Datasheet
8 Chapter 1: Working in 3D
(red for x, green for y, and blue for z). ese same colors will appear in tool handles aer
modeling begins. In the perspective view, indicators are displayed for all three axes. As in
the orthographic view, each line indicates the positive direction. In the perspective view,
there is also a light gray square that aligns itself to the two axes that are most perpen-
dicular to the current view. is square indicates the orientation of the work plane, which
is presented in more depth in Chapter 2, “Creating Objects.” By staying aware of these
markers, we can more easily keep the scene aligned.
In addition to the axis widget, the perspective view oers a gradient background that
helps to keep us from looking at our scene upside-down (or enables us to more easily get
there if that is our desire). e background consists of a two-color gradient: a light blue-
gray color indicates up, in the positive y direction (think of the sky); and a darker shade of
the bluish color lls the negative y direction (indicating the ground). Because we spend a
lot of time rotating around our objects to get the best view, staying aware of this gradient
ensures that we keep our feet on the ground, so to speak.
Before you move on to navigating this space, you need to know about scale. You
may notice that there are no document boundaries in 3D space as there are in a page
layout document, at least not visible ones. What we do have to consider is the depth
that the computer is able to re-create. is is called draw distance. A good example of
a short draw distance can be seen in older racing video games. As you drive along a
course and look into the distance, objects (such as buildings, trees, and mountains) will
appear rather suddenly instead of growing from small points on the horizon. Although
modern 3D applications are much more capable of handling distance than those games
were, we want to keep draw distance in mind and create our scenes at (or near) actual
scale.
In the bottom-right corner of each modo viewport, a display shows the scale of the
small grid boxes. By default, the three orthographic views are linked together, but the
perspective view is independent. Because modo uses physical scale for many aspects of
lighting and texturing, it is important to check your scale as you begin to create models
in 3D space. I have seen many students (and, regrettably, myself) create large sections of
scenes only to realize that the pencil onscreen is as large as an oak tree—or bigger! In the
3D view, you will also see a light-colored grid that changes position and orientation based
on your perspective. is is the Work Plane, and it is a huge help when you begin model-
ing objects.
Figure1.6 is a breakdown of the modo user interface (UI) with labels for the features
that are pertinent to this section.
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