Michael’s Corner

Michael's Corner is a monthly publication written by Michael E. Beall, Autodesk Authorized Author and peripatetic AutoCAD trainer. Michael travels all over the USA, bringing his fantastic experience and great understanding of AutoCAD to his clients. Michael's Corner brings together many of the tips, tricks and methods developed during these training sessions for the benefit of all users.

Michael's Corner provides something for every AutoCAD user. Every month, a number of articles cover a wide range of topics, suitable for users at all levels, including "The Basics" for those just starting out. Essentially, the aim of Michael's Corner is to help all AutoCAD users work smarter and faster.

This month…

From the Vault

Originally published February 2006

Getting Familiar with 3D Orbit

3D Orbit is essentially the Swiss Army knife of AutoCAD's 3D ability. Its most useful feature is the ability to position your eyeball so you can get the most advantageous point of view. Several versions ago the 3D Orbit tool used to be on the Standard toolbar, but now it has a toolbar all to itself. Please note, the fluid manipulation of the objects when using 3D Orbit is directly related to the power (ie, RAM) in your computer. You can't climb the Alps without the proper equipment, likewise with your use of 3D Orbit. Just try to conquer what you are equipped to confront.

Quick 3D Object

In case you don't have a 3D drawing laying around (and rather than using the monstrous 3D examples in AutoCAD's Sample folder), begin a new drawing and do the following steps to create a simple 3D shape:

1. Create a 12 x 12 rectangle
2. From the Draw menu, go to SolidsExtrude
3. Enter 18 as the height for the extrusion
4. Enter 10 as the taper for the extrusion

Here are the features that will equip you to more effectively "play" with 3D Orbit.

Setup

My first recommendation would be to isolate the objects you want to view in 3D by putting them in a separate drawing. Since I work primarily with contract furniture dealerships, many times they simply need to view a cluster of workstations so the customer gets an idea of their work environment.

The "Beach Ball"

Click the 3D Orbit tool and you get the green "arcball" (an Autodesk term) centered in your drawing. Think of it as a giant beach ball with your 3D objects inside and this will go much easier. When you position your cursor inside the beach ball, it becomes a double-banded little sphere.

Think of placing the palm of your hand on the front of the ball with the cursor. Move your hand up (pick and drag up) to essentially "roll" the ball away from you, the objects go with the ball and the objects near the bottom of the display roll up toward you. Reposition your cursor to another location on the ball and roll it by dragging your cursor. Pick, drag, and roll. Go slowly, it's pretty sensitive.

The Shortcut Menu

While the ball is displayed, right click to display the shortcut menu. As you're getting used to manipulating the ball, it may be helpful to use one of the many items under Preset Views. If you get lost, use "Top" to return to your top (or plan) view.

Another Cursor Option

There is another cursor-related feature in 3D Orbit that will help you in positioning the 3D view. If you position your cursor outside the ball, you see an icon which is a sphere with a circular arrow around it. Think of the green circle as a platter in this instance. Click and drag your cursor around the outside of the platter to simply take the view and dynamically rotate it around. It's like straightening a picture on a wall. You're not repositioning your eyeball in 3D, you're rotating the image two-dimensionally.

Viewing Options

There are several Shading Modes in 3D Orbit, all of which stay enabled, even after exiting 3D Orbit. I mention this because I have received drawings that display with hidden lines when you open them up. So remember to return to the Wireframe mode prior to exiting the 3D Orbit feature. Hidden may serve you best as you manipulate the 3D objects. And if you use the Gouraud Shaded mode, you get a really nice image whose colors are based on the layers of the 3D objects.

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