Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 54 AutoCAD and Its Applications—Advanced Notice that a corner, edge, or face on the cube is highlighted. In the default view of a drawing based on the acad3D.dwt template, the corner between the top, right, and front faces is shaded. The shaded part of the cube represents the standard view that is closest to the current view. Move the cursor over the cube and notice that edges, corners, and faces are highlighted as you move the pointer. If you pick a highlighted edge, corner, or face, a view is displayed that looks directly at the selected feature. By selecting standard views on the view cube, you can quickly move between pictorial and orthographic views. PROFESSIONAL TIP PROFESSIONAL TIP Picking the top face of the view cube displays a plan view of the current UCS XY plane. This is often quicker than using the PLAN command, which is discussed later in this chapter. Dynamic Displays The easiest way to change the current view using the view cube is to pick and drag the cube. Simply move the cursor over the cube, press and hold the left mouse button, and drag the mouse to change the view. The view cube and model view dynami- cally change with the mouse movement. When you have found the view you want, release the mouse button. This is similar to the Orbit tool in steering wheels, which are discussed later in the chapter. NOTE NOTE By default, the view cube does not move freely without snapping to the closest view. This action is reset by right-clicking on the view cube and picking View Cube Settings… in the cursor menu. In the View Cube Settings dialog box, uncheck Snap to closest view in the When dragging on the View Cube area. When dragging the view cube, you are not restricted to the current XY plane, as you are when using the compass. The compass is discussed later in this chapter. Pictorial Displays The view cube provides immediate access to 20 different preset pictorial views. When one of the corners of the cube is selected, a standard isometric pictorial view is displayed. See Figure 3-6A. Eight corners can be selected. Picking one of the four corners on the top face of the cube restores one of the preset isometric views. You can select a preset isometric view using the viewport controls or the Home or Visualize tab of the ribbon. However, using the view cube may be a quicker method. Selecting one of the edges of the cube sets the view perpendicular to that edge. See Figure 3-6B. There are 12 edges that can be selected. These standard views are not available on the ribbon.