Visualization tools

In CAD, it is advisable to always draw at 1:1 scale. In order to get the desirable precision, zooming and panning while drawing or consulting is a continuous task. Having a wheel mouse or other advanced input device with scroll functionality, zooming and panning are a straightforward process. With a wheel mouse we can:

Zooming and panning can be used transparently, in the middle of a command.

The ZOOM command (alias Z, Zoom toolbar or View main menu) allows us to modify the visualization scale without a wheel mouse, thereby presenting several options. By default, it prompts for defining a rectangular area, zooming in to that area:

: ZOOM
Default: Dynamic
Options: Bounds, Center, Dynamic, Fit, Left, Previous, SElected, specify a scale factor (nX or nXP) or
Specify first corner? Point
Specify opposite corner? Point

Instead of picking a point, if pressing Enter, we enter in mode Dynamic, where dragging (maintaining pressure on the left mouse button) upwards is equivalent to zoom in, and dragging downwards is equivalent to zoom out. Other useful options:

The PAN command (alias P, on the main toolbar or View main menu) allows us to slide the view without modifying visualization scale, by dragging the cursor (maintaining pressure on the left mouse button). We press Esc or Enter to exit.