Saved Views and Navigation Tools

Vectorworks is a highly powerful piece of 3D software and it is vital that you get the most out of your model, not just in terms of technical drawings but also in three-dimensional visualisations. Here are some of the initial steps to consider when visualising your model:

Perspective:
The perspective is set through View>Perspective. It can be set to narrow, normal and wide. Once set you can edit the viewing space on the screen by pulling the black corner controls around to reveal more of your model. If the perspective of your model is too distorted try changing the layer to a larger scale first.

Set 3D View:
To have more control over the Perspective view the View> Set 3D View tool. We can now decide on the exact position, height and angle of view. Click once to determine the viewing position and again to determine the angle of the view. Consider setting up views at eye-level or from a point of interest such as at entrances or through openings.

Fly-Over Tool:
Use this tool to move through 3D Space by orbiting completely around your model. In the mode bar there are several modes of operation such as 'around ground plane' and 'around selected object'.

Walk-Through Tool :
Located in the Tool Sets Palette in the Visualisation Menu this tool allows you to move through your model forwards, backwards, left and right. Start by clicking in the centre of the page and work from this point outwards. Be careful, the further you move from the center the quicker the movement. It is quite easy to get lost at first!

In the mode bar we also have the controls for moving Up, Down and Looking Up and Looking Down.

Tip : Try using the Alt key with the Walk-Through Tool for a useful shortcut.

Saved Views:
Once you have found a view that you like use the Saved View Command in the Views Menu. Give it a name that you will remember and perhaps save the same view in different types of render. When you want to return to that same view simply select it again from the Saved View Menu. Note that the view will update automatically with any changes that you may have made.