topic Re: Rotation around Point in Space in Documentation

Rotation around Point in Space

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 11:36:55 GMT

Is it not possible to rotate around the point where your "eyes" seems to be?

Normally, to rotate around an object in ArchiCAD you select it and rotate.

, but like this scene shows, all the objects in the scene are very big, so if I select any of them and rotate, I move a lot, because it rotates around the object center.

I don't want the rotation to be dependent on what I've selected. I just want to rotate around the point where it seems my eyes are, sort of like a first person shooter.

Re: Rotation around Point in Space

Richard Morrison — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 23:11:21 GMT

The standard camera tool does exactly what you are asking for. Just set the "target" (including the z-height) to whatever you want to rotate around.

Re: Rotation around Point in Space

Karl Ottenstein — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 03:17:12 GMT

famadorian wrote:
I just want to rotate around the point where it seems my eyes are, sort of like a first person shooter.

Easy to do in BIMx of course, since it has FPS style navigation.

In AC itself, you do not need to place a camera, but simply view in perspective mode. While you can navigate in various ways, I've always found the Navigator Preview palette the easiest way to control what I'm doing. See attached screenshot, and this section of the Help:
https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/guides/archicad-21/archicad-21-reference-guide/interaction/navigation/navigation-in-the-3d-window/navigator-preview-3d/

In the perspective preview, the V-shape is your eye location - point of the V - and the view width given in degrees in the slider (vs camera-like mm). You can drag the point of the V to move your eye location. And, you can drag the target, which is the point at the end of the line extending from the V.

So, simply dragging the target point in the Nav Preview lets you do exactly as you want.

You'll often find yourself at a peculiar height and looking up or down vs how you want your virtual self positioned. Switch from "Show from Top" view to "Show from Side" so that you can change the height and the angle from horizontal.

Again, easier ways of doing it also - with BIMx the easiest, but this will likely give what you want. If you save a 3D view, it will save the perspective position/settings with the view so that you can return to the same location later.

The absolute easiest way of navigating, in my opinion, costs a little money and is with the 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator which I've had since it first came out years ago. Rotate the knob to stand syill and view around you. Push it side to side or front to back, or up and down to move you viewpoint in 3D space... and tilt it to angle your view to the target.
https://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacemouse.html

Re: Rotation around Point in Space

Karl Ottenstein — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 03:37:51 GMT

Karl wrote:
The absolute easiest way of navigating, in my opinion, costs a little money and is with the 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator ...

Haven't quoted myself in quite a while, so figured it was time. 🙂

The other super easy way of navigating, at least on a Mac, is to wait for ArchiCAD 22's release and use either the Apple Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad (or presumably the trackpad built into a MacBook Pro). Modifier keys while dragging one finger on the MM or two on the Trackpad give you all of the first shooter abilities you're looking for.

I'm not sure what improved navigation is offered to Windows users in 22...

I do like the SpaceNavigator (now in miniature form as SpaceMouse) tactile feeling of steering the view, without thinking of modifier keys ... and if you are in object mode, that holding the knob on the space mouse is like holding the object in your hand, and however your hand moves the object moves. But, the ArchiCAD 22 Mac improvements make it hard to justify the cost if buying new - as well as the fact that you don't have to take your hand of the mouse and move it over to the SpaceNavigator. 😉

Re: Rotation around Point in Space

sinceV6 — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 20:59:54 GMT

Hi.
If you can't orbit around objects because they are too big, just make sure the point (on a surface) around which you want to rotate (orbit) is in the center of the screen. I mean the exact center. Pan the view until you get the surface on the center and AC will orbit (shift+middle mouse button) around this point. Test it with a couple objects at different screen depths.

Or just assign a shortcut to Explore mode. I use shift+3. It's pretty fast once used to it.

Also... panning will work in a similar fashion. Using the middle mouse button (in a perspective view) to pan around will grab whatever surface it has under the mouse pointer once the panning action is started; so if you pan the perspective view and the mouse cursor was on a surface far away, you'll notice the movement is more radical. Pan using a surface that is near, and it will be smoother.

Best regards.