Mouse Model/hr

The FreeCAD mouse model consists of the commands used to visually navigate the 3D space and interact with the objects displayed. FreeCAD supports multiple mouse model navigation styles. The default navigation style is referred to as "CAD Navigation," and is very simple and practical, but FreeCAD also provides alternative navigation styles which you can choose according to your preferences.

Navigacija
There are two ways to change the navigation style:


 * In the Preferences Editor,.
 * By right-clicking in empty space in the 3D view, then selecting "Navigation style" in the contextual menu.

CAD Navigation (default)
This is the default navigation style and allows the user a simple control of the view, and does not require the use of keyboard keys except to make multi-selections.

OpenInventor Navigation
In OpenInventor (formerly Inventor) Navigation, modeled after Open Inventor (not to be confused with Autodesk Inventor), there is no mouse-only selection. In order to select objects, you must hold down the key.

This mode is not based on Autodesk Inventor.

Blender Navigation
The Blender Navigation was modeled after Blender. Previously there was no mouse-only panning, and it required use of the key to pan the view. This changed in 2016 with a feature-addition. In order to pan the view, you can now press both left and right mouse buttons and drag in the view.

Alternatively, hold both left and right mouse buttons, and then move the pointer. }}
 * Zoom_text=Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.
 * Rotate_view_text=Hold the middle mouse button, then move the pointer.

Touchpad Navigation
In Touchpad Navigation, neither panning, nor zooming, nor rotating the view, are mouse-only (or touchpad-only) operations.

Gesture Navigation (v0.16)
This navigation style was tailored for usability with touchscreen and pen, but is very usable with mouse too.

Alternatively, tap and hold, then drag. This simulates the pan with the right mouse button. In Sketcher and other edit modes, this behavior is disabled. Hold when pressing the mouse button to enter rotation mode.
 * Zoom_text=Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.
 * Zoom_gesture_text=Drag two fingers (pinch) closer or farther apart.
 * Rotate_view_text=Hold the left mouse button, then move the pointer.

To set the camera's focus point for rotation, click a point with the middle mouse button. Alternatively, aim the cursor at a point and press on the keyboard.
 * Rotate_view_gesture_text=Drag with one finger to rotate.

Hold when in the Sketcher.
 * Tilt_view_text=Hold both left and right mouse buttons, then move the pointer sideways.
 * Tilt_view_gesture_text=Rotate the imaginary line formed by two touch points.

On v0.18 this method is disabled by default. To enable, go to, and untick "Disable touchscreen tilt gesture" checkbox. }}

Maya-Gesture Navigation
In Maya-Gesture Navigation, all view movements are activated pressing and a mouse button, so that it will be needed to have a 3 button mouse in order to correctly use this navigation mode. Alternately it's possible to use gestures as this mode was been developed over the normal Gesture Navigation mode.

Alternatively, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. }}
 * Rotate_view_text=Hold and the left mouse button, then move the pointer.

Revit Navigation
This style was introduced in version 0.18.

OpenCascade
This style was introduced in version 0.18.

Simple selection
Objects can be selected by a click with the left mouse button either by clicking on the object in the 3D-view or by selecting it in the tree view.

Preselection
There is also a Preselection mechanism that highlights objects and displays information before selection by just hovering the mouse over the objects. If you don't like this behaviour or you have a slow machine, you can switch preselection off in the preferences.

Manipulating Objects
FreeCAD offers manipulators that are handles that can be used to modify an object's appearance, shape, or other parameters.

The clipping plane is an example of an object with manipulators. A clipping plane can be activated with the View→Clipping Plane menu

Hardware support
FreeCAD also supports some 3D input devices.

Mac OS X Issues
Recently we got reports on the forum from Mac users that those mouse button and key combination do not work as expected. Unfortunately, none of the developers owns a Mac, neither do the other regular contributors. We need your help to determine which mouse buttons and key combination work so we can update this wiki.