Creating a Multi-View: Automatic Configuration

Before you start

In order to take full advantage of this scenario, you need to be familiar with the basic vocabulary:

• "Viewer" is the screen area in which 3D objects are drawn
• "View" is a part of the viewer. Usually, the viewer has one single view but it can also be divided into 4 parts representing a different view each. When a viewer is split into several views, it is identified as a "multi-view" viewer
• "Viewpoint" is the set of parameters required for defining a 3D view volume, i.e. the eye of the user, the view direction, the focus point and the axis system defining the position of the user. It can be defined as the position in model coordinates at which the eye is looking
• "Layout" defines how the viewer is divided into different areas (= views) and how these areas are located
• "Configuration" is a layout made up of views, each of them being defined with a viewpoint.

Bear in mind that the multi-view configuration remains active throughout the whole Version 5 session but it is not saved when selecting File > Save As. For instance, if you apply a multi-view configuration then save and close your document before reopening it, this document is displayed in a single-view configuration using the last active view before the save.

However, the configuration is stored in the CATSettings directory and therefore, you can reuse it from one session to another by clicking Create Multi-View in the View toolbar. If no customization has been defined, the default configuration is applied.

1. Select View > Navigation Mode > Multi-View Customization to open the Views and Layout dialog box then select the Automatic tab:

   This dialog box is made up of three areas: View Selection lets you select a group of views as well as their location and orientation Viewpoint Manipulation lets you manipulate the viewpoint using the following options: Rotation Lock: locks the viewpoint rotation Translation Lock: locks the viewpoint translation Viewpoint Synchronization: imposes a synchronization between the views when a viewpoint transformation (rotation, translation or zoom) is made in one of them. Note that you cannot activate both Translation Lock and Viewpoint Synchronization Confirmation: lets you validate or cancel the configuration.

   For any 3D object, there are six standard views according to the coordinate system of the object. These views mapped onto a cube, each face of this cube being perpendicular to one of the directions of the 3D axis. Whatever the orientation of the cube, the observer can see three faces (i.e. three standard views) as shown below:

   An isometric view can be added to these views. The direction of this isometric view starts from the vertex formed by the three faces towards the center of the cube.

   The View Selection area represents the unfolded cube of standard views: each square represents a standard view and the one placed at the center is the base view around which adjacent views are automatically generated. In the default configuration displayed below, the base view is the standard Left View:

   ISO = Isometric View TP = Top View BK = Back View LF = Left View FR = Front View BM = Bottom View

2. Select the standard view to be used as base view using one of these two methods:

   select directly in the View Selection area the view to be set as the base view: the selected view is placed at the center and all the adjacent views are regenerated accordingly. In the example below, Back View is selected:

   click the right translation arrow to shift Back View to the center (or any other translation arrow depending on the standard view you want to set as base view). Clicking a translation arrow shifts the views in the arrow's direction.

3. Click Apply to apply the configuration to the current 3D viewer and keep the Views and Layout dialog box displayed:

   As soon as you apply a configuration to the current viewer, Create Multi-View in the View toolbar changes to to indicate that the multi-view mode is now active.

   When you manipulate a viewpoint in one of the four views, the other three viewpoints are not modified and you can manipulate them independently:

4. Select a group of views by clicking an Isometric View in one of the four corners of the View Selection area.

   This amounts to selecting a vertex of the cube and the user will then see the three adjacent faces. The selected Isometric View is computed from its three adjacent views and the four views (Isometric + adjacent) will be highlighted:

   Another example when the Isometric View in the top-right corner is selected:

   The View Selection area also contains four rotation arrows (such as ) enabling you to change the orientation of the current base view: one click on an arrow rotates the base view by 90 degrees in the arrow's direction. When the base view is rotated, all the adjacent views as well as the isometric view are recalculated.

5. Click the arrow repeatedly and check the result in the View Selection area. Below is an example with starting position displayed to the left:

6. Activate the lock options (+ click Apply) if needed:

   Rotation Lock locks the rotation in all the views, except the Isometric View Translation Lock locks the translation in all the views, except the Isometric View.

7. Select the Viewpoint Synchronization check box then click Apply if you want the other three viewpoints to be modified simultaneously when you manipulate one of them.

8. When satisfied with your configuration, click OK (or Apply then OK) to validate and close the Views and Layout dialog box.

To go back to the standard viewer, click Create Multi-View in the View toolbar.

Note that when you reselect View > Navigation Mode > Multi-View Customization, the last used tab is activated with the last applied configuration.