4. 3D Visualization Controls

4.1. Camera Controls

The following mouse actions and keyboard shortcuts control the camera in the 3D viewport:

Image	Action	Description
	Rotate	Click and hold the left mouse button to rotate the model
	Scroll	Use the mouse wheel to zoom in or out
	Pan	Press and hold the mouse wheel while moving the model
	Change Center of Rotation	Hold Ctrl and click a point on the model to set it as the new centre of rotation
	Zoom on a Specific Part	Hold Shift and click and drag with the mouse wheel button to draw a zoom rectangle on the model
	Select	Right-click on an element or node to select it
	Multi-selection	Hold Shift and right-click. A green rectangle will appear as you move the mouse; all elements within the rectangle will be selected
	Deselect Individual Item	Hold Ctrl and right-click on an item to deselect it
	Autofit	Press F to autofit the model in the viewport
	Toggle Axis 2D	Press A to toggle vertical and horizontal reference guides in the 3D window
	Toggle Bounding Box	Press B to toggle the model bounding box
	Toggle Camera Info	Press C to display camera parameters in the viewport
	Clear Selection	Press Esc to clear the current selection
	Toggle Free Edges	Press E to toggle free edges visibility
	Show All Elements	Press I to show all elements

All these mouse controls and keyboard shortcuts can be customized to suit your preferences. For more information on how to modify them, see Sections 2.1.5.2 Keyboard Shortcuts and 2.1.5.3 Mouse Controls

4.2. Visualization Toolbar

The Visualization Toolbar provides controls for the view projection, mesh display, coordinate axes, and predefined viewpoints.

4.2.1. Autofit

Clicking Autofit centers the model in the window.

4.2.2. Center Element/Plane

Clicking Center Element/Plane centers and orients the camera based on the active selection.

Activation conditions:

• Elements: exactly one 2D element selected

• Nodes: exactly three nodes selected

Behavior:

• 1 2D element: the camera centres on the element’s centroid and orients perpendicular to the face normal, looking outward

• 3 nodes: the camera centres on the triangle’s centroid, orients perpendicular to the plane defined by the three nodes, and adjusts the distance accordingly

4.2.3. Projection Mode

You can choose between two different view types:

Orthogonal View

Conical View

4.2.4. Mesh Mode

The mesh can be displayed in five rendering modes:

Opaque: The default setting.

Opaque Wireframe

Transparent

Transparent Wireframe

Opaque Feature Edges

4.2.5. Get Free Edges

This function identifies and displays the free edges of the model, highlighting areas where there are no adjacent elements.

4.2.6. Show/Hide Axis

Clicking the icon hides the coordinate axes; the icon changes to show a crossed-out eye. Click again to restore the axes.

4.2.7. Show Camera Info

Clicking Show Camera Info displays the camera parameters in the viewport. You can move the Camera Info box to any location within the window.

4.2.8. Predefined View

Select a predefined viewpoint to orient the camera along one of the principal planes of the coordinate system:

X, Y

X, Z

Y, X

Y, Z

Z, X

Z, Y

X, Y, Z

Orientation Cube

In addition to the toolbar buttons, an Orientation Cube is displayed in the lower-left corner of the viewport, next to the global coordinate system. This cube provides a quick and intuitive way to orient the model by clicking directly on its faces, edges, or vertices:

• Clicking a face orients the model to the corresponding standard view (front, back, top, bottom, left, right).

• Clicking an edge orients the model to a view aligned with the two adjacent faces.

• Clicking a vertex orients the model to an isometric view from that corner.

Two visual styles are available for the cube:

• Flat cube — the default style.

• Rubik cube — an alternative style matching the NaxToView corporate design.

The cube style can be changed in Tools → Options.

4.2.9. Save View

This option saves the current camera configuration as a new view in the Session Tree. The new view appears alongside existing views and can be restored at any time.

For details, see 7. Session Tree.