Creating a Multi-View: Manual 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 Manual tab:

   This dialog box is made up of five areas: Configuration Selection lets you select a predefined multi-view configuration from the list View Selection lets you set the current view as well as the orientation of the selected viewpoint 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 Standard Views icons let you set the desired standard view as the current view. The standard views displayed in the left part of the dialog box are identical to the one of the Quick View toolbar Confirmation: lets you validate or cancel the configuration.

2. In the Configuration Selection area, select the desired configuration from the list of predefined configuration.

   As soon as a configuration is selected, the four views displayed in the View Selection area are automatically updated accordingly. Each view composing the configuration represents a standard view and the current view is identified by a lighter color. You can choose among the following configurations:

   Four-View

   In this configuration, the viewer is divided into four equal views, each of them being identified as follows:

   RI = Right View TP = Top View FR = Front View ISO = Isometric View

   Main view to the right

   In this configuration, the viewer is divided into two parts. The main view is displayed to the right and three auxiliary views are displayed to the left:

   RI = Right View TP = Top View FR = Front View ISO = Isometric View

   Main view on top

   In this configuration, the viewer is divided into two parts. The main view is displayed on top and three auxiliary views are displayed at the bottom:

   RI = Right View TP = Top View FR = Front View ISO = Isometric View

   Two-view horizontal tiling

   In this configuration, the viewer is divided into two parts. The views are organized horizontally with respect to each other. The first view is displayed on top and the second is displayed at the bottom:

   FR = Front View ISO = Isometric View

   Two-view vertical tiling

   In this configuration, the viewer is divided into two parts. The views are organized vertically with respect to each other and are displayed in the right and left part of the screen, respectively:

   FR = Front View ISO = Isometric View

   In our example, we select Main view to the right.

3. Click Apply to apply the selected 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. To set a view as the current view, click it in the View Selection area. In the example below, the isometric view has been set as the current view: 

5. Select one of the standard views displayed to the left to apply it to the current view: for instance, click Back View to set the Back View as the current view as shown below:

   When you click Apply, the selected standard view is applied to the corresponding view you in the viewer.
   	Another way to apply a standard view in the viewer is to select in the viewer the view you want to modify (in that case, the compass is displayed in the top-right corner of the selected view) then select a standard view from the Quick View toolbar. However, do not forget that if you do not also change the corresponding view in the View Selection area, the modification you made in the viewer is not kept when clicking Apply.
   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.

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

   Note that if the current view is an isometric view, the rotation step will be 60 degrees and not 90 degrees:

   You also have the ability to use the four view selectors (such as ) to change the view direction by predetermined increments.

7. Click the arrow repeatedly and check the result in the View Selection area. Below is an example with Back View as the current view and the starting position displayed to the left:

   If the current view is not an isometric view: clicking the left or right selector makes the view's horizontal axis change by a predetermined increment. If you click a selector then the opposite afterwards, the view direction is reversed clicking the up or down selector makes the view's vertical axis change by a predetermined increment. If you click a selector then the opposite afterwards, the view direction is reversed If the current view is an isometric view: clicking one of the four selectors makes the view direction change to one of the eight possible isometric views by predetermined increments. Note that the view direction for an isometric view is always the direction from the eye point (= the location of the viewer's eye within the 3D scene) to the axis origin. The picture below illustrates the eight eye points for the different isometric views:

   Therefore the result will be as follows when clicking the arrow repeatedly for an isometric view:

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

   Rotation Lock locks the rotation in the view you select (i.e. the current view) Translation Lock locks the translation in the view you select (i.e. the current view).
   	Rotation Lock or Translation Lock and Viewpoint Synchronization cannot be activated simultaneously. Activating Rotation Lock or Translation Lock automatically deactivates Viewpoint Synchronization, and inversely.

9. 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.

   In the example below, the main viewpoint has been modified and the three others have been updated accordingly:

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

When you reselect View > Navigation Mode > Multi-View Customization, the Views and Layout dialog box the last used tab is activated with the last applied configuration.

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