Navigation Options

DesignSpark Mechanical allows you to customize how you spin, pan, and zoom. You can customize which mouse button/keypress combinations are used as shortcuts for these tools, or you can select a theme to match another CAD application you are familiar with.

Zoom

Select an option in the group to set how turning the mouse wheel zooms the design:

  • In Zoom mode: Turning the mouse wheel only zooms while the Zoom tool on the Orient group on the Design tab is active.

  • In Spin/Pan/Zoom mode: Turning the mouse wheel zooms when any of the Spin, Pan, and Zoom tools are active.

  • Always (hold Ctrl to Query Select): The mouse wheel always zooms in any tool.
Speed: Set the zoom speed.
Spin

Select a spin method in the Spin group:

  • Arcball: Rotates the view using the spot where you start dragging as the rotation axis. Imagine the axis running straight up and down from your mouse position and perpendicular to your current view. Navigation in most 3D CAD systems works like this.

  • Turntable: Rotates the view using the top of your design as the up direction and the location of your mouse as the rotation axis. This is the spin method commonly used in architectural CAD packages.

Show spin center: Select to display the axis about which you are spinning the design.

Rotate about pre-selected object: Select to spin the design around the highlighted edge.

You may want to uncheck this box if you are working with large or complicated designs.
Speed: Set the spin speed.
ClipView

Select your Clip with Volume or ClipView options:

  • Preview color: Select a ClipView preview color to set the preview color of the sphere representing your selected ClipView.

  • Clip selection: Trims the visible and selected surfaces inside a Clip Volume by the Clip Volume boundary. If you select this option, you are working in Clip Selection mode, and you can toggle Clip selection and Zoom to fit from the Misc section of the Properties panel. If you do not select this option, you are working in Clip Interactive mode. In this mode, you cannot modify options from the Misc section of the Properties panel. When you select a face within the boundary, the entire face (unclipped) displays.

  • Zoom to fit: Changes the behavior of the ClipView>Locate function. If this option is selected, then the Clip Volume is moved to the center of the graphics window and is magnified for the user, when Zoom to Fit is chosen. If it is not set, then the Clip Volume is only centered, and not magnified.