Autocad 3d zoom and pan - Graphic Design Courses

Navigation functions like zoom and pan in the 3d Autocad workspace work in much the same fashion as in the 2d drafting interface, and are essential to a fast and efficient use of the program. We show you how in our Autocad 3d courses.
First of all, you have the Pan and Zoom tools on the Status bar at the bottom right of the screen (Mac), or as a floating toolbar at the bottom right (PC). It’s probably quicker though to use keyboard and mouse shortcuts. You can Zoom by rolling the middle-button of the Mouse-wheel. (This can also be changed via the System Variable zoomfactor.) And you can pan by pressing down on the Mouse-wheel and dragging. (If necessary this can be changed by typing in the System Variable mbuttonpan into the Command line.) If you press Shift at the same time you can pan across the object orthogonally.
Double-clicking the mouse wheel will perform Zoom Extents, or hit Z > E > Enter. This will show you the extents of anything drawn in the file. Alternatively, you can go to: View > Zoom > All (or hit Z > Enter > A > Enter, as in 2d drafting). This will show you the invisible drawing space created in Limits (see another blog post for more on establishing the drawing Limits). Right-click > Reset View at any time.
Or you have the Zoom tool in the 3D Navigate panel (pre-2009) or in the View tab (post-2009). Alternatively there is the Steering Wheel, pictured above right. Hover your cursor over any segment to initiate that function; then click & drag.
The 3d interface in Autocad is user-friendly and easy to learn, and we take time to teach a broad range of applications in our classes including modeling, materials, lighting and animation. See many examples of our clients’ work on our Facebook page. For more information there are lots of resources on the web, but try the Autodesk site to begin with: www.autodesk.com. Support options and user forums are also available from the home page.
Other related Autocad 3d Blog Posts: