Camera Tools menu

Select View > Camera Tools to select from among the following camera tools.

Tumble Tool

Revolves the camera by varying the azimuth and elevation angles in a perspective view. You can also press Alt + left mouse button. Hold Shift to constrain the camera movement.

Select View > Camera Tools > Tumble Tool > to set theTumble Tool options.

Track Tool

Tracks the camera vertically and horizontally. You can also press Alt + middle mouse button. Hold Shift to constrain the camera movement.

Tip:

You can also press Alt + middle-drag to use the Track tool. Press the Shift key to constrain movement in horizontal or vertical directions.

Select View > Camera Tools > Track Tool > to set the Track Tool options.

Dolly Tool

Moves the camera into the view, or backs the camera out of the view. When you use the Dolly tool, you change the perspective; that is, objects far from the camera change in relative size at a slower rate than objects which are close to the camera. Compare to Zoom (see below).

You can use the Dolly tool in a perspective view or an orthographic view.

You can also press Alt + right mouse button (or Alt + left and middle mouse buttons). Use Ctrl + Alt + left mouse button to drag a marquee around the area you want to dolly in on.

Select View > Camera Tools > Dolly Tool > to set the Dolly Tool options.

Zoom Tool

Changes the focal length on a camera. Zooming in is like using a telephoto lens. Zooming out is like using a wider angle lens. You can use zoom in both a perspective or orthographic view. The Zoom tool does not change perspective like the Dolly tool does; all objects in the frame change size at the same rate. The camera doesn’t move, but the effect is similar.

To move in or out without changing the viewing angle, use Dolly.

Select View > Camera Tools > Zoom Tool > to set the Zoom Tool options.

2D Pan/Zoom Tool

Select this option to choose between the 2D Pan and 2D Zoom tool. Using this tool, you can drag your mouse to interactively move your view horizontally or vertically (pan) or zoom into and out of the scene view (zoom).

Select View > Camera Tools > 2D Pan/Zoom Tool > to set the 2D Pan/Zoom options.

You can perform 2D pan and zoom in two ways. You can select View > Camera Tools > 2D Pan /Zoom Tool to pan and zoom interactively. Alternatively, you can select View > Camera Attribute Editor and set the pan/zoom values using the 2D Pan/Zoom attributes in the Display Options section.

For more information regarding the 2D Pan/Zoom feature, see Panning and zooming in 2D.

Grease Pencil Tool

Opens the Grease Pencil Tool, letting you draw on the scene view using a virtual marker. See also Draw on the scene view with Grease Pencil. Select View > Camera Tools > Grease Pencil Tool > to set the Grease Pencil Tool options.

Roll Tool

Rotates the display around its horizontal axis.

Select View > Camera Tools > Roll Tool > to set the Roll Tool options.

Azimuth Elevation Tool

Revolves the camera about the center of interest in the perspective view.

The angle of a camera’s sight line relative to the ground plane is also referred to as its elevation; the angle of a camera’s sight line relative to a plane perpendicular to the ground plane is also referred to as its azimuth.

Select View > Camera Tools > Azimuth Elevation Tool > to set the Azimuth Elevation Tool options.

Yaw-Pitch Tool

Tilting a camera means rotating the camera up or down; panning a camera means rotating the camera left or right. The scene in the camera’s view moves in the opposite direction.

The angle of rotation up or down is also referred to as pitch; the angle of rotation left or right is also referred to as yaw.

To move the camera up or down or side to side, use the Track tool.

Select View > Camera Tools > Yaw-Pitch Tool > to set the Yaw-Pitch Tool options.

Fly Tool

Lets you navigate your scene as if you were playing a 3D first-person perspective game. The camera flies through your scene without being constrained by any geometry.

Walk Tool

The Walk Tool lets you explore your scene from a first-person perspective. You can create sets and big environments, and then move through your scene using the Walk Tool's game-like navigation controls. See Walk Tool.

When Maya is in walk mode (hotkey: Alt + X), Maya's cursor changes to a multi-directional arrow and a heads-up display message appears at the bottom of the viewport.

Select View > Camera Tools > Walk Tool > to set the Walk Tool options.