View Tools

The View Tools are a set of five tools common to all Modeling Workspaces. They are located on the primary tool palette, either by themselves or under the primary tools for the current workspace.

Text Mode

Image Mode

Under the workspace primary tools

Move: Moves the view side to side and up & down.
Zoom: Moves the view in & out, closer or farther away.
Rotates: Rotates the view in an arcball manner ( all axis )
Bank: Spins the view clockwise or counterclockwise.
Light: Controls movement of the light that illuminates the modeling window.

The View Tools work in Camera Space, that is when they are used they do not move the object, they move the camera that the object is being view through. So they do not effect any positioning or rotation of the objects placement in Composer.

Before Rotate Tool

After Rotate Tool

Composer View

To constrain movement using the Move and Rotate tool, hold the Shift key, before clicking to use the tool. Movement will be constrained to Y or X axis, according to the first initial direction the pointer is move to.

The modeling window light is independent from the viewing camera and the object. Where ever it is positioned it will stay no matter how the view is moved. So if the light is set to front and the view is front, the light will shine on the front side of the object facing the camera. If the view is switched or rotated to the side, the light still shines on the side of the object facing the camera.

Front view, Light set to front

Right view, Light set to front

Keyboard Shortcuts ( for PC )
Move: Spacebar
Constrain Move: Shift, Spacebar
Zoom: Ctrl, Spacebar
Rotate: Ctrl
Constrain Rotate: Shift, Ctrl

When the Rotate or Bank tools are used the modeling window changes to a custom view. Custom view are discarded when any other view is selected, so the user has to manually try to recreate any custom view they had previously created.




This interface tutorial is written and provided by : Stephen Ray