For software and CAD instructors

Screen annotation for software tutorials your students can follow

Code editors, CAD tools and dense app ribbons are packed with tiny targets. SHARA shows your cursor, your clicks and your shortcuts on screen, live in class and in every recording, from one hotkey on Windows.

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How do you make clicks and shortcuts visible in a software tutorial?

Run a screen overlay that shows three things: where the cursor is (a halo that flashes on every click), what it points at (a zoom lens on the small detail) and which keys you pressed (an on-screen keystroke display). On Windows, SHARA does all three over VS Code, PowerPoint or AutoCAD, and Zoom, Teams, Google Meet and OBS capture it when you share or record the entire screen.

The problem

“Sorry, where are you clicking?”

In a software lesson that question rarely means the class wasn’t listening. It means the screen didn’t show them three things you did.

“Where are you clicking?”Missing: the cursor

A 16-pixel ribbon icon on your 4K screen becomes a smudge in a Zoom tile or a 1080p export. Your pointer is smaller still, and a left click looks exactly like a right click.

“What did you just press?”Missing: the keys

The shortcuts you most want to teach leave no trace. You press Ctrl+Shift+P in VS Code or type WA in Revit, something opens, and nobody saw how.

“Which field was that?”Missing: the detail

Line numbers, formula bars and properties palettes are unreadable at stream resolution. Viewers watching on a phone lose the value you just changed.

Looking for an Autodesk Screencast alternative?

Autodesk ended support for Screencast, which logged the commands you used while recording, on January 31, 2023 (Autodesk support notice). SHARA covers the on-screen part: your keys, clicks and cursor show live while you teach or record. It doesn’t record video or keep a command log, so pair it with OBS or Camtasia.

The workflow

A VS Code demo, before and after an overlay

Running a command and fixing one line in VS Code, taught live and recorded.

Without an overlay

Open the Command Palette. Say “Control, Shift, P.”
Repeat it for the half who missed it.
Scroll to the line you changed. Squint along with the class to read one character.
Describe where the terminal output is in words.
In editing, add zoom-ins and callouts so the recording is readable.

With SHARA running

Press Ctrl+Shift+P. The Keystroke Pill shows the chord, and the halo shows where you click next.
Hold Ctrl+Win+G. Live Zoom enlarges the line you changed, so one character is readable.
Press Ctrl+Win+W and draw an Arrow to the terminal output. Ctrl+Z undoes a stroke you don’t like.
Press Esc. The ink goes idle and stays put while you keep typing.
Export with no zoom-in pass. The overlay is already in the frame.

Try it on your next lesson. The halo with its click flash, Pen, Arrow and Laser are free forever, and every install starts with a 14-day Pro trial.

Download free fromView onMicrosoft Store

Tools by teaching moment

Which tool to use for each teaching moment

Everything is also on the SHARA Wheel: press Ctrl+Space and it opens under your cursor, or use the docked toolbar (every SHARA hotkey), so your hand stays on the mouse.

All global hotkeys are configurable. Hold Shift while drawing for straight lines snapped to 45°.
Teaching moment	SHARA tool	How you trigger it	Tier
“Watch where I go”	Cursor halo that flashes on every click	Turn it on once; `Ctrl+Win+H` toggles it	FREE
Tracing a menu path	Laser, which leaves a fading trail	`Ctrl+Win+X` with the Laser equipped	FREE
Marking a parameter	Pen and Arrow (Highlighter: Pro)	`Ctrl+Win+X`, `Ctrl+Win+W`	FREE
Labelling a field	Text labels	`Ctrl+Win+I`	FREE
Reading small text	Magnifier lens or Live Zoom	Hold `Ctrl+Win+G`	PRO
Teaching a shortcut	Smart Keystroke Pill	`Ctrl+Win+T`	PRO
Focusing one panel	Spotlight dim	`Ctrl+Win+G` in Spotlight mode	PRO
Sketching a diagram	Whiteboard: white, black or grid	`Ctrl+Win+K`	PRO
Handing out the result	Screenshot	Toolbar or Wheel	FREE
Back to work	Ink idle, then erase	`Esc`, then `Esc` again	FREE

From a Microsoft Certified Trainer who teaches with SHARA

“SHARA has earned a permanent place in my training toolkit. The exceptionally smooth and clear writing, even at very small sizes, and the brilliant Ctrl+Space workflow that puts every tool right where my mouse is make live annotation remarkably effortless, letting me focus on teaching rather than managing the tool.”

RJRajnish Kumar Jha
Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)

By software

Setup for VS Code, PowerPoint, AutoCAD and Revit lessons

Different interfaces, same three gaps. Here is the setup that closes them in each.

VS CODE AND OTHER IDES

Command palette chords, multi-cursor edits, one changed character on a long line

Setup: Keystroke Pill in Shortcuts Only mode, Live Zoom on the line, Arrow to the terminal output.

POWERPOINT OR EXCEL

Ribbon buttons, the formula bar, one cell in a full sheet

Setup: Halo flash on each ribbon click, Magnifier on the formula bar, Pen to circle the cell you changed.

AUTOCAD AND OTHER CAD

Typed commands, object snap markers, status-bar toggles the size of a letter

Setup: Keystroke Pill for the command you type, Magnifier on the snap marker, Pro click colours to separate a pick from the right-click menu.

REVIT

Ribbon tabs, the Type Selector, one field in a long Properties palette

Setup: Halo on each ribbon click, Magnifier on the Type Selector, Pen to circle the parameter you changed.

Typical lesson scenarios, not benchmarks. SHARA draws over any Windows app, browsers included.

Walkthrough

A VS Code lesson recording, scene by scene

A suggested setup for a short VS Code lesson, recorded with SHARA and OBS.

Before you hit record
Set the stage once
Turn on Presenter Mode so the Wheel never appears on camera. Pick a halo colour that stands out against your editor theme, and switch on the Keystroke Pill in Shortcuts Only mode. In OBS, use a Display Capture source: a Window Capture of VS Code alone records VS Code without the overlay above it.
Viewers see: VS Code, with a coloured halo on the cursor and each click marked.
Scene 1
Open the Command Palette from the keyboard
Press Ctrl+Shift+P. The Pill shows Ctrl + Shift + P as separate key chips, and the halo marks where you click in the list.
Viewers see: the shortcut, not just the palette.
Scene 2
Zoom into one line
Hold Ctrl+Win+G. Live Zoom enlarges the line under your cursor. The Magnifier lens does the same for a small area while the rest of the file stays at normal size.
Viewers see: the one changed character, readable on a phone.
Scene 3
Point to the result
Press Ctrl+Win+W and draw an Arrow to the terminal output. The editor stays live under the ink.
Viewers see: exactly which output line matters.
Scene 4
Keep working
Press Esc: the ink goes idle and stays on screen while you keep typing. Every click flashes (Pro adds separate left and right colours). A second Esc erases everything.
Viewers see: each click, and the context menu opening from a right click.
DrawingPen, Laser, shapes
IdleInk stays, apps work
Clean screenAll ink and shapes gone

SHARA is made by Mashyo. We teach software ourselves (Revit and Autodesk Forma, as it happens) and use SHARA in every lesson. For the full recording setup, see SHARA for screen recording.

Before you roll it out

Questions instructors ask before installing

“Our training lab blocks software that phones home.”

SHARA runs on your PC with zero telemetry and no account, online or offline. The network is used only to buy or restore Pro. It installs from the Microsoft Store, which many managed labs already allow.

“Will it slow down the app I’m teaching?”

SHARA is GPU-rendered with 1000 Hz input response: a lightweight background process that draws on your GPU.

“I sign in to GitHub or Autodesk during class.”

The Keystroke Pill switches to Privacy Mode the moment a password, PIN or credential field has focus, so nothing you type there is shown.

“I teach with a pen tablet.”

SHARA works with a pen or tablet in Windows Ink mode: the tip draws and the barrel button right-clicks. Strokes have a fixed thickness, so there is no pressure sensitivity.

Cost: Free forever tier. SHARA Pro is a $19.99 one-time lifetime license with a 14-day money-back guarantee, usable across your personal Windows devices via the Microsoft Store. No subscription.

Get SHARA Pro, $19.99 once

FAQ

Software tutorial questions instructors ask

Will the halo, ink and keystrokes show up in my OBS or Camtasia recording?

Yes, as long as you capture the whole screen. In OBS, use a Display Capture source; Camtasia Recorder captures every overlay, full screen or region; in Zoom or Teams, share your entire screen, because a single-window share leaves the overlay out. Overlays render on a system layer captured natively by Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and OBS, and Presenter Mode hides the Ctrl+Space Wheel from recordings.

Can I show VS Code, AutoCAD or Revit shortcuts on screen?

Yes, with the Smart Keystroke Pill (Pro). Finished combinations appear as separate key chips joined by +, single keys like Enter or Esc show with repeat counts, and fast typing shows as whole words. Turn on “Shortcuts Only” to hide mouse clicks and scrolls, so only your keyboard shortcuts show. Ctrl+Win+T toggles the Pill.

Which tools are free for instructors?

The cursor halo with its click flash, the docked toolbar and the SHARA Wheel, Laser, Pen, Arrow, Text, Eraser, screenshots, Master Toggle and Clear All are free forever. Pro adds the four zoom modes, the Smart Keystroke Pill, the Highlighter, Line, Rectangle and Circle, the Whiteboard, colour sets and separate left and right click colours. Every install starts with a 14-day Pro trial.

I teach on a 4K laptop with a 1080p projector. Will the ink line up?

Yes. SHARA is DPI-calibrated, so the halo and ink stay sharp and aligned on 4K screens and on multi-monitor setups with mixed scaling.

Does SHARA record my lessons?

No. SHARA is an overlay, not a recorder. Keep your usual recorder (OBS, Camtasia) or call app, and SHARA’s halo, ink, zoom and keystrokes appear in whatever it captures.

For technical instructors

Put the click on screen in your next lesson

Install free, record one lesson with every Pro tool unlocked for 14 days, and see whether the “where?” questions stop.

Halo, Pen, Arrow and Laser: free Magnifier and Live Zoom: Pro Keystroke Pill with Privacy Mode: Pro

Download free fromView onMicrosoft Store Get SHARA Pro, $19.99 once →

Free forever tier · 14-day money-back on Pro · No subscription

Disclosure: Mashyo makes SHARA. Feature details come from the SHARA app; the Autodesk Screencast date comes from Autodesk’s support site, checked September 28, 2026. Visual Studio Code, PowerPoint and Excel are trademarks of Microsoft. Revit, AutoCAD and Forma are trademarks of Autodesk; SHARA is not affiliated with Autodesk. Last updated: October 16, 2026.