(-1, 12, y: 0, depth: 1)

  scene-mountain((1, 0), (9, 0), (5, 6), snow: true)
  scene-person((0.5, 0), height: 0.55, variant: "pointing")
  scene-person((11, 0), height: 0.55)

  scene-sight-line((0.5, 0.48), (5, 6))
  scene-sight-line((11, 0.48), (5, 6))
  scene-dimension-arrow((0.5, 0), (11, 0), [550 m], offset: -0.9)
})

Rule: all scene-* functions are CeTZ drawing functions. They must be called inside a cetz.canvas(...) block after import cetz.draw: *.

Usage

Coordinate system

All coordinates are in CeTZ canvas units. Set length in cetz.canvas to control the physical size (e.g. length: 1cm means 1 unit = 1 cm on the page).

Colour parameters

To avoid shadowing Typst built-ins (fill, stroke), the package uses alternative names:

Concept	Parameter name	Default
Fill colour	`bg`	`auto` (theme colour)
Stroke colour	`line-color`	`auto` (theme colour)
General colour	`color`	`auto` (theme colour)

Passing auto uses the default from scene-theme. Pass any Typst colour to override.

Building a scene — step by step

Backgrounds first — scene-sky, scene-ground, scene-water-gradient
Terrain — mountains, lakes, rivers, tunnels
Vegetation and decor — trees, clouds, sun
Characters and vehicles — persons, boats, balloons
Structures — buildings, towers, bridges
Geometric annotations — sight lines, angles, dimension arrows, labels

Component Reference

Backgrounds

`scene-sky(left, right, top, bottom: 0, bg: auto)`

Sky rectangle. Place first, below everything else.

`scene-ground(left, right, y: 0, depth: 1, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Ground with surface line.

`scene-water-gradient(left, right, bottom, top: 0, layers: 3, surface-stroke: auto)`

Water with gradient depth effect. bottom is positional (below water surface, so a negative value).

`scene-night-sky(left, right, top, bottom: 0, bg: auto)`

Dark night sky.

`scene-underground(left, right, top: 0, bottom, bg: auto)`

Underground fill (for mine/cave scenes).

Terrain

`scene-mountain(base-left, base-right, summit, bg: auto, line-color: auto, snow: true, snow-fraction: 0.15, smoothness: 0)`

Triangular mountain with optional snow cap. smoothness adds intermediate points for a rounded ridge (0 = straight sides).

`scene-hill(base-left, base-right, peak, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Gentle rounded hill using a bezier curve.

`scene-valley(left, right, bottom, depth: 1, bg: auto)`

Valley shape.

`scene-cliff(base, height, width: 0.5, direction: 1, bg: auto)`

Vertical cliff face. direction: 1 = cliff on the right side.

`scene-tunnel(entry-left, entry-right, height: 0.4, bg: auto)`

Tunnel entrance arch.

`scene-lake(left, right, y: 0, depth: 0.3, bg: auto)`

Still lake with surface line.

`scene-river(top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right, bg: auto)`

River as a trapezoid band.

`scene-beach(left, right, y: 0, sand-depth: 0.3, water-depth: 0.5, bg: auto)`

Sandy beach with water edge.

`scene-island(center, rx: 1.5, ry: 0.4, bg: auto)`

Elliptical island at water level.

`scene-road(start, end, width: 0.3, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Two-lane road with centre line.

`scene-cave(entry-left, entry-right, height: 0.5, depth: 0.4, bg: auto)`

Cave entrance.

`scene-path(points, width: 0.15, bg: auto)`

Footpath through a list of points.

Nature

`scene-tree(base, height: 0.6, trunk-color: auto, foliage-color: auto, variant: "pine")`

Single tree. Variants: "pine", "oak", "palm".

`scene-trees(positions, variant: "pine", foliage-color: auto, trunk-color: auto)`

Multiple trees. Each position is (x, height) or (x, y, height).

`scene-cloud(center, size: 0.3, bg: white)`

Three-circle cloud.

`scene-sun(center, radius: 0.4, bg: auto, ray-count: 8, ray-length: 0.2)`

Sun with rays.

`scene-moon(center, radius: 0.4, bg: auto)`

Crescent moon.

`scene-star(center, radius: 0.15, color: auto)`

Five-pointed star.

`scene-rock(center, size: 0.3, bg: auto)`

Irregular rock shape.

`scene-bush(base, width: 0.5, height: 0.3, bg: auto)`

Low bush.

`scene-flower(base, size: 0.15, color: auto)`

Simple flower with petals.

`scene-seaweed(base, height: 0.5, color: auto, strands: 1)`

Wavy seaweed for underwater scenes.

`scene-rain(left, right, top, bottom, density: 10, color: auto)`

Rain streaks.

`scene-snow-particles(left, right, top, bottom, density: 15, color: auto)`

Snow dots.

`scene-lightning(top, bottom, color: auto)`

Lightning bolt.

Vehicles

`scene-balloon(center, size: 0.6, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Hot-air balloon (envelope + ropes + basket).

`scene-airplane(center, size: 0.6, bg: auto, line-color: auto, direction: 1)`

Fixed-wing aircraft.

`scene-helicopter(center, size: 0.5, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Helicopter with main and tail rotors.

`scene-drone(center, size: 0.3, color: auto)`

Quadcopter drone.

`scene-rocket(base, height: 1.5, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Rocket with nose cone and fins.

`scene-parachute(base, size: 0.5, bg: auto, color: auto)`

Parachute with canopy and figure.

`scene-cable-car(center, size: 0.4, bg: auto)`

Gondola cable car cabin.

`scene-boat(base, size: 0.5, bg: auto, line-color: auto, variant: "rowboat")`

Boat at water level. Variants: "rowboat", "sailboat".

`scene-submarine(center, size: 1.0, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Submarine with conning tower, periscope, and propeller.

`scene-mine-cart(base, size: 0.4, bg: auto)`

Mine cart with wheels and rock cargo.

`scene-car(base, size: 0.5, bg: auto, line-color: auto, direction: 1)`

Simple car silhouette.

Creatures

`scene-person(base, height: 0.6, color: auto, variant: "standing")`

Stick figure. Variants: "standing", "pointing".

`scene-person-anchors(base, height: 0.6)`

Returns a dict of body anchor points (head, chest, left-hand, right-hand, base) for attaching elements.

`scene-bird(center, size: 0.15, color: auto)`

Bird in flight (M-shape).

`scene-fish(center, size: 0.15, color: auto, direction: 1)`

Fish with tail and eye.

`scene-dog(base, size: 0.3, color: auto, direction: 1)`

Dog silhouette.

`scene-butterfly(center, size: 0.2, color: auto)`

Butterfly with four wings.

`scene-crab(base, size: 0.3, color: auto)`

Crab with claws.

Structures

`scene-wall(base, height, width: 0.3, bg: auto, line-color: auto, variant: "plain")`

Wall. Variants: "plain", "brick".

`scene-ladder(base, top, width: 0.1, rungs: 5, color: auto)`

Ladder between two points.

`scene-house(base, width: 2, wall-height: 1.5, roof-height: 0.8, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

House with roof, door, and windows.

`scene-building(base, width: 1.5, floors: 3, floor-height: 0.5, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Multi-storey building with windows.

`scene-box(base, width: 1, height: 0.8, depth: 0.3, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

3D box with perspective.

`scene-pole(base, height, color: auto, thickness: 2)`

Vertical pole or mast.

`scene-bridge(left, right, height: 0.3, bg: auto, line-color: auto, variant: "beam")`

Bridge. Variants: "beam" (with pillars), "arch".

`scene-tower(base, width: 0.8, height: 3, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Observation tower with platform and windows.

`scene-lighthouse(base, height: 2.5, bg: auto, line-color: auto)`

Lighthouse with red stripes and lantern.

`scene-flag-pole(base, height, flag-color: red)`

Flagpole with triangular flag.

`scene-shadow(object-top, light-angle, ground-y: 0, object-base: auto, color: auto)`

Projected shadow. light-angle is the sun angle above horizontal.

`scene-fence(left, right, y: 0, posts: auto, color: auto)`

Fence with vertical posts and horizontal rails.

`scene-stairs(base, steps: 5, step-width: 0.3, step-height: 0.2, bg: auto)`

Staircase.

`scene-ramp(base, top, width: 0.2, bg: auto)`

Inclined ramp.

`scene-windmill(base, height: 2.5, blade-length: 1.0, color: auto)`

Windmill with four blades.

`scene-crane(base, height: 3, arm-length: 2, color: auto)`

Construction crane.

`scene-kite(center, size: 0.5, bg: auto, tail-length: 1.0)`

Diamond kite with tail.

`scene-antenna(base, height: 1.5, color: auto)`

Radio/TV antenna.

`scene-telescope(base, height: 1.0, angle: 30deg, color: auto)`

Telescope on a tripod.

`scene-slide(base, height: 2, length: 2.5, bg: auto)`

Playground slide.

`scene-rope(p1, p2, sag: 0.3, color: auto)`

Catenary rope between two points.

Luna Park

`scene-ferris-wheel(base, radius: 2.0, cabins: 8, rotation: 0deg, color: auto, cabin-colors: auto)`

Ferris wheel with A-frame support, spokes, and coloured cabins.

`scene-roller-coaster(points, color: auto, rail-width: 0.08)`

Roller coaster track with auto-generated support pillars.

`scene-roller-cart(position, angle: 0deg, size: 0.3, color: auto)`

Roller coaster cart with passengers.

`scene-carousel(base, radius: 1.0, height: 1.5, horses: 6, color: auto)`

Carousel with conical roof and horses.

`scene-swing-ride(base, height: 2.5, radius: 1.5, swings: 6, color: auto)`

Flying chairs ride with chains and riders.

`scene-ticket-booth(base, width: 1.0, height: 1.5, color: auto)`

Ticket booth with awning and window.

`scene-party-balloon(base, height: 0.8, color: auto)`

Round party balloon with string.

`scene-bunting(left, right, flags: 8, colors: auto, sag: 0.3)`

String of triangular pennant flags with catenary droop.

Annotations

`scene-dimension-arrow(p1, p2, label, offset: -0.6, color: black, size: 10pt, extension: true)`

Dimension line with arrows and label. offset is the perpendicular displacement.

scene-dimension-arrow((1, 0), (7, 0), [200 m], offset: -0.7)
scene-dimension-arrow((5, 0), (5, 4), [$h$], offset: 1.2)

`scene-sight-line(p1, p2, color: auto, dash: "dashed", thickness: 0.8)`

Dashed line of sight.

`scene-horizontal-ref(left, right, y, color: auto, dash: "dashed", thickness: 0.6)`

Horizontal reference line (for depression/elevation angles).

`scene-angle-arc(origin, p1, p2, label, radius: 1.3, label-radius: 55%)`

Angle arc with label. Wrapper around cetz.angle.angle.

scene-angle-arc(A, B, C, text(size: 9pt)[$35°$])

`scene-right-angle(vertex, p1, p2, size: 0.2)`

Right-angle square marker.

`scene-dashed-line(p1, p2, color: auto, thickness: 0.5)`

Dashed connecting line.

`scene-brace(p1, p2, label, offset: -0.3, color: black)`

Curly brace with label.

`scene-label(position, body, size: 9pt)`

Text label at a point.

`scene-point-mark(position, label: none, radius: 0.05, color: black, size: 8pt)`

Filled circle point marker with optional label.

Theme

All default colours live in scene-theme:

#import "@preview/diorama:0.1.0": scene-theme

scene-theme.sky          // #d4eafc  — sky blue
scene-theme.ground       // #8BC34A  — grass green
scene-theme.water-light  // #64B5F6  — light blue
scene-theme.water-mid    // #42A5F5  — mid blue
scene-theme.water-deep   // #1E88E5  — deep blue
scene-theme.mountain     // #607D8B  — blue-grey
scene-theme.snow         // white
scene-theme.tree-trunk   // #5D4037  — brown
scene-theme.tree-foliage // #2E7D32  — dark green
scene-theme.metal        // #9E9E9E  — grey

Override per element: scene-mountain((0,0), (6,0), (3,5), bg: rgb("#8B8682")).

Complete Example

#import "@preview/cetz:0.5.2"
#import "@preview/diorama:0.1.0": *

// A lighthouse problem: find the distance to a ship using two observers

#cetz.canvas(length: 1cm, {
  import cetz.draw: *

  scene-sky(-1, 13, 7, bottom: 0)
  scene-water-gradient(-1, 13, -3, top: 0, layers: 3)
  scene-ground(-1, 13, y: 0, depth: 0.8)

  // Lighthouse on a cliff
  scene-cliff((4, 0), 1.5, width: 1.2, direction: -1)
  scene-lighthouse((3.5, 1.5), height: 3)

  // Ship at sea
  scene-boat((10, 0), size: 0.6, variant: "sailboat")

  // Observer on cliff top
  scene-person((2, 0), height: 0.5, variant: "pointing")

  // Fish underwater
  scene-fish((7, -1.5), size: 0.12)
  scene-fish((9, -2), size: 0.1, direction: -1)

  // Sight line from lighthouse to ship
  scene-sight-line((3.5, 4.5), (10, 0.3))

  // Horizontal reference
  scene-horizontal-ref(3, 11, 4.5, dash: "dotted")

  // Depression angle
  let L = (3.5, 4.5)
  let H = (8, 4.5)
  let S = (10, 0.3)
  scene-angle-arc(L, H, S,
    text(size: 8pt)[$\u{03b1}$], radius: 1.8, label-radius: 60%)

  // Dimension
  scene-dimension-arrow((3.5, 0), (10, 0), [$d$], offset: -0.7)
})

License

MIT License — see LICENSE file for details.

Changelog

[0.1.0] — 2026-05-26

Initial release (renamed from trigo-scenes)
~100 scene elements across 8 modules: backgrounds, terrain, nature, vehicles, creatures, structures, lunapark, annotations
Full colour theme with per-element overrides and bw: true black-and-white mode
scene-point-mark: anchor (8-direction) and shift parameters for label placement
scene-label: CeTZ-native anchor placement with optional background box
Comprehensive manual with individual rendered example for every function
CeTZ 0.5.2 compatibility

How to add

Copy this into your project and use the import as diorama

#import "@preview/diorama:0.1.0"

Check the docs for more information on how to import packages .

About

Author:

Nathan Scheinmann

License:

MIT

Current version:

0.1.0

Last updated:

May 27, 2026

First released:

May 27, 2026

Minimum Typst version:

0.13.0

Archive size:

39.6 kB

Repository:

GitHub

Disciplines:

Categories:

Explore more packages by Nathan Scheinmann

Where to report issues?

This package is a project of Nathan Scheinmann. Report issues on their repository. You can also try to ask for help with this package on the Forum.

Please report this package to the Typst team using the contact form if you believe it is a safety hazard or infringes upon your rights.

Version history

Version	Release Date
0.1.0	May 27, 2026

Typst GmbH did not create this package and cannot guarantee correct functionality of this package or compatibility with any version of the Typst compiler or app.