Basic User Interface > Viewing Control > Zooming in and out

 

Zooming in and out

The modeling objects can be drawn in different scales depending on the required detail. Enlarging and reducing the display scale are termed here as "zooming in" and "zooming out" respectively. This zooming operation can be achieved in many different ways as explained below.

> Zooming in and out using zoom dial

Zooming in or out can be achieved by turning the zoom dial which is on the tool palette. The zoom dial has scale notchmarks indicating the current display scale by mark at the center. The zoom dial can be manipulated with the feel of a real dial as described in the following.

 

1) Place the screen cursor over the zoom dial.

 

Place the cursor at a point of the zoom dial as if you were placing your finger tip on an actual dial.
 

2) Press the mouse button.
 

The current zoom scale is displayed at the bottom of the tool palette.
 

3) Drag the zoom dial with the mouse button pressed.

 

While you are moving the mouse, the scale notchmarks is moving to the right or to the left in accordance with the cursor movement.

 

The contents in the main window as well as the text of the zoom scale at the bottom of the tool palette are instantly updated in accordance with the zoom dial movement.
 

4) Release the mouse button when the modeling objects on the main window are displayed with the desired scale.

 

The display in the main window is rescaled with the zoom factor at the moment the mouse button is released.
 

< Zooming in and out using the zoom dial >

The display scale, which is represented by the zoom factor, is initially set to 1.0 before any viewing control. This value is based on the current grid setting described in ¡°Grid¡± section of this chapter. The minimum and the maximum scale on the zoom dial are respectively 1/32 and 32. It is not desirable to zoom in or out with excessive factors. So, if you need to change the display scale drastically, change the grid scale or the grid pixel value in the grid setting dialog, instead of trying excessive zooming in or out. Any action in progress is not interrupted while working with the zoom dial.

> Zooming in and out using rubber-band rectangle

The display scale can be altered either by expanding part of the display to fill the window, or by shrinking the whole display to a part of the window. In fact, zooming and panning are executed at the same time. You can specify the part of the display or the part of the window using rubber-band rectangle as described in the following:

1) Lock the zoom dial by clicking it with key (Windows: key) pressed, if it is not locked.

The locked zoom dial is displayed as a pressed button as shown left.

2) Position the screen cursor at a point in the main window.

The shape of the cursor changes into , when the cursor is placed within the main window.

3) Press the mouse button, and draw a rubber-band rectangle by moving the mouse diagonally across the screen.

A rubber-band rectangle is drawn with one corner at the initial cursor position. As you move the mouse, the rectangle grows along with the cursor movement. The rubber-band rectangle keeps to be a similar figure of the main window rectangle.

4) Release the mouse button.

The view is changed on the basis of the rubber-band rectangle drawn at the moment you release the mouse button. The view is zoomed out, if control key is pressed at the moment the mouse button is released. Otherwise, the view is zoomed in.
The zoom dial is still effective in locked state. and may be used for zooming. In order to unlock the zoom dial, click it once again with key( Windows: key) pressed, or start any other tool..

< Zooming by rubber-band rectangle >

> Instant zooming by zoom button

Pressing the zoom button enlarges the display scale by double, or reduced it by half. It is useful for instant zooming in or out. The zoom button consists of two part as show below. Clicking the left part of the button reduce the display scale by half, and clicking the right part increases the scale by double.

< Zoom button >

> Fitting the display to the window

Pressing the fit-window button makes the entire display of the modeling objects fit into the main window. If there are no modeling objects, the display of the grid planes is fitted to the window.

> Entering the zoom factor by key board

While a zooming operation is going on using any one of the above methods, the zoom factor is displayed in the text box at the bottom of the tool palette. The scale of the display on the main window can also be set by directly editing the text of the zoom factor.