ViewCube

The ViewCube^® 3D navigation control provides visual feedback of the current orientation of a viewport, lets you adjust the view orientation, and also switch between standard and isometric views.

Once the ViewCube is displayed, it appears by default in the upper-right corner of the active viewport, superimposed over the scene in an inactive state. It does not appear in camera, light, or shape viewports, or in other types of views such as ActiveShade or Schematic. While the ViewCube is inactive, its primary function is to show the orientation of the scene based on the North direction of the model.

When you position the cursor over the ViewCube, it becomes active. Using the left mouse button, you can switch to one of the available preset views, rotate the current view, or change to the Home view of the model. Right-clicking opens a context menu with additional options.

NoteIf you are using the software display driver, the ViewCube doesn’t appear.

Control the Appearance of the ViewCube

The ViewCube is displayed in one of two states: inactive and active. When the ViewCube is inactive, it appears transparent over the viewport by default so as not to completely obscure the view of the model. When the ViewCube is active, it is opaque and might obscure the view of objects in the scene.

You can control the opacity level of the ViewCube when it is inactive as well as its size, the viewports it appears in, and the display of the compass. These settings are located on the ViewCube panel of the Viewport Configuration dialog.

Using the Compass

The ViewCube compass indicates the North direction for the scene. You can toggle the compass display below the ViewCube and specify its orientation with the Compass settings.

Procedures

To display or hide the ViewCube:

Do one of the following:
- Press the default keyboard shortcut: Alt+Ctrl+V.
- Open the Viewport Configuration dialog to the ViewCube panel and toggle the Show The ViewCube check box.
- Click or right-click the General (+) viewport label menu and choose ViewCube Show The ViewCube.

To control the size and inactive opacity of the ViewCube:

Open the Viewport Configuration dialog to the ViewCube panel.
In the Display Options group, click the ViewCube Size drop-down list and choose a size. The choices are Large, Normal, Small, and Tiny.
Also in the Display Options group, click the Inactive Opacity drop-down list and choose an opacity value. The choices range from 0% (invisible when inactive) to 100% (always fully opaque).
Click OK.

To display the compass for the ViewCube

Open the Viewport Configuration dialog to the ViewCube panel.
In the Compass group, turn on Show Compass Below The ViewCube.
The compass is displayed below the ViewCube and indicates the North direction in the scene.
Click OK.

ViewCube Menu
The ViewCube menu provides options to define the orientation of the ViewCube, switch between orthographic and perspective projection, define the Home and Front views for the model, and control the appearance of the ViewCube.
Change the View of the Scene with the ViewCube
You can change the view of a model by choosing a preset view or dragging the ViewCube, roll the current view 90 degrees, switch to an adjacent face view, define and restore the Front and Home views, and switch between projection modes.

Topics in this section