Maybe I'm working in too many different 3D applications, but I could have sworn I used to be able to hold down the mouse wheel and rotate around the center of the environment. It rotates around the camera selected and I'd prefer to rotate around the center of the environment.
Using SolidWorks CAD as the navigation mode in Options.
You know the answer.... Yes, you are Crazy Mark....
And what are you doing using a Mouse for navigation? I know you've said you're not much of a CADD Guy but a few service packs ago Visualize added full support for 3DConnexion Space Mice. It works Wonderful ! Now that you have your new GPU's you should look into a 3D Mouse. I've been using them for about 35 years (CADD and many other 3D programs) and I won't work without one. It will speed up your workflow like you won't believe. In a very short time it becomes second nature to manipulate your scene, move parts, etc...
Not harping on you at all, just a suggestion because I know how much they increase your speed while working in Visualize or any other 3D application. I swear by them and encourage everyone I know who isn't using one to get one. I remember you use Blender too and Blender (and many other programs) can use the 3DConnexion Space mouse too.
Side Note: In the far distant past they used to be called SpaceBalls in the AeroSpace industry. I used them with several different UNIX Workstations. H.P. 9000's, Silicon Graphics Indigo, SUN SPARCStations, IBM IntelliStations, and maybe even on an old DEC VAX. The first SpaceBalls were developed to control the Articulating Arm (by Astronauts) on the NASA Space Shuttles.
Here is a vintage one from about 30 years ago that I used a LOT while at McDonnel Douglas & Boeing. Yes, they actually had a Ball to control the Six degrees of freedom (6DoF) and they were used in Space by NASA so the name SpaceBall fit very nicely. These were pre-USB so they used an old serial cable interface.
Here's another Vintage ball. Probably one of the very first, if not the first. Interesting that it was first produced in 1988 only one year AFTER the SpaceBalls Movie. I think this is too much of a coincidence. They had to pick up the name from the just released hit movie. Must be some correlation. Anyway the name fits. The company that made them (Spatial Systems in Australia) licensed them to BIG companies like SGI, HP, etc.... Anyway don't complain about the current prices as this 1988 model carried a MSRP of around $3,500.00. I think the first ones I used around 1982 cost around $1,500.00
Anyway the current Space Mice are made by 3DConnexion which is a sub-company owned by Logitech. It's their professional device brand and very, very solid.
Oh man, now I'm crazy and a bad influence around here!
Yeah, I have the 3Dconnexion Space Mouse on my list of parts and equipment to get. With your good influence, I think I'll bump it up to the top of the list.
That vintage Spaceball is way cool. Back then, did you ever run into Lord Dark Helmet?
All the stuff you mention brings back a lot of memories. Especially the mention of the Sun SPARC because I worked at Cypress Semiconductor at the time. They were the processor manufacturer for Sun. I did a lot of work for Jim Clark the founder of Silicon Graphics too.
Thanks Dave.
Dave Goetsch wrote:
I used this same controller when I started using Pro/Engineer almost 25 years ago . . .
Amazing!
Hey Mark,
Right click in your working space. There should be a ''Rotate around scene''.
I'm guessing that is what you are looking for.
That seems to be a SolidWorks feature and not a Visualize feature Alex.
Oops sorry I tought you were speaking of SolidWorks.
Mark Jackson wrote:
Maybe I'm working in too many different 3D applications, but I could have sworn I used to be able to hold down the mouse wheel and rotate around the center of the environment. It rotates around the camera selected and I'd prefer to rotate around the center of the environment.
Using SolidWorks CAD as the navigation mode in Options.
I'm using SWX 2018 SP2.0.
Holding down the middle mouse button works all right for me. Rotates around the center.
Thankfully I use a 3D mouse and don't have to use the middle button.
Maybe update your mouse driver?
I'm going to get the Space Mouse as Dave has recommended. I do believe it will enhance my workflow in general inside Visualize and the other 3D apps I use.
One thing that I noticed is that when I'm zoomed out, or far away from the model in the viewport, it rotates around the model. When I'm zoomed in very close right on a part on the model it rotates around the camera and not the part. This is annoying to me because I constantly have to pan to keep the part in view while I work on it. A lot of the time pan doesn't actually move and is useless when zoomed in super close so what I have to do is zoom out, move to the angle I want, then zoom back in. Has anyone else experienced this too?
All my drivers are the latest and I use the certified driver for my graphics card. This happens in Win 7 & 10 running Visualize 2018 SP 2. I think it was happening for me in prior versions too.
Mark I'm confused by what you mean... "rotate about the camera". You mean to say, the same mouse/shorcut combos begin pivoting/rotating the camera itself?
Keep in mind, when you dolly a camera in/out, the target point (usually the center of the model) doesn't dolly in/out as well. So as you zoom in (ie DOLLY CLOSER) the camera if effectively closer to the target point. As you get nearly "on top" of the target point, it will seem as though you are merely pivoting the camera ("looking around"), when in fact you are still rotating the camera about it's target point.
Thanks Ron, I understand what you have said and it makes total sense. It pivots around the camera's target point. I've done some more testing and I can absolutely say the camera's target point changes as I've zoomed in and out several times.
Is this something I don't quite understand in Visualize? Is there a way to set the camera's target point? With a new project, it starts out set to the center of the environment, but as I've said, it changes, and some times quite a lot, after I've zoomed in an out several times.
If you are set to use SOLIDWORKS CAD navigation mode, where the mouse wheel controls the dolly/zoom in/out... then the target point does indeed change. It moves so that the action of zooming in, always treats the mouse cursor position (actually the geometry directly under the mouse) as the center. So you can quickly zoom in and out on specific areas of a model WITHOUT having to change the target point. Note a zoom-to-fit (F key) will re-center it. This "zoom under mouse" as it's called, is a carry over from SOLIDWORKS cad.
I'm using SolidWorks CAD navigation mode. I think I get it now. The camera target is in relation to the environment floor as the point of reference. If you move to a directly overhead birds-eye view it makes total sense. If you are looking at the model at an angle, it seems to see though the model to the floor and that is the camera target point. That makes it seem like the pivot point is way off of what you want. Correct?
No that's not correct. My camera target point is 10 ft away from the model in the environment and I don't understand how I got it that way.
Sorry Ron, it just that stuff like this gets to me and makes me feel really stupid at times. I guess I'm either very anal or have a bit of autism going on. I can get stuck on trying to understand something perfectly and or making it work exactly as I want it to work. I'm getting my work done in Visualize and that's the most important thing. We can all just drop this one now. Sorry to be a such a pain in the arse!
Hi Mark,
You're crazy LOL.
OK. We can drop it But since I was typing this up, I'll post it anyhow in case it helps you or others any further...
If you didn't lock your camera, and you manipulated it an any number of different ways, the target point can change. CTRL-ALT-MMB will look around...directly moving the target point; while keeping the camera in the same position. CTRL-SHIFT-LMB will snap the target to the part under the mouse...etc.etc.
Maybe we define "target" as something different.
In Preveiw mode, you can look through another camera, select the one of interest, and then turn on the move/rotate tool. This will show you the camera position and target (as i define them). Note you can click the square block at either end (poisition or taget) to manipulate them.
Mark Jackson wrote:
You know what they say about denial! Couple that with this photo and the old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" and .... Well, let's just say "You're nuts!"
Mark Jackson wrote:
You know the answer.... Yes, you are Crazy Mark....