2004

View a Parallel Projection in 3D | 143
Change to a View of the XY Plane
In AutoCAD, a plan view is a view aimed toward the origin (0,0,0) from a
point on the positive Z axis. This results in a view of the XY plane.
You can restore the view and coordinate system that is the default for most
AutoCAD drawings by setting the UCS orientation to World and then setting
the 3D view to Plan View.
To change the current view to the XY plane
1 From the View menu, choose 3D Views. Then choose Plan View.
2 Choose one of the following options:
■ Current (for the current UCS)
■ World (for the WCS)
■ Named (for a saved UCS)
Command line
PLAN
Change a 3D View Dynamically
With dynamic viewing, you can display the effects of changing your view-
point as you make the changes. Using this method, you can also simplify
your view temporarily by choosing only the objects that you need to deter-
mine the view. Alternatively, if you press
ENTER without selecting any
objects, 3D Dynamic View displays a model of a small house instead of your
actual drawing. You can use this house to define the viewing angle and
distance. When your adjustments are complete, and you exit the command,
AutoCAD applies the changes to the entire 3D model in the current view.
Set Clipping Planes
You can create cutaway, or section, views of your drawing by positioning
front and back clipping planes that control the visibility of objects based on
their distance from a theoretical camera. You can move the clipping planes
perpendicular to the line of sight between the camera and target (where the
camera is pointing). Clipping removes the display of objects from the front
and back of clipping planes. The following illustration shows how clipping
planes work: