3D Modeling
3D Display
The 3D display provides the following features:
- Shaded and wireframe views
- Standard views (top, left, etc.)
- Dynamic rotation, pan and zoom
- Defining the center of view rotation
- Rotate using arrow keys
- Save and restore views
- View undo and redo
Dynamic View Manipulation
You can use the following methods to change your view dynamically:
- To rotate: press Ctrl, Shift key, and the left mouse button, and move the mouse to rotate. The speed of view rotation is dependent on dimensions of all visible objects. This works well in most cases except the large zooms.
- To rotate: press Ctrl, Shift key, and the right mouse button, and move the mouse to rotate. The speed of view rotation is dependent on dimensions of a displayed area. This works well especially if large zoom is used.
- To rotate: press the right mouse button, then the left button, and move the mouse. This is the same as Ctrl, Shift and left mouse button.
- To rotate: press the right mouse button, then the left button, Ctrl key and move the mouse. This is the same as Ctrl, Shift and right mouse button.
- To zoom: press Shift and the left mouse button, and move the mouse. Move the mouse up to shrink, down to enlarge.
- To zoom: press the right mouse button, then the middle button, and move the mouse.
- To zoom: you can also use the mouse wheel.
- To pan: press Ctrl and the left mouse button, and move the mouse.
- To pan: press the middle mouse button, then the left button, and move the mouse.
- To refresh view, press F6
For dynamic view rotation, zoom or pan all keys and/or mouse buttons must be held simultaneously, of course.
Rotating View Using the Arrow Keys
You can use the arrow keys to rotate the view around a specific axis. Press Shift, Ctrl, or both, and then press the following:
- Left or right arrow to rotate around the Y axis
- Up or down arrow to rotate around the X axis
You can use the keys in combination to change the view angle.
3D View Tools
 | Left View - VLE |
 | Right View - VRI |
 | Front View - VFR |
 | Back View - VBA |
 | Top View - VTO |
 | Bottom View - VBO |
 | View to Plane - RNP |
Sets the view perpendicular to a selected plane. This tool is useful especially when creating a 2D view export.
 | Rotate View Around X 90 Deg - X90 |
 | Rotate View Around X 180 Deg - X180 |
 | Rotate View Around X 270 Deg - X270 |
Rotates the view by the specified angle around the global X axis
 | Rotate View Around Y 90 Deg - Y90 |
 | Rotate View Around Y 180 Deg - Y180 |
 | Rotate View Around Y 270 Deg - Y270 |
Rotates the view by the specified angle around the global Y axis
 | Undo View - ZPR |
 | Redo View - ZRD |
 | Zoom Window - ZWI |
Defines the zoom by specifying opposite display corners
 | Zoom All - ZALL |
Adjusts the view to display all visible objects
 | Predefined View - PRV |
Sets the view according to predefined angles.
 | Predefined View Settings - PVS |
Predefined view is created from front view by rotation around X, Y and Z axes of display. This function defines the rotation angles.
Saving Views
You can save up to eight views that contain rotation, zoom and pan settings. The Predefined Tools toolbar enables you to easily restore these saved views.
 | Save View - click this icon and select the number of the saved view. |
The other icons on this toolbar restore the numbered views. Your views are saved with the file.
Both the 2D and 3D components of a file can each contain eight saved views.
Predefined Views toolbar
Shaded and Wireframe Display
 | Shade/Wireframe Entire Display - SHW |
Switches the display from shaded to wireframe or vice versa.
3D Display Settings
 | 3D Shading and Edges Settings - 3DS |
Enables you to change how 3D objects are displayed. You can define:
- Displaying edges. You can define shininess of edges, edges darkness and whether the tangent connections of patches are displayed.
- Surface reflectance. Enables to set light attributes and defines method of surface shading. See Surface Shading.
 | Colors and Wires of Solids - SCO |
This function defines:
- Density of nonplanar surface wires. Density setting affects solids displaying, if all space is displayed as wireframed or if a particular solid is displayed as wireframed.
- If the entire solid is displayed in the same color. Otherwise each component added to the solid during past Boolean operations is displayed in the original color.
- Colors of new solids. New 3D objects like a solid, hole, filleting etc are created in the selected color.
You may also select different colors for entire groups of objects. Thus, the objects are distinguished easily from the rest. This option overrides objects' own colors, if turned on. Turned off, the objects are displayed again in their own colors.
You may select a distinct color for:
- Filleting
- Chamfering
- Threaded surfaces
- Mechanical parts inserted from libraries
Solid display settings window
 | View Rotation - Arrow Keys - S3K |
Sets the increments of view rotation when Shift, Ctrl, and arrow keys are used.
 | Auto View Rotation Center - VCN |
Sets the view rotation center to the center of gravity of all visible solids.
 | Define View Rotation Center - VCNI |
Sets the view rotation center to a specified location.
Precise Displaying
 | Precise Rendering - SRD |
Renders 3D objects precisely. Smoothly rendered images are more realistic and can be used in product presentation materials such as brochures. For this type of rendering, it is recommended to work in true-color mode. You can use a graphics application to capture VariCAD screens. Once selected, precise rendering persists until any 3D edit function is used. It means that you can use all functions working with display, like standard views, view rotation etc. and precise rendering is still present. Some settings are similar to standard display settings, however set values can be different for each display mode.
For precise rendering, you can set the following attributes:
- Surface reflectance. Enables to set light attributes and defines a method of surface shading. See Surface Shading.
- Display perspective. You can turn perspective on or off. If the perspective is on, you can smoothly change relative eye distance. This distance is defined as eye distance from nearest 3D space location divided by 3D space dimension.
- Light position. Defines the light position by the cursor movement.
- Reset light position. Sets the light position above the center of display.
- Round surface smoothness. Each nonplanar surface is displayed as a certain amount of tiny planar facets. If the number of facets is increased, displaying is more precise and slower. Facets are obvious, for instance, on a cylinder in large zoom, if the sight line is parallel to the cylinder axis.
- Edges displaying. You can define shininess of edges, edges darkness and whether the tangent connections of patches are displayed. These settings are similar to standard display settings.
- Threads displaying. Optionally, you may select a schematic display of threads. Threaded surface is distinguished by a helix curve exactly corresponding to the thread pitch. We recommend turning off the different color of threads if you want to display helixes at threaded surfaces.
Surface Shading
For surface shading, you can set the following attributes:
- Ambient reflectance. Defines darkness of the surface lighted under a great angle (diverted surface). The angle of lighting is angle between ray of light and surface’s normal.
- Specular reflectance. Defines lightness of surface lighted under zero angle. If set to 0, no light spot under light source is displayed and surface shininess setting is ineffective.
- Surface shininess. Defines contrast of the light spot under the light source.
- Light ambient intensity. Defines intensity of scattered light. This value can be set only for precise displaying.
It is recommended to combine precise displaying with selection of the proper color palette. All values can be easily changed, effect is seen immediately and values can be reset whenever.
Shading surface settings window
Setting 3D Display Performance
 | OpenGl Settings - OGL |
You can tune up performance of 3D objects displaying. This function allows you to select between two different approaches to OpenGl:
- Standard Mode. This mode is generally better, requires less memory, file open functions are faster and activating any file from the open files is significantly faster.
- Alternative Mode. This mode can be faster in 3D objects redrawing, especially when you rotate, rescale or pan the view dynamically. Display changes are significantly faster especially when the space contains lot of general NURBS surfaces. Fast mode is not recommended for ATI-based graphic adapters.
 | Test of Hardware - HWTEST |
This function is useful if you want to compare performance of different hardware, like graphic adapters, main boards, processors etc. You can also use this function for comparison of the safe and fast modes set in “OpenGl Settings”. Basically, hardware test prepares solids for 3D display and displays them. Time of both tasks is measured.
Results are only informative and can vary with different VariCAD versions. To obtain correct values, use rather large assemblies or more complex objects. For comparison of results, use always the same unchanged file, 3D view, graphic resolution and settings.