Panning while drawing
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SketchUp 6.4.112 on Windows XP
In my CAD program, VectorWorks, I can start drawing a line in the direction of a point off-screen, and when I get to the edge of the viewable area the screen automatically pans in the direction I'm heading. As an alternative, I can also hit the arrow buttons while drawing a line, and the screen will pan a half-screen in that direction. Another method is to use the "Boomerang Pan" function, where holding the space bar changes to the Pan tool, then right back to where you left off when you release. Windows and MS documents also have an auto-pan function. But I can't find any way to do that in SketchUp.
In my current situation, I zoom in to locate a point on one side of a building and start drawing a line toward the other side. But when I get to the edge of the screen I must stop drawing and zoom-out or pan so I can see the end of the partial line and the second point at the same time. Sometimes it takes several steps to draw one line. Then I have to go back and group the pieces into one line (a "Compose" function would help).
Am I missing something? Does SketchUp have any kind of Auto-Pan function? If not, is there a place to submit suggestions?
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Hi Jhearcht, hi folks.
If you reach the side of the screen, simply pan/zoom/orbit untill you see where to set the end of the line then place it.
Tools like Pan, Zoom, Orbit are functionnal even in the middle of any drawing or moving or rotating or scaling, or etc operation.
Even better, you can change rendering style in the middle of these operations. For example, you can start a line on some point then view hidden geometry to see a smoothed line and snap the line being drawn to the midpoint of the smoothed line.
Even more powerful, you can change Scene while in the middle of a drawing operation. Imagine having to triangulate a very long piece. You set one scene at one end and another scene at the other end. You can then activate the first scene, start a line, activate the other scene and finish the line. Repeat as needed to draw all required lines.
Just ideas.
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Also note that you don't need to change tools (the orbit or pan tool) to navigate; you can - in the middle of any operation (drawing, moving, rotating etc.) - use the middle mouse button (wheel) either by scrolling to zoom or by pressing to orbit/pan (pan=Shift+orbit). This way the tool you are using won't get "escaped from" (or how to say that)
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I've never used VectorWorks, but I do use Corel a lot, which also has an autoscroll facility. It is incredibly fast and almost always zooms way past where I want to be, first in one direction then the other. I have to say that I much prefer the SketchUp method in which you can pan, zoom, orbit etc. using the mouse wheel in the middle of a drawing operation....or even switch to X-Ray mode to draw straight through an object It gives you much more precise control and is as easy as navigating a video game.
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I'm running sketchup 6.0.1099 and it does
pan while drawing or while using any drawing tool - It's
useful and not too fast as in Photoshop
I don't know if I turned on this function somehow but I would not want to lose it say in the next version of su- Phil
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go to sketchup -> preferences -> drawing.. select 'click-drag-release' and you'll be able to pan while drawing..
i suspect most people (myself included) prefer 'click-move-click' or auto detect... i think there's more control with that when attempting to get to various parts of the drawing.. i often click on the starting point for the tool then use applekey+control for orbit or add the shift key for panning.. all while the start point is still holding it's place..
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Adding to Gaieus' reply, I found I can get all three controls with a wheel mouse. Scroll the wheel to Zoom; click the wheel and hold to Orbit; wheel click and hold, then left click and drag at the same time to Pan.
Takes a little getting used to but with practice you can move around well with just the mouse.
Bob
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I also have a space navigator but it does take a while to get accustomed to. First it's like flying an aeroplane drunk...
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Gaieus
Since I am still a 3D novice, my current manipulation of objects in 3D space is already like flying drunk. Surely it couldn't get any worse. What is the purpose and price of Space Navigator? Does it help you to move directly between specific points in space?
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Well, according to 3DConnexion website, the prices range between $59 and $399. I have this one and it allows me to orbit, spin, pan etc (not exactly between two points but panning allows something like that).
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Try using the click-move-click option for your mouse settings. This way you can start a line in one place, hold the middle mouse button and shift to pan, and then click the endpoint.
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@greyhead said:
Adding to Gaieus' reply, I found I can get all three controls with a wheel mouse. Scroll the wheel to Zoom; click the wheel and hold to Orbit; wheel click and hold, then left click and drag at the same time to Pan.
Takes a little getting used to but with practice you can move around well with just the mouse.
Bob
i found this out by accident a few months back, at first i thought it was pointless, but looking back, now i realise that i have been doing it more and more frequently.
i guess somehow i find it more instinctive, which is what sketchup is all about really!pav
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Nevermind. After I reset the mouse wheel from DOUBLE-CLICK, to WHEEL-CLICK, the SHIFT button will now interrupt a line draw. But I'll have to remember to change the mouse setting whenever I use SketchUp.
However, I find that I still end up with two lines instead of one. Is there a way to combine them into one line, other than grouping. Thanks again for the help.
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