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View 3D Navigation video
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3D navigation maybe the single most important aspect of a 3D content creation application. The 3D viewport is your window to the virtual world in which you may spend countless hours each day. Having a comfortable and efficient navigation system for this viewport is critical. If you are new to 3D or have a really open mind, you can simply use the modo default navigation style which we are quite fond of. However, if you have worked with other 3D applications you may have an established workflow for navigating a 3D view. In that case we can also show you how to remap your input for 3D navigation and even keyboard shortcuts. modo is all about helping you to work in the way that makes you the most effective.
For the rest of this section we will assume you are working with the modo default 3D navigation. There are three viewports that are relevant to this topic: 3D viewport, UV viewport and the Preview window. While the UV view is technically not "3D" it does share some common navigation controls with the other two. Additionally, navigation of the 3D view when set to "Camera" or "Light" has some differences and extra settings that we will discuss.
Navigation
The 3D viewport has several different "projection" modes including orthographic (top, front, side) and perspective (Camera, Light, Perspective). The basic navigation in these views is identical.
Alt-LMB = Rotate (in UV and Orthogonal views there is no rotation so Alt-LMB will Pan the view)
Shift-Alt-LMB = Pan
Ctrl-Alt-LMB = Zoom
There are also Pan, Rotate and Zoom icons in the top right hand corner of each 3D viewport for direct view manipulation.
When using a viewport set to Camera or Light the "Zoom" control (Ctrl-Alt-LMB) will actually move the item forward or backwards. To perform a traditional Zoom in the Camera view you can use Ctrl-Alt-RMB. This will leave the Camera in place and adjust the Focal Length. The Preview viewport allows you to perform Camera view navigation directly within the view. This viewport adheres to the same controls as the 3D viewport set to Camera.
More about the Camera and Light view
When you use the Alt-LMB combination to navigate the viewport you are effectively "orbiting" the viewport around whatever item or element happens to be at the center of the orbit point. This orbit point is typically set automatically as you move or rotate the view. There are also commands that assist with viewport navigation such as Viewport Go to Viewport ("G" key) which will move the center of the viewport to match the mouse cursor location. Commands like this one will also reset the orbit center. If you are in the Camera view you may want to reset the orbit center without moving the view center or editing the view in any way as the Camera view represents your "shot". To reset the orbit center for the Camera you can hover your mouse over the desired element and press Ctrl-T. Now when you Alt-LMB rotate the view the center of the orbit has been set.
While orbit style navigation works quite well when you are focused on a specific item or element, often you may want traditional "first person" rotation of the camera while looking through it. To accomplish this use Alt-RMB and the Camera will be rotated on its axes accordingly.
Keyboard Shortcut :
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Menu Path :
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