concept

Navigate and select geometry

Move around the canvas and understand which model object a tool expects you to select.

Navigate the canvas#

Use Orbit to inspect the model from different angles, Pan to move the view without rotating it, and Zoom to move closer or farther away. Views provides standard orientations. These view changes do not alter model geometry.

Selecting geometry#

Selection is contextual. A model tool may request whole bodies, planar or cylindrical faces, body edges, sketch profiles, sketch edges, construction planes, or axes. Read the selection prompt in the active tool, then tap the requested geometry in the viewport or choose an object in the Browser.

A closed shaded sketch region is a selectable profile. When faces or edges overlap on screen, rotate or zoom the view and select again. Use Browser selection for whole bodies, sketches, or construction references that are difficult to reach in the viewport.

Object Select#

Object Select is the cube-and-pointer button beside X-RAY at the lower left of Model. Turn it on when you want viewport taps to select whole objects instead of faces or edges. An active button uses the accent color, and the status message confirms that Object Select is on.

With Object Select on, tap a body to select it and tap it again to remove it from the selection. Continue tapping bodies to build a multiple-object selection. You can also select whole bodies from Browser. Turn Object Select off when a tool asks for a face, edge, or sketch profile; viewport taps then return to contextual geometry selection.

The selected-object highlight color comes from Settings > Selection > Object Selection Color. Face Selection Color controls the separate face highlight.

Transform gizmo#

The Transform Gizmo appears in Model when one or more supported whole objects are selected, no modeling command is active, and Settings > Selection > Transform Gizmo is enabled. It can transform solid bodies, supported reference meshes, or one construction reference. Selecting an individual face or edge does not show it.

Use the floating gizmo controls to choose Move, Rotate, or Scale, then drag the corresponding axis, rotation ring, or scale handle in the viewport. The value readout shows the current pending change. The ellipsis opens the full Transform details, where you can enter exact values and use expressions.

Gizmo changes are previews until you press the checkmark to Apply. Apply records a Transform in History for bodies. Press the X button to discard the pending change. If the gizmo is disabled in Settings, select the object and choose Modify > Transform instead.

X-Ray Mode#

X-RAY is the pill-shaped control at the lower left of Model. Tap it to turn see-through display on or off. Press and drag horizontally across the control to change X-ray strength; dragging right increases it, dragging left decreases it, and the temporary percentage readout shows the current value.

X-Ray Mode changes only the viewport presentation. It does not modify bodies, add a History feature, change material opacity, or affect exported CAD geometry. Use it to inspect internal cuts, holes, threads, and overlapping bodies, then tap X-RAY again to return to the normal solid display.

Selection and tool order#

You can often select geometry before opening a tool. If the current selection is not valid, the tool keeps asking for its required input. Reference pickers temporarily narrow selection to profiles, paths, directions, axes, or planes.