Rotating the 3D View

To rotate the 3D view, either use the Rotate View tool, or specify rotation values with the Rotate 3D View command.

Rotating with the Mouse

The Rotate View tool rotates the view clockwise or counter-clockwise in 3D.

To control the movements of the Rotate View tool, drag the mouse or click one of the mode buttons. The first three Tool bar buttons set the center of rotation. The last two modes perform precise, incremental rotation movements in the direction specified.

 

To rotate the 3D view:

1.	Click the Rotate View tool from the Visualization tool set.

2.	Select the mode from the Tool bar.

Mode	Description
Rotate Around Object Center	Uses the center of selected objects as the rotation center
Rotate Around Ground Plane Center	Uses the center of the ground plane as the rotation center
Rotate Around Working Plane Center	Uses the origin of the current working plane as the rotation center

3.	To rotate the view, click on the drawing and drag while holding the mouse button. Move the cursor to rotate the view in the direction of the mouse movement. Release the mouse to stop the rotation. Alternatively, use the two Tool bar buttons.

Mode	Mouse Movement/Key	Description
	Move left or right	Rotates about the screen Y axis (or the screen Z axis if the mouse is at the perimeter of the drawing)
	Move up or down	Rotates about the screen Y axis (or the screen Z axis if the mouse is at the perimeter of the drawing)
Rotate Clockwise		Each click rotates the view in a clockwise direction about the selected center of rotation
Rotate Counter-Clockwise		Each click rotates the view in a counter-clockwise direction about the selected center of rotation
	Ctrl key (Windows) or Command key (Macintosh)	Draws selected objects in full detail, and hides deselected objects (so that the redraws are faster)

When the Rotate View tool is in use, the Data bar displays the following information to help orient the view.

Data Bar	Description
Azimuth	Displays the ground plane angle (in degrees) between the positive X axis and the direction from the selected center of rotation to the viewer
Elevation	Displays the angle (in degrees) between the selected center of rotation and the plane which is parallel to the ground plane and passes through the view origin
Roll	Displays (in degrees) the amount of rotation about the selected rotation center

Rotating Precisely

The Rotate 3D View command provides a precise way to rotate the 3D view. Enter rotation values directly, or rotate the view in increments. A preview displays the rotation movements before the actual view is rotated.

To rotate the 3D view:

1.	Select View > Rotate 3D View.

The Rotate 3D View dialog box opens.

 

Parameter	Description
Parameters are absolute	Starts the view rotation from a top (absolute) view
Parameters are relative	Starts the view rotation from the current view
Interactive Rotation
+, - X/Y/Z buttons	The plus and minus buttons for each axis rotate the view by the increment specified
Angle Increment	Specifies the rotation increment (in degrees) for the interactive rotation buttons
Rotation by Value
Rotation on X/Y/Z	Specifies the rotation value (in degrees, minutes, and seconds) for the X, Y, and/or Z axes

2.	Specify the rotation criteria, and then click OK to rotate the 3D view as specified.