Navigational Tools

Center Tool

The Center tool specifies a point on a model as the center of the current view. It also changes the target point used for some of the navigation tools. With the Center tool, you can define the center of the current view of a model. To define the center, you drag the cursor over your model. A sphere is displayed in addition to the cursor. The sphere indicates that the point below the cursor in the model will be the center of the current view when you release the mouse button, the model is centered on the sphere.

If a center point on a model cannot be identified, then a prohibited icon (a circle with a diagonal line) is displayed instead of the sphere.

The point defined by the Center tool provides a focal point for the Zoom tool and a pivot point for the Orbit tool.

Forward Tool

The Forward tool adjusts the distance between the current point of view and the defined pivot point of the model. You use the Forward tool to change the magnification of the model by increasing or decreasing the distance between the current point of view and the pivot point. The distance that you can move forward or backward is limited by the position of the pivot point.

To adjust the distance between the current point of view and the pivot point you use the Drag Distance indicator. The Drag Distance indicator has two marks on it that show the start and destination distances from the current point of view. The current traveled distance is shown by the orange position indicator. Slide the indicator forward or backwards to decrease or increase the distance towards the pivot point.

Look Tool

The Look tool rotates the view horizontally and vertically around a fixed point. With the Look tool, you can rotate the current view vertically and horizontally. When rotating the view, your line of sight rotates about the current eye position, like turning your head. The Look tool can be compared to you standing in a fixed location, and looking up or down while turning your head left or right.

When using the Look tool, you adjust the view of the model by dragging the cursor. As you drag, the cursor changes to the Look cursor and the model rotates around the location of the current view.

Orbit Tool

The Orbit tool rotates the current view around a model based on a fixed pivot point. You use the Orbit tool to change the orientation of a model. The cursor changes to the Orbit cursor. As you drag the cursor, the model rotates around a pivot point while the view remains fixed.

Pan Tool

The Pan tool repositions the current view of the model by panning. When the pan tool is active, the Pan cursor (a four-sided arrow) is displayed. Dragging the pointing device moves the model in the same direction. For example, dragging upward moves the model up while dragging downward moves the model down.

Rewind Tool

The Rewind tool restores the most recent view. You can also move backward or forward through previous views. As you use the navigation tools to reorient the view of a model, the previous view is saved to the navigation history. The navigation history holds a representation of the previous views of the model along with a thumbnail. A separate navigation history is maintained for each window; it is not maintained after the window is closed. Rewind navigation history is view-specific.

With the Rewind tool, you can retrieve previous views from the navigation history. From the navigation history, you can restore a previous view or scroll through all of the saved views.

When you hold down the button on the pointing device over the Rewind tool on the wheel, the Rewind History panel is displayed. You can scroll through the navigation history. To restore one of the previous views in the navigation history, drag the bracket to the left in the Rewind History panel.

When a view change occurs, the previous view is recorded to the navigation history. If the view change is made with a wheel, a thumbnail is automatically generated and added to the Rewind UI. For view changes that are made not using a wheel, a thumbnail is only generated when the system variable CAPTURETHUMBNAILS is set to a value of 2. You can control when thumbnails are generated for view changes in the SteeringWheels Settings dialog box.

Up/Down Tool

The Up/Down tool slides the current view of a model along the Z axis of the model. Unlike the Pan tool, you use the UP/Down tool to adjust the height of the current viewpoint along the model’s Z axis. To adjust the vertical elevation of the current view, you drag up or down. As you drag, the current elevation and the allowed range of motion is displayed on a graphical element called the Vertical Distance indicator.

The Vertical Distance indicator has two marks that show the highest (Top) and lowest (Bottom) elevation the view can have. While changing the elevation with the Vertical Distance indicator, the current elevation is shown by the bright orange indicator, while the previous elevation is shown by the dim orange indicator.

Walk Tool

The Walk tool simulates walking through a model. With the Walk tool, you can navigate through a model as if you were walking through it. Once you start the Walk tool, the Center Circle icon is displayed near the center of the view and the cursor changes to display a series of arrows. To walk through the model, you drag in the direction in which you want to move in.

Zoom Tool

The Zoom tool adjusts the magnification of the current view of a model. You use the Zoom tool to change the zoom magnification of a model. The following mouse click and key combinations are available to control how the Zoom tool behaves:

• If you click the Zoom tool on a wheel, the current view is zoomed in by a factor of 25 percent. If you are using the Full Navigation wheel, incremental zoom must be enabled in the properties dialog box for the SteeringWheels.
• SHIFT+click. If you hold down the SHIFT key before you click the Zoom tool on a wheel, the current view is zoomed out by a factor of 25 percent. Zooming is performed from the current location of the cursor, and not the current pivot point.
• NoteWhen you start the Zoom tool from the Full Navigation wheel, incremental zooming must be enabled in the properties dialog box for the SteeringWheels in order to use CTRL+click and SHIFT+click.
• CTRL+click. If you hold down the CTRL key before you click the Zoom tool on a wheel, the current view is zoomed in by a factor of 25 percent. Zooming is performed from the current pivot point, and not the location of the cursor.
• Click and drag. If you click the Zoom tool and hold down the button on your pointing device, you can adjust the magnification of the model by dragging up and down.
• CTRL+click and drag. When using the Full Navigation wheels or the mini View Object wheel, you can control the target point used by the Zoom tool. By holding down the CTRL key, the Zoom tool uses the location of the previous pivot point defined by the Zoom, Orbit, or Center tool.