Tools to Use: Viewing

on this page: the hand icon | choose a viewer | free or construction views | viewing buttons | finding the palette and toolbar

View with the Hand Icon
Choose the hand icon found on the viewing toolbar to move your view of the scene:

Choose the arrow icon to manipulate and edit objects:

Hold down Alt to temporarily switch from the arrow icon to the hand icon. Esc toggles between the two modes.

Choose a Viewer
Use the Examiner Viewer to rotate a scene. Use the Walk Viewer to navigate through a scene or pan side to side. Choose View > Examiner Viewer, or View > Walk Viewer. Access a menu from either viewer by holding the right mouse button over the viewing area.

Free or Construction Views
Construction views use the Plane Viewer with predefined, orthographic (2D) views that limit object manipulation to a single plane. For example, Top View lets you move objects only parallel to the top plane of the scene. Choose View > Set Working View > Front, Back, Left, etc. Or choose an icon from the Viewing palette:


Use construction views for precise alignment and inspection of objects.

A free view is an unconstrained perspective projection, or 3D view. From a construction view, return to the last perspective view used by pressing the Free View button found on the Viewing palette:


You can change from a perspective view to an orthogonal view without the limitations of the plane viewer by pressing this button found on the Viewing toolbar:
Other Viewing Buttons
View All moves the camera to include all objects in scene (use in Free or Construction views).


Set Home View sets the viewer's new home position.


View Home returns you to your home view.


Seek to View brings the camera closer to an object you click on. Click again before the movement stops to seek toward a different object or point. You can set the amount of time it takes to seek to an object and the distance travelled by using the Preferences panel. Choose Viewer Menu > Preferences.
Finding the Viewing Palette and Toolbar
To open the Viewing Palette, choose Palettes > Viewing:
The Viewing toolbar is found on the right side of the main window:

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