Description
View manipulations in the Display window are executed with the mouse or keyboard controls summarized in the table below. Note that NumPad - and +
reverse rotations (* and - for Mac). In general, mouse control model rotations are best used for general viewing or project interrogation. For more exact
model rotations during mesh construction, the keyboard number pad keys are recommended. Refer to the Mouse Style sub-section in
the Preferences section for information on customizing mouse button usage.
Note: In the table below, RMB, LMB, and MMB refer to Right Mouse Button, Left Mouse Button, and Middle Mouse
Button respectively.
| Control |
Motion |
Mouse Cursor |
| Ctrl+RMB |
Screen-X, Y Rotation |
 |
| Ctrl+MMB |
Screen-Z Rotation |
|
| Shift+RMB |
Pan |
 |
| MMB, scroll wheel |
Zoom |
 |
| Shift+MMB, drag down |
Zoom In Box |
|
| Shift+MMB, drag up |
Zoom Out Box |
|
| NumPad Num Lock (Clear for Mac) |
Body-X Rotation |
|
| NumPad / (= for Mac) |
Body-Y Rotation |
|
| NumPad * (/ for Mac) |
Body-Z Rotation |
|
| NumPad 7 |
Screen-X Rotation |
|
| NumPad 8 |
Screen-Y Rotation |
|
| NumPad 9 |
Screen-Z Rotation |
|
To effectively use the model manipulations detailed above, it is important to understand that Pointwise works with both a screen and a body coordinate
systems. The screen coordinate system is always aligned with the plane of your computer monitor’s screen. The axes for this coordinate system are not shown in
the display because they are fixed. Screen-X always points to the right in the plane of the screen, screen-Y always points up, and screen-Z always points out
of the screen toward you, the user. The body coordinate system is the 3-dimensional coordinate system in which your database and grid are defined. The
command View, Show XYZ Axes, will enable the display of the body coordinate system axes in blue at the
origin of the database/grid system.
There are two reference coordinate systems in Pointwise.
The red rotation axes drawn in the Display window represents the center of model rotation within the body coordinate system. Be aware that the
location of the rotation axes is not necessarily at the origin of the body coordinate system. You can move this center of rotation at any time by
using Ctrl+Shift+RMB to click on a point on a grid or database entity, as noted in the Mouse
Functions section.
Pointwise also includes a set of pre-defined primary axis views which are available in View, Manage
Views or using the View toolbar which is on in the software default layout. The View, Manage Views command also allows you to
save six custom or user views. Note that you can also add these User Views to the View toolbar
(see Toolbars section).
You can completely reset your model’s pan, zoom or rotation individually or all at once by first selecting View, Reset
then Pan, Zoom, Rotate, or View. Refer to the Reset section for more information
regarding the View, Reset commands. The View, Reset, View command has the associated keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+R, a
convenient short cut for restoring your model to its original orientation.