Heatmap and Liquidity Map
Order-book heatmap under candles and a separate Liquidity Map panel: how they differ, how to open them, what colors, scale, history, zoom, trade bubbles, and keys mean.
The terminal has two tools that show where orders stood in the order book: order-book heatmap — an underlay beneath candles on the chart, and liquidity map — a separate panel. Both draw price vertically, time horizontally, and volume with color, but they pull data from different sources.
Footprint clusters answer where trading happened. The heatmap and the map answer where orders stood and how that liquidity appeared and disappeared.
How they differ
| Order-book heatmap | Liquidity map | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Under candles on the chart | Separate panel |
| Data source | Order-book history from the LootX server | Live exchange order book — the terminal builds the map itself |
| History | Immediately; loads as you scroll back | From the moment the panel opens; plus market recordings |
| Column step | Matches the zoom — from 1 second to 1 day | Default 1 second, changed manually |
| Overlays | Chart candles and indicators | Trade bubbles, icebergs, stop-runs, profile, CVD |
| Coins | Those covered by the server | Any coin whose order book opens |
| Access | Test mode, granted manually | Paid plan |
The heatmap shows levels on a regular chart where large liquidity stood for a long time. The liquidity map is for second-by-second analysis: how the order book behaves and what happens to trades near large resting orders.
Order-book heatmap on the chart
How to add it
Click ƒ in the chart header and select the Order-book heatmap indicator (“Order-book history under candles: where liquidity stood”). If it shows a lock labeled “Available in test mode,” access has not been granted yet: the LootX team enables it manually, and a subscription does not unlock it.
The heatmap draws under candles and works on any timeframe: column width adjusts to the zoom, from 1 second to 1 day. The current step is shown in the quick panel tooltip — “Heatmap column step: … (adjusts to zoom).” While the footprint cluster grid is visible on the chart, the heatmap is hidden.
Color and scale
The more volume stood at a price, the closer the cell color is to the top of the palette. Three things control the color:
- Scale top — the volume at which the color is at maximum. By default, Auto scale: picks it from the first reliable measurement; the scale is remeasured when the coin changes.
- Lower threshold — volume below which a cell is not drawn at all.
- Range, low: and Range, high: — which part of the palette to use: everything below the lower bound is transparent, everything above the upper bound is the most saturated color.
The scale top can be set manually three ways: type a number in the “max” field on the quick panel, hold J and scroll over the chart, or fill in Scale maximum: in settings. Any of these disables auto scale; ↺ on the quick panel brings it back. Thresholds are remembered per coin.
Quick panel
Together with the heatmap, a quick settings panel appears on the chart — you can drag it by its handle. It contains:
- the Intensity range slider;
- fields for the lower threshold and the scale top — numbers can be written with K, M, or B;
- a unit toggle — dollars or lots;
- Live book on the right — extends the last column to the right edge and shows the current order-book profile;
- Reset range, Heatmap settings, and a hide button.
A hidden panel is brought back by the Quick settings panel: setting.
Settings
The indicator settings window is split into General, View, and Interaction tabs.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Resolution: | “SD — larger” or “HD — more precise” — cell size |
| Column compression: | “Maximum” or “Average” — how measurements that fall into one column are combined |
| Palette: | 12 palettes: Viridis, Magma, Inferno, Plasma, Turbo, Cividis, Ocean, Fire, Monochrome, Spectrum, Forest, Violet |
| Opacity:, Gamma: | How much the underlay covers the background and how fast brightness grows |
| Show threshold: | Lower volume threshold |
| Extend last: | Extend the last column to the right — “To edge” or by Extend bars: |
| Profile: | Liquidity profile of the last column at the right edge. Next to it — outline, width, and scale of the profile |
| Values in cells: | Volume as numbers in cells, Compact: — shorter. Units: — “As in terminal,” “Dollars,” or “Coin” |
| Magnifier at cursor: | Cell values around the cursor, Magnifier grid: — 3×3, 5×5, or 7×7 |
Where it works
LootX’s server stores order-book history, and which coins it covers is decided on the server side — there is no fixed list. The heatmap also works on a logarithmic price scale.
Liquidity map
How to open it
Add the Liquidity map panel — in the panel list it is labeled “Order-book heatmap over time.” How to add panels is described on the Workspace page. You can drag a coin onto the map from any coin list. The map is a paid-plan module: without it, the panel shows “Feature available on the paid plan.”
The map is built from the order book the terminal receives from the exchange. Each column is a time segment, and a cell’s brightness is the largest volume that stood at that price during the column. To the right of the last column, the current order book is visible.
History
History accumulates while the panel is open. When you change the coin, it starts over, and it is not restored after the terminal restarts.
To look at the past, click the calendar button in the panel header — “Order-book history: choose date and time.” This is the same recording picker as in the order book; see Market recording and replay.
The default column length is 1 second. Presets change it from “Tick” and 0.1 s to 15 s, or keys , (“Shorter column”) and . (“Longer column”).
Navigation
- Dragging the field moves the map along both axes; dragging the price or time scale stretches that axis.
- Ctrl + wheel — zoom vertically, Alt + wheel — zoom on both axes, Shift + wheel — scroll.
- What the wheel does without keys is set by the What the wheel does setting — “Zoom,” “Scroll,” or “Both axes.”
- Double-click on the field and the N key (“To live edge”) return you to the current moment.
- Holding Alt opens the magnifier. Its key is changed by the Magnifier setting: “Off,” Alt, Ctrl, Shift, or “Always.”
Color and brightness
Color mode: “By volume” — one scale for both sides, showing where liquidity is greater; “By side” — bids and asks in different colors, showing who is standing. Palettes for “By volume” mode: “From theme,” Ocean, Fire, Monochrome, Spectrum, Forest, Violet.
- Bottom cut makes weak levels visible, Top cut saves the brightest tones for truly large volume. Cuts only change color — no level disappears.
- Full scale — the volume that gets the top color. An empty field makes the scale match the percentile of the visible window, set by Auto percentile: the higher it is, the fewer walls stand out. The scale can also be adjusted with the wheel while holding J.
- Lower percentile cuts off data: cells weaker than the threshold are not drawn. Zero — draw everything.
- Contrast: empty — auto, 1 — linear, higher — sharper at small volumes.
- Large order highlight highlights orders larger than the “Large 1” and “Large 2” thresholds. Empty fields are derived from the brightness scale. The threshold is quickly changed with the wheel while holding B.
At a strong zoom, the volume of the order that stood in each cell appears.
Layers
Layers are enabled in the “What to show on top of the map” group.
| Layer | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Heat field | The liquidity map itself |
| Best price lines | The trail of bid and ask over time |
| Execution bubbles | Each trade as a circle by price and time. Size calculation — by volume or delta, Fill — “Circle” (shares of buys and sells) or “Dominant side,” Minimum print — $5,000 by default, smaller ones are not drawn |
| Icebergs | Levels where hidden volume was replenished |
| Stop-runs | Price spikes with a return |
| Volume profile | Horizontal bars at the right edge |
| CVD subpanel, Volume histogram | Cumulative delta and volume by columns at the bottom |
| Market structure panel | Top strip: market mode (Calm, Normal, Active, Storm), near and far liquidity, balance at the spread. Hidden by default |
| Grid, Live edge | Price and time lines; the edge after which the live book begins |
| Free scroll | Allows pulling the field to the right of the live edge — to mark levels the price has not reached yet |
The right depth column shows “Sum,” “Largest,” “Both,” or is hidden. With Cumulative depth, a row’s bar is the sum of all rows from the best price on its side to that row: how much money lies between the market and that price.
Map keys
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| N | To live edge |
| , / . | Shorter / longer column |
| B + wheel | Large order threshold |
| U + wheel | Bubble radius |
| Y + wheel | Bubble filter |
| J + wheel | Full fill scale |
| T | Heatmap on/off |
| M | Instruments on/off |
| Alt | Magnifier |
Shift together with B, U, or Y returns the factory value. A key acts on the map under the cursor. They can be reassigned on the Keys tab of the map settings window; J and Alt are reserved and cannot be reassigned. Order-book keys also work over the map — for its own order book: orders, position, and volume are shared between the map and the order book.
Map settings
The gear in the header opens the Map settings window with tabs Heat map, Layers, Depth and profile, Detectors, and Keys. The Save as default button applies the settings and stores them as defaults for new maps. Next to the gear is Quick settings: things you adjust while looking at the map.
You can draw on the map — the same tools as on the chart, see Drawing on the chart.