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About the Viewport

The viewport is the main Composer pane. It displays the 3D scene, which is the stage for all Composer actors (geometry, collaboration, camera, lighting, and so on).

The viewport lets you visualize one or more models in the same window or in separate windows using the multi-document interface with document tabs.



NumberViewport ElementDescription
1Document Tabs The Composer multi-document interface lets you open multiple documents in separate tabs. To activate a document, click its tab. If the tab is hidden, click Active Files (upper-right corner of the viewport) and select a document.
Tips:
  • You can also select and organize document windows from the Window ribbon tab. See Window Tab.
  • Right-click a tab to Save or Close a document, or to Cascade your document windows.
2Mode Icon

Indicates the Composer working mode. To switch modes, click the icon.



View mode 		Displays snapshots of the viewport. Changes to actor properties and position do not affect animations. For details about views, see Views Pane.


Animation mode 		Displays scene animations.Changes to actor properties and position occur at the time indicated by the timebar in the Timeline. For details about animations, see Timeline.

3Paper SpacePaper space shows how your scene fits on paper of a specified size. Dark gray areas indicate viewport space outside the paper margins. Select the paper size from (Default) Document Properties - Paper Space. Commands to display and navigate the paper space are located on the status bar. See Status Bar and Displaying and Navigating the Paper Space.
4Active Viewport Pane The orange triangle indicates the active viewport pane, which is useful when you have multiple panes. See Window Tab.
5CompassThe compass lets you select standard orthographic camera views. The red, green, and blue axes indicate the X, Y, and Z directions, respectively. Clicking faces or axes of the compass rotates the viewport camera to that location: left, right, front, back, top, bottom.As you rotate, the compass rotates as well. The compass is listed under Environment in the Collaboration pane. See Collaboration Pane.

You can change compass properties in the Properties pane. See Compass Properties.

6Ground The ground actor enhances your 3D scene by providing a reference plane for your model. You can augment the ground with a grid, mirror, or shadows. The ground actor is listed under Environment in the Collaboration pane.

You can change ground properties in the Properties pane or manipulate the ground in the viewport by selecting it and dragging its handles. See Ground Properties.



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Web Help Content Version: SOLIDWORKS Composer 2023 SP05

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