115 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Learning Objectives After completing this chapter, you will be able to: ✓ Describe the function of model space viewports. ✓ Create and save viewport confi gurations. ✓ Alter the current viewport confi guration. ✓ Use multiple viewports to construct a drawing. A variety of views can be displayed in a drawing at one time using model space viewports. This is especially useful when constructing 3D models. Using the VPORTS command, you can divide the drawing area into two or more smaller areas. These areas are called viewports. Each viewport can be confi gured to display a different 2D or 3D view of the model. The active viewport is the viewport in which a command will be applied. Any viewport can be made active, but only one can be active at a time. As objects are added or edited, the results are shown in all viewports. A variety of viewport confi gurations can be saved and recalled as needed. This chapter discusses the use of viewports and shows how they can be used for 3D constructions. Understanding Viewports Understanding Viewports The AutoCAD drawing area can be divided into a maximum of 64 viewports. However, this is impractical due to the small size of each viewport. Usually, the maximum number of viewports practical to display at one time is four. The number of viewports you need depends on the model you are creating. Each viewport can show a different view of an object. This makes it easier to construct 3D objects. NOTE NOTE The MAXACTVP (maximum active viewports) system variable sets the number of view- ports that can be used at one time. The initial value is 64, which is the highest setting. Using Model Space Viewports CHAPTER 5 5