Doc:2.6/Manual/3D interaction/Navigating/3D View/Navigation Modes

Navigation Modes

Walk and fly mode allow you to interactively navigate the scene.

This mode actually moves the camera used by the view. This means that when you are in Camera view (0 NumPad), it moves the active camera, which is another way to place and aim it. In other views (top, front, user, …), it moves the view’s virtual camera…

Walk mode

Mode: All modes

Menu: View » Navigation » Walk Navigation

Description

This navigation mode behaves similar to the first person navigation system available in most 3d world games nowadays. It works with a combination of keyboard keys (WASD) and mouse movement. By default the navigation is in the 'free' mode, with no gravity influence. You can toggle between gravity and free mode during the navigation (⇆ Tab).

Options

To enter Walk mode, in Object or Edit mode, set it as default in the User Preferences window and press ⇧ ShiftF: the mouse pointer will move at the center of the view, and a cross marker will appear… In any other mode, you can access it via View » View Navigation » Camera Walk Mode.

To move to places more quickly you can teleport (Space) around your scene. If there is an object in front of the walk cross/aim you will move in that direction until you reach the point (offset by the 'camera height' value set in the [Doc:2.6/Manual/Preferences|User Preferences window]]).

You can:

• Move the mouse left/right to pan the view left/right or move it up/down to tilt the view up/down.
• Move the camera forward/backward (W/S).
• Strafe left/right (A/D).
• Jump (V) - only in 'gravity' mode.
• Move up and down (Q/E) - only in 'free' mode.
• Alternate between 'free' and 'gravity' modes (⇆ Tab).
• Change the movement speed:
  • WheelUp or + NumPad to increase the movement speed for this open session
  • WheelDown or to - NumPad to decrease the movement speed for this open session
  • ⇧ Shift (hold) - to speed up the movement temporarily
  • Alt (hold) - to slow down the movement temporarily

When you are happy with the new view, click LMB to confirm. In case you want to go back from where you started, press Esc or RMB , as usual.

If the defaults values (speed, mouse sensitivity, ...) need adjustments for your project, in the User Preferences window you can select a few options for the navigation system:

Fly mode

Mode: All modes

Menu: View » Navigation » Fly Navigation

Description

Fly mode lets you navigate the view using momentum set by the mouse and keys.

Options

To enter Fly mode, in Object or Edit mode, set it as default in the User Preferences window and press ⇧ ShiftF: the mouse pointer will move at the center of the view, and a squared marker will appear – a sort of HUD… In any other mode, you can access it via View » View Navigation » Camera Fly Mode.

Some of the options of Fly mode are influenced by the position of the mouse pointer relative to the center of the view itself, and the squared marker around this center provides a sort of “safe region” where you can place the mouse for it to have no effect on the view. The more you take the mouse pointer away from the marker, the more you pan, or track, etc.

You can:

• Move the mouse left/right to pan the view left/right or move it up/down to tilt the view up/down.
• Move the view forward/backward:
  • WheelUp or + NumPad to accelerate the movement forward.
  • WheelDown or to - NumPad to accelerate the movement backward.

So if the view is already moving forward, WheelDown /- NumPad will eventually stop it and then move it backward, etc.

• Drag the MMB to pan. In this case the view can move laterally on its local axis at the moment you drag the mouse – quite obviously, dragging left/right/up/down makes the view point move in this direction without rotating.

When you are happy with the new view, click LMB to confirm. In case you want to go back from where you started, press Esc or RMB , as usual.