Point of Interest
The point of interest is a manipulator placed on geometry when using the Shift
+ Alt
method of viewing. It is used for:
- Setting the focus (center) of the tumbling action.
- Setting the focus (center) of the zoom action.
- Viewing in the normal or UV directions of the geometry at that point.
Re-position the POI by doing the following:
- Hold the
Shift
+Alt
keys. - Click-release on a geometry item to place the POI.
- Optionally drag the center circle to reposition along the geometry.
- Optionally then hold
Shift
+Alt
again and click-drag with one of the mouse buttons to modify the view.
As you become skilled in the viewing actions, using click-release followed by click-drag will become a smooth interaction when you want to reposition the POI for your next tumble or zoom.
Default POI interaction
The interaction of the point of interest is affected by settings in General Preferences > Navigation, and by selections in the ViewCube NavBar - More Settings menu.
The default launch settings are shown below. These create a common POI for tumble and zoom, which is visible on the geometry.
Alternative POI interaction modes
Changing the settings in the General Preferences will give a different 'feel' to the view manipulation, so experiment to find your preferred mode.
Point of interest : Dynamic
An alternative way of working with tumble and zoom is to set the point of interest mode to Dynamic in the General Preferences.
This interaction requires fewer clicks as the POI is set within the same action as using the Shift
+ Alt
for viewing - as long as the cursor is on geometry when engaged. The POI will remain in it's last position if Shift
+ Alt
is used without clicking on a geometry item.
The point of interest manipulator is not displayed with the Dynamic mode, so there is less visual feedback.
Point of interest : None
Selecting None as the point of interest mode in the General Preferences results in different centers for tumble and zoom:
- tumble focus will be around the origin of the scene.
- zoom focus is the mouse position (regardless of whether the Dolly to Zoom setting is selected).
This may be a less useful interaction because of the different focus when zooming or tumbling.
Dolly to Mouse
If Dolly to Mouse is on, and Dolly to Point is off (in General Preferences), there is a different center for tumble and zoom:
- tumble will be centered on the POI.
- zoom will be centered on the mouse position, not the POI.
POI Manipulator and Axes
By default the POI manipulator is displayed as a small circle with NUV direction arrows.
POI Position Circle
To postion the POI, hold Shift
+ Alt
and click-release on the geometry with the left or right mouse button.
The Preferences > Selection Options settings will be respected, so if Select by Surface Interior is enabled, then either the wireframe or the surface interior can be clicked on to place the POI.
The POI can be moved across the geometry by dragging the circle at the center of the manipulator.
The color of the circle will be blue or yellow, depending on the Geometric Normal of the surface and the viewpoint.
POI Direction Arrows
Clicking on one of the arrowheads will turn the view so that it looks in that direction:
Look down the normal at the point of interest location - click the light blue (or yellow) arrow on the manipulator.
Look down the U or V tangent at the point of interest - click the red (U) or green (V) arrows on the manipulator.
Some users find that they accidentally click on the arrows on the POI manipulator and change their view inadvertantly. In this case you can turn off the arrows using the ViewCube NavBar - More Settings menu.
Point of Interest settings
ViewCube - More Settings menu
Show Axes on Point of Interest - When selected, a check mark appears. The point of interest is displayed as a small yellow dot without the axes displayed. This can be useful if you don't want to have the view change when you accidentally click on an axis arrow, or you want the scene to look less cluttered.
Lock Point of Interest - When selected, a check mark appears. The current point of interest is now locked. You cannot change the point of interest by dragging the manipulator or clicking geometry, until you turn off the Locked option by selecting it again.
General Preferences settings
Point of Interest
- None - There is no point of interest. Camera movements are centered around the origin of the scene.
- Dynamic - The POI is invisible and is placed with every
Shift
+Alt
+ left- or right-click on an object. - Persistent - The POI is visible and is placed with every
Shift
+Alt
+ click on an object. When this option is selected, the Show Point of Interest Jack and Dolly to Point options become available.
Show Point of Interest Jack - When this option is not selected, the POI displays only when first placed. It does not display on subsequent tumbling.
Dolly to Mouse - Check on to set the dolly-in or dolly-out point to be the mouse cursor. If not checked, the dolly-in or dolly-out point is at the center of window. If Dolly to Point is also checked, Dolly to Point takes precedence—the point of interest will be the dolly focus if it is visible in the active window.
Dolly to Point - Check on to set the dolly-in or dolly-out point to be the point of interest on screen. If checked off, the dolly point will be the mouse cursor if Dolly to Mouse is checked, or the origin if neither Dolly To Point nor Dolly To Mouse is checked.
Valid geometry for POI positioning
The following types of geometry can be used when repositioning the point of interest:
- NURBS curves and surface.
- Subdivision models
- Meshes and the symmetric side of a mesh.
- Shells and the symmetric side of a shell (in layers with symmetry).
- Shaded meshes when the model wireframe is turned off.
What if I can’t see or change the point of interest?
If the POI is simply off the screen, selecting a preset view on the ViewCube or View Panel will bring it into view.
Otherwise, check if the visibility of the POI has been turned off:
The POI axes may have been turned off in the ViewCube - More Settings menu, making it harder to see.
POI may have been set to None in the General Preferences. To enable the point of interest use Preferences > General Preferences.