The 3D View option that was on the View menu is the legacy 3D Viewer that has been replaced by the 3D Viewer on the 3D Design menu. This is now used to view both 3D Packages and STEP models.
Shortcuts
Default Keys: None
Default Menu: View
Command: 3D View (Legacy)
Locating this option
Available from: Note, this is no longer available as a menu option but can be enabled using the Edit menu and Run command option, 3D View (Legacy)
3D View Overview
This viewer provides a 3-dimensional view of your printed circuit board. It uses a simple set of rules describing how each PCB symbol should be represented, together with various settings like the thickness of the board. You can add your own 3D Packages using the 3D Package Editor.
Opening a 3D view
With the 3D View command added or used, selecting the option will start the Viewer.
Controlling the View
As with other views, you can Zoom and Pan the 3D View using either the normal shortcut keys or the middle mouse button as in a normal design view. The initial view will be sized to give a reasonable picture based on the size of your board. When zooming in or out, it may be possible to move the view ‘projection’ outside the 3-dimensional viewing area; if this happens, simply zooming in the other direction should restore the picture.
As well as changing your current viewing position, you can also spin the board around to display it at different angles. To do this, hold the left mouse button down anywhere on the 3D View and move the mouse. Moving it left and right will spin the board around the Y axis, moving it up and down will spin around the X axis. With practice you will find you can spin the board to the desired angle very easily. You can further control this movement by holding down the Control or Shift keys, which constrains the rotation to particular axes or directions.
Note: Depending on the complexity of your board, in particular the amount of filled shapes or polygons, the initial redraw and each zoom, pan or spin ‘step’ may take a few moments to finish.
Requirements and Limitations
3D View uses OpenGL graphics for drawing its pictures. This should be supported on all platforms supported by the application, but depending on your particular hardware, operating system and graphics combination you may find that the performance or even availability of 3D View is restricted.