The ViewCube tool is a persistent, clickable and draggable interface that you use to switch between standard and isometric views of your model.
When you display the ViewCube, it appears in one of the corners of the window over the model in an inactive state. The ViewCube provides visual feedback about the current viewpoint of the model as views change.
Active and Inactive States
The ViewCube tool has active and inactive states. When inactive, the ViewCube is partially transparent by default, and you can see the model below it. When active, it is opaque and may obscure the view of the objects in the current view.
The Compass
The compass, below the ViewCube, indicates which direction is defined as North in the model. Clicking a cardinal direction letter rotates the model. Dragging one of the cardinal direction letters or the compass ring to interactively rotates the model around the pivot point.
ViewCube menu
Use the ViewCube menu to restore and define the Home view of a model and to switch between perspective and orthographic modes.
Predefined Viewpoints
- The 26 defined areas are categorized into three groups: corner, edge, and face.
- Six of the areas represent standard orthogonal views of a model: top, bottom, front, back, left, and right.
- The remaining 20 areas let you access angled views of the model. Clicking a corner reorients the model to a three-quarter view, based on a viewpoint defined by three sides of the model. Clicking an edge reorients the model to a half view, based on two sides of the model.
Custom Viewpoints
You can also click and drag to reorient the model to a viewpoint other than one of the 26 predefined ones. As you drag, the pointer changes to give feedback that you are reorienting the current view. You can set the ViewCube to snap to preset orientations when you drag it close to one of them.
The outline of the ViewCube changes according to the type of orientation. When a view is oriented to one of the 26 predefined orientations, the ViewCube is outlined in a solid continuous outline. A dashed outline means that the view is not constrained to one of the 26 predefined orientations
Left: Predefined orientation. Right: Free-form orientation