The viewport is your window into 3D space. It provides intuitive camera controls for viewing models from any angle, plus visual tools for manipulating geometry.
Camera Controls
Navigate the 3D view with mouse or trackpad. vcad supports two control schemes:
| Action | vcad Default | Fusion-style |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit | Middle-drag or two-finger swipe | Shift+Middle-drag |
| Pan | Shift+Middle-drag | Middle-drag |
| Zoom | Scroll wheel | Scroll wheel |
Zoom Behavior
Scroll to zoom toward the cursor position (not the screen center). This makes it easy to zoom into specific areas of your model.
Additional zoom settings:
- Zoom toward cursor: On by default, zoom centers on mouse position
- Invert direction: Reverse scroll direction if it feels backwards
- Sensitivity: Adjust zoom speed to your preference
On a trackpad, use two-finger swipe to orbit and pinch to zoom.
Orbit Momentum
When enabled, the camera continues moving briefly after you release the mouse, giving a smoother feel when exploring models.
View Presets
Snap to standard views by clicking the orientation gizmo (bottom-right corner) or using keyboard shortcuts.
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| Front | Looking at XY plane from +Z |
| Back | Looking at XY plane from -Z |
| Right | Looking at YZ plane from +X |
| Left | Looking at YZ plane from -X |
| Top | Looking at XZ plane from +Y |
| Bottom | Looking at XZ plane from -Y |
| Iso | Isometric view from (+X, +Y, +Z) corner |
| Hero | Presentation angle, good for screenshots |
Orientation Gizmo
The colored cube in the corner shows your current view orientation:
- Red = X axis
- Green = Y axis
- Blue = Z axis
Click any face to snap the camera to that view. The camera smoothly animates to the new position while keeping the model centered.
Reset View
Double-click on empty space in the viewport to reset the camera to the default isometric view.
Camera Animation
Camera movements are animated with smooth transitions:
- Selecting a part frames it in the viewport
- Clicking a gizmo face animates to the aligned view
- View presets transition smoothly
- No abrupt jumps or jarring motion
The animation uses quaternion interpolation to avoid gimbal lock and ensure predictable rotation.
During camera animation, some visual effects (ambient occlusion, shadows) are temporarily disabled to maintain smooth frame rates.
Transform Gizmo
When you select a part, the transform gizmo appears at its center. Use it to move, rotate, or scale the selection.
Modes
| Mode | Description | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Translate | Move along axes | Drag colored arrows to move along X (red), Y (green), or Z (blue). Drag colored planes to move in two axes. |
| Rotate | Rotate around axes | Drag colored rings to rotate around each axis. |
| Scale | Resize the part | Drag axis handles for non-uniform scale, or center cube for uniform scale. |
Switch modes using the toolbar or keyboard shortcuts.
Interaction
- Drag an axis arrow to constrain movement to that axis
- Drag a plane handle to move freely in that plane
- Drag the center to move/scale uniformly
The gizmo disables orbit controls while dragging, so you can precisely position parts without accidentally rotating the view.
Snapping
Snapping helps you position parts precisely by constraining transforms to specific increments or geometry.
Grid Snap
When enabled, translations snap to the grid increment (default 5mm). This makes it easy to align parts without typing exact values.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Grid snap | On | Snap transforms to grid increment |
| Snap increment | 5mm | Grid spacing for snap |
Point Snap
When enabled, snap to geometry vertices when dragging. Useful for aligning parts precisely to corners or endpoints.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Point snap | On | Snap to geometry vertices |
Hold a modifier key while dragging to temporarily disable snapping for fine adjustments.
Display Options
Control how the viewport renders your model:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Wireframe mode | Show only edges, no filled faces. Useful for seeing through geometry. |
| Grid display | Show/hide the ground plane grid. |
| Axis display | Show/hide the RGB orientation gizmo. |
Edge Cases
The viewport handles extreme scenarios gracefully:
- Very large models: Camera far plane extends to 10,000 units
- Very small details: Near plane at 0.1 units with logarithmic depth buffer prevents z-fighting
- Looking straight up/down: Uses world Z as reference to avoid gimbal lock
Keyboard Shortcuts
Common viewport shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
1 | Front view |
3 | Right view |
7 | Top view |
5 | Toggle perspective/orthographic |
W | Translate mode |
E | Rotate mode |
R | Scale mode |
Keyboard shortcuts may vary based on your configuration. Check the keyboard shortcuts panel for your current bindings.