Autocad - setting and changing the view

[Big Train James]

Looks like it works fine. Simple enough to upload. The format is quite small, so one would probably be better served to view the video on Youtube I guess. I don't know if there's any way to increase the size here.

When I view the video on Youtube, the image quality leaves something to be desired. I had read that Blueberry Flashback didn't provide the best quality recording for things like cad utilizing vecotr graphics. I might have to look around to see if there is a software that handles cad graphics more successfully.

 

[mickoo]

Works for me, I simply clicked the view in Utube and watched it there.

The clarity is fine, the vocal clear and informative

Learn't a couple of new tricks, the mouse wheel click as pan and shift + mouse wheel click as a tumble command is really good and will cut my view manipulation time easily by 50-75%.

I don't get the green dot to mark the middle of the rotation when manipulating the view though .....I want the green dot

MD

 

[David Varley]

I don't get the green dot to mark the middle of the rotation when manipulating the view though .....I want the green dot

MD

CAD version of the Black Spot?

 

[Big Train James]

Hmmm, I did a bunch of searching but haven't been able to resolve the mystery of the missing green dot. I kind of got the impression that it couldn't be turned on or off. But who knows for sure. There are about a billion unseen variables that you can set in Autocad, so it might be in there somewhere.

I did however learn something usefull while searching regarding the pivot point (the green dot) when performing a 3d orbit. I'll do a quick follow up video to demonstrate.

Jim

 

[Big Train James]

This is a quick video discussing the location of the 3d orbit pivot point, where it defaults to, and how to change it.

 

[mickoo]

James,

For some odd reason my rotate object is not a full 360° anymore, If I click on the cube and hold down the mouse key I can roll the object through all axis, yet if I hold shift and centre mouse wheel it will only rotate in the top half or bottom half of the object.

For example if I look down onto something and then roll it it over it will go as far as the base but not all the way back to the top in the same motion, to get back to the top I have to roll in the same axis but backwards.

Now I don't think it used to do this so somewhere I've changed something, in addition the cross hairs change to a little square with two right angle lines in which leads me to believe it's locking it to some sort of restriction.

Edit.

Ok it seems to be some sort of constrained orbit, I can do 360° on the Z axis 180° on the X axis and nothing on the Y axis.

The command 3DFORBIT works but puts a big green halo around it which I never had before, I just want it to replicate clicking the middle of the view cube.

Any ideas?

MD

 

[Big Train James]

Mine behaves the same way, with respect to rolling from top to bottom. Side to side, I can still roll all the way around continuously. I've never given it much thought. I have noticed on occasion that I can not roll all the way around something but never connected that it was constrained moving up or down. I just instinctively roll sideways around and then up and down as required. All muscle memory at this point.

There is a function called "3dforbit" or 3d Free Orbit, which will allow unconstrained continuous rolling from top to bottom. But it's not as fluid as the normal "shift+middle buttton" function. It could be programmed to a mouse button command like "shift+control+middle button" or similar, which should allow it to be used transparently while in the middle of another command. It wouldn't be real time as it is now. But it should be possible.

They may be a variable which can be changed to allow full orbit up and down, but I don't know what that is if it exists. I haven't dug too deep yet though.

Jim

 

[Big Train James]

So far what I read suggests that the real-time "shift+middle button" roll is constrained to 180° vertically under normal circumstances. A full 360° vertical roll can be achieved with the "3dforbit" command, and also by using the Navigation Wheel. The navigation wheel can be found on the navigation toolbar, and can be used transparently from the toolbar in the middle of another command. It can also be turned on with the command "Navswheel" but it won't function transparently unless you program it to a mouse button.

Frankly, I feel it's simply faster to use the regular "shift+middle button" and roll left or right and then over, rather than summoning either of the other two methods. Your mileage (kilometerage?) may vary. That's all I've got at the moment.

Jim

 

[mickoo]

kilometres wash your mouth with soap and water

Thanks for the conformation yours does the same as it means it's nothing I've done. It's just a little annoying if you want to roll say 200° to see an inside surface, rather than having to pan round the Z axis to see it.

I'm used to full 3D orbit (tumble) in 3DSM as a default that's all and it's a few weeks since I did any 3D stuff; so couldn't quite remember if it was like this before. I'm suspecting not as it took all of two minutes to loose my temper with it this evening and I'd of remembered that last time But then I cannot find all alternative function so suppose it must have been.

MD

 

[Big Train James]

Just realized I didn't address the cursor issue. Is it still a problem? Does it switch when you orbit, or is it the little square all the time? Can you post a screen grab.
Jim

 

[mickoo]

James,

It's still the same and I cannot take a screen shot, it's there on the screen but in the editing program is just missing, how bizarre. It's the same icon as if you type 3dorbit. sort of a small outline box with a two over laid lines at 90° on top.

Actually, if I type 3dorbit and use the left mouse key i have full rotation in all axis centred on the cursor at the start of the click, and I get the little green ball in the middle of the rotational axis

Which is exactly what I want and very similar to 3DSMax, all I have to do now is work out how to hot key that command and not have to type 3dorbit every time, though it does self fill that text after the 2nd or third letter, but it's still a pain.

It also appears that my constrained and free orbits are back to front, if I select free it's clearly not and everything rotates around a world axis point off scene (unless I zoom really far back) rather than the object. Yet in constrained it'll rotate around the object or mouse click point.

My shift + mouse wheel click is assigned to transparent orbit and that orbit function seems to be locked and not changeable like 3dorbit is (right click).

MD

 

[Big Train James]

This is what I get when I'm in orbit mode, one way or another. It goes away as soon as I exit the orbit function. Perfectly normal, I believe.