2012

Orientation in a 3D Workspace
Although Autodesk Navisworks uses the X, Y, Z coordinate system, there is
no hard-and-fast rule as to which way each of these particular axes actually
“points”.
Autodesk Navisworks reads the data necessary to map which way is “up” and
which way is “north” directly from the files loaded into your scene. If this is
not possible, by default, Z is treated as “up” and Y is treated as “north”.
It is possible to change the “up” and “north” directions for the entire model
(world orientation), and the “up” direction for the current viewpoint
(viewpoint up vector).
NOTE Changing the viewpoint up vector affects navigation in modes that rely on
the “up” direction of the current viewpoint, such as Walk, Constrained Orbit,
and Orbit. It also has an impact on section views.
To align the viewpoint up vector to the current view
■ In Scene View, right-click and click Viewpoint ➤ Set Viewpoint
Up ➤ Set Up on the shortcut menu.
To align the viewpoint up vector to one of the preset axes
1 In Scene View, right-click and click Viewpoint ➤ Set Viewpoint
Up.
2 Click one of the preset axis. Choose from:
■ Set Up + X
■ Set Up - X
■ Set Up + Y
■ Set Up - Y
■ Set Up + Z
■ Set Up - Z
To change the world orientation
1 Click Home tab ➤ Project panel ➤ File Options
.
2 In the File Options dialog box, Orientation tab, enter the required
values to adjust the model orientation.
240 | Chapter 5 Explore Your Model