Welcome to CivilGEO Knowledge Base
Welcome to CivilGEO Knowledge Base
Zooming, Panning, and Rotating the Map View
While working on an engineering project, you frequently zoom, pan, and rotate the Map View. Therefore, it is important to be as efficient as possible. This article describes the various ways to zoom, pan, and rotate the Map View quickly and efficiently.
Dynamic Zoom Tool
Use the Dynamic Zoom tool to zoom in or out of the Map View while viewing or working on a specific area. Zooming in or out enables a user to manually set the desired Map View magnification level.
Click on the Dynamic Zoom tool from the Map View toolbar to select it, then use this tool in the following ways:
- To zoom in, click a spot on the Map View to zoom into.
This will cause the Map View to zoom into the area around the clicked point. - To zoom out, click on the Map View while holding down the Shift key.
This will cause the Map View to zoom outward from the clicked point. - To zoom into a selected area, click and drag a rectangle around the area on the Map View.
This will cause the Map View to zoom into the area bounded by the drawn rectangle. - To zoom to the extents of project data, double click the mouse wheel.
This will cause the Map View to zoom to the extents of the project data.
Other ways to zoom in or out of the Map View
To zoom in or out while the Dynamic Zoom tool is not selected, roll the mouse wheel up or down.
This is helpful when another tool or command is selected and you do not want to switch tools or stop the current command.
Control the Zoom Rate
You can also change the rate at which to zoom in or out of an area using the mouse wheel:
- Hold down the Ctrl key while rolling the mouse wheel for a slower, more controlled zoom operation.
- Hold down the Shift key while rolling the mouse wheel for a faster zoom operation.
Adaptive Display
When the user zooms into the Map View, the visual information of the corresponding element(s) (for example, cross-section IDs, overbank roughness, reach IDs, etc) will be displayed in detail.
In contrast, when the user zooms out on the Map View, only limited/less information such as a schematic diagram of the element(s) will be displayed.
Navigate Backward Command
Use the Navigate Backward command to go back through previous views of the Map View. Clicking this button steps back the current view to a previous view.
Navigate Forward Command
After backing up through previous views using the Navigate Backward command, the Navigate Forward command can be used to move forward through successive views of the Map View. Clicking this button advances the view to the next view.
Note: The Navigate Backward and Navigate Forward commands allow you to quickly switch between recent views.
Bookmarked Views Panel
Use the Bookmarked Views panel to view, add, save, and remove bookmarked views, as well as create and view Video Tours.
This panel enables you to save views as bookmarks—allowing you to quickly switch between different views. Clicking a bookmarked view changes the location, zoom level, and 2-D/3-D orientation of the Map View to that of the previously saved bookmarked view.
The panel offers the following commands:
- Navigate Backward
Use this command to navigate backward through the list of bookmarked views. - Navigate Forward
Use this command to navigate forward through the list of bookmarked views. - Add Bookmark
Use this command to add the current view to the Bookmarked Views panel. - Remove Bookmark
Use this command to remove the selected view from the Bookmarked Views panel. Alternatively, right-click on a bookmarked view and choose Remove Bookmark from the displayed context menu. - Rename Bookmark
Right-click on a bookmarked view and then choose the Rename Bookmark command from the displayed context menu. Alternatively, select a bookmarked view and then press Function Key F2. - Move Bookmark Up / Move Bookmark Down
The order of the saved bookmarked views can be changed by right-clicking on a bookmarked view and then selecting the Move Bookmark Up or Move Bookmark Down command from the displayed context menu. - Record Tour
Use this command to record a video of navigation tour in the Map View. Click this button to start recording the video tour and click Done when the tour is complete. Once the recording is complete, the tour can be replayed by selecting the saved video tour and clicking the Play button.
Zoom Extents Command
Use the Zoom Extents command to zoom the Map View to the extents of the project data.
Note: If no model elements are defined, then this command causes the Map View to zoom out to the extent of the current map layer.
Pan Tool
Use the Pan tool to pan the Map View. Click on the Pan tool from the Map View toolbar to select it, and then click and hold down the left mouse button. Then, drag the mouse pointer to pan about.
Another way to pan the Map View
If the computer mouse has a clickable scroll wheel (or a middle button), click and hold it down. Then, drag the mouse pointer to pan about on the Map View. This is helpful when another tool or command is active, and you do not want to switch tools or stop the current command.
Rotate View Tool
You can use the Rotate View tool to rotate the Map View. Click on the Rotate View tool from the Map View toolbar to select it, and then click and hold down the left mouse button. Then, drag the mouse pointer to rotate the view.
Note: This tool only works while in the 3D view mode.
Free Look Tool
You can use the Free Look tool to view the Map View at different angles from the current viewpoint. Click on the Free Look tool from the Map View toolbar to select it, and then click and hold down the left mouse button. Then, drag the mouse pointer to change the viewpoint viewing angle.
To change the location of the viewpoint, use the Pan, Dynamic Zoom, and Rotate View tools as previously described.
Note: This tool only works while in the 3D view mode.
