Datasheet

TOURING THE INTERFACE

The Viewport

At the center of the window is the

viewport

(see Figure 1.8). This is where you’ll be doing most of

your modeling work. In a blank file, the viewport shows a grid that you can use as a reference for

orientation and size. The grid is labeled with distances in the current, default unit setting. The labels

also indicate the X and Y axes.

Figure 1.8

A typical Perspective

viewport in the

opening screen

If you look in the lower-left corner of the viewport, you see the world axis tripod that indicates

the orientation of the X, Y, and Z axes. The world axis tripod helps you get your bearings when

looking at other types of views.

Currently, the viewport shows the perspective view, as indicated by the label in the upper-left

corner. You can also tell that it’s a Perspective viewport by the way the grid squares get smaller and

converge in the distance. As you’ll see toward the end of this chapter, you can configure and view

your model in a variety of ways, depending on your needs.

Tools for Working with the Viewport

At the bottom of the window are several other options that are grouped into four sections: the sta-

tus bar, the prompt line, the time controls, and the viewport navigation tools (see Figure 1.9). Most

of these tools affect the viewport, either by modifying the display of the viewport directly or by

affecting the way you interact with objects within the viewport.

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