Pan - Zoom - Rotate

the model will rotate around the origin of the part or assembly. I am a bit rusty with the mouse since I use a spaceball, which allows you to select a point or face, and reset the center of rotation to that point of focus. I cannot seem to find it for the mouse right now... but I think it is there. check the help under Mouse.

Yes. annoying.

A spaceball reduces this annoyance.

Spaceball

I had a situation a few days ago where I had to use only the mouse, and no spaceball, and I was lost for about 20 minutes. If you are doing a lot of time in 3D, I suggest you look at the spaceball or other

3Dconnexion products. Once you get use to them, and the programmable buttons, I think there is no going back.

Cheers, Daniel

Daniel was right about the rotate with the mouse. You can rotate your part by a point, edge, or face.

1. Move your cursor to a point
2. Select it with the middle wheel (let go)
3. Start rotating with the wheel and it will rotate by that point.

Jim

Hi Jim, I thought I could do that, but for some reason it does not seem to be working for me. could there be something else that needs to be selected somewhere? I thought it was that easy, but now I cannot do it with the mouse... hmmmmmm. At least my spaceball is fine :-)

Daniel

I agree the spaceball works better. The middle wheel takes a little practice. Just make sure you let go after you click on the point with the wheel. Then click and rotate again as usual.

Jim

daniel wrote:

selected

"View-->Modify--->Rotate about screen center" check may alleviate some of the issues.

daniel wrote in news:421da7fd_1 @news.bluewin.ch:

Yes, I am aware of it. Middle button click on an entity - Point or Vertex for point rotation, Line or edge for axial rotation. This does the trick but is only valid for the one operation. Meaning that middle clicking must be done prior to every rotation.

$$$$ Can it be used in other apps? - Word, Excell, Paintshop, Adobe... et al?

I've heard lots of great stuff about the Spaceball. Sounds like the cat's meow.

Thanks Daniel

Cheers Steve

"Jim" wrote in news:1109250158.564954.109250 @z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

Jim

Thanks,

I knew about that one.

Extra mouse clicks - unnecessary - and must be repeated for every rotate operation.

Cheers, Appreciate the feedback

Steve

"Jim" wrote in news:1109252817.068503.298770 @o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

Jim's right about the middle button trick. A slight jiggle and you've selected an edge and get an axial rotate - repeat and try again.

Spaceball Seems to be the best way.

Programmability of the spaceball buttons does not necessarily attract my interest. I have many keyboard hotkeys programmed in. My left had sits idle otherwise, and that makes me feel unproductive.

What kind of cool things have you got programmed into the spaceball?

Steve

"Brian"

"Brian"

" snipped-for-privacy@carrollhealthcare.com" wrote in news:Xns960767C6D3E8SWalkercarrollhealth@216.196.97.131:

"Brian"

In order to make my middle wheel/button work properly in SolidWorks, I had to change the setting for that button in my mouse software. Once I set Wheel Button to the "Middle-Click" setting rotating, zooming, and panning (while holding down CTRL) became much simpler and more efficient. For some reason, my mouse (a Microsoft Intellimouse Optical) had the middle wheel/button set differently by default.

now I see - I have to select the rotate tool to select the point - cannot select with the normal cursor.

Thanks, Daniel

You can select the new rotation using the middle button. No need to use the rotate tool. This was added in 04, I believe. This drives me nuts when I'm stuck in a project on 03. Also, it doesn't work when editing a part in- context.

If your middle wheel/button is operating properly, you should be able to select a point or line with the middle button and then proceed with rotating by holding down the middle button and dragging the mouse around. Its important that you release the middle button after selecting something and then depress it a second time to perform the rotate. This approach and much faster and easier than continually toggling the rotate tool on and off.

I, on the other hand, have not utilized the keyboard hotkeys very much.... so I find it annoying to take my hand off the ball... I think that is entirely personal preference. I have seen some people who are so fast and second nature using shortcuts all over the keyboard - something I have never been fast at.

Can't say I have anything cool. My basic setup in part mode:

A= normal to B= shift left C= ctrl left

1= show mapping panel 2= bottom view 3= sets center axis 4= sets center point 5= perspective 6= isometric 7= top 8= right 9= front

this allows my thumb to select access the shift and Ctrl to select, and easy access to views, and then a couple others for view that are useful. Not having to use the mouse for rotation, pan etc, makes the workflow much faster.

Cheers, Daniel

I think my mouse is not behaving properly. It is a logitech mx laser, and is wonderful... but... it could be the mouse. the default for the middle wheel button is not MMB, but something else (I forget what since I changed it some time ago). So, in SW2005sp1.1, with my mouse, selecting a point with the MMB and the normal cursor, releasing, and then pressing again with the MMB does not rotate around that point. well... correction - now I see sometimes it does, but it is flaky. Only if I preselect the rotate tool is it dependable. I'll use my spaceball.... :-))

daniel wrote in news:421e06a1_2 @news.bluewin.ch:

That's ok, maybe I should have said useful

Those are usefull.

Nice

Thanks Daniel

Steve