The Graphics Toolbar Buttons and Navigation
Some of the toolbar buttons available on the Graphics window are different based on the space dimension of the Component. The buttons also correspond to domain, boundary, edge, and point level nodes that display under the physics interface, which are also based on the Component space dimension as shown in Table 6-4. The buttons in Table 6-5 are available in any space dimension.
In the tables there are links to the corresponding sections that contain instructions about how to do the listed tasks.
Table 6-4: Graphics Toolbar Buttons by Space Dimension
Name
3D
2D and 2D Axisymmetric
1D and 1D Axisymmetric
Selecting and Clearing Selection of Geometric Entities
Select Boundaries
Select Box
Deselect Box
Select Domains
Select Objects
Select Points
—
Select Edges
—
—
Disable Mouse Selection
Contextual Hover Effect
The Sketch Visualization
 
 
 
Select Edges
 
 
Select Vertices
 
 
Select Constraints and Dimensions (Design Module only)
 
 
Changing Views in the Graphics Window
Go to XY View
—
—
Go to YZ View
—
—
Go to XZ View
—
—
Go to YX View
—
—
Go to ZY View
—
—
Go to ZX View
—
—
Rotate Right 90°
—
—
Rotate Left 90°
—
—
Show Axis Orientation
—
—
Show Grid
—
x-Axis Log Scale
—
—
y-Axis Log Scale
—
—
Show Legends
About Clipping of 3D Model Geometries
Add Clip Plane and other clipping features
—
—
Clipping Active and other clipping settings
—
—
Lighting, Transparency, Projection, and Wireframe Rendering and About Environment Mapping
Scene Light and environment maps
—
—
Transparency
—
—
Orthographic Projection
—
—
Wireframe Rendering
—
—
Mesh Rendering
—
Drawing on a 2D Work Plane in 3D
Align with Work Plane*
—
—
Work Plane Clipping*
—
—
*These buttons are available when using a Work Plane to define 2D objects in 3D.
Table 6-5: Graphics Toolbar Buttons Available for all Space Dimensions
Button
Name
See Also
Select All (Ctrl+A)
 
Clear Selection (Ctrl+D)
 
Click and Hide
Hiding and Showing Geometric Entities
View Unhidden
View Hidden Only
View All
Reset Hiding
Zoom In
Zooming In and Out in the Graphics Window
Zoom Out
Zoom Box
Zoom to Selection
Zoom Extents
Go to Default View
Changing Views in the Graphics Window
Suppress Selection Highlight
Selection Colors
Colors (Show Selection Colors in 2D and 3D and Show Material Color and Texture in 3D)
Selection Colors
Quick Snapshot
Capturing and Copying Screenshots
Image Snapshot
Capturing and Copying Screenshots
Print
Printing from the COMSOL Desktop
Zooming In and Out in the Graphics Window
Button
Name
Action
 
Zoom in and out
Click the middle mouse button (scroll wheel) and drag it forward and backward to zoom in and out of the object, respectively. The zoom is centered where the first click is made in the Graphics window. You can also use Ctrl+scroll wheel to zoom in and out by scrolling forward and backward or press the scroll wheel and zoom in and out with somewhat larger steps using the scroll wheel.
and
Zoom In and Zoom Out
Click the Zoom In button to zoom in. Click the Zoom Out button to zoom out.
Zoom Box
To zoom into a general area of the geometry, click the Zoom Box button; then click and drag to highlight a section of the geometry to zoom into. Click the arrow to the right of the Zoom Box button to select Keep Enabled After Use if you want to continue to zoom using a box without having to click the Zoom Box button again.
Zoom to Selection
Click the Zoom to Selection button to zoom into the selected geometric entities. This button is also available in connection with the selection lists for domains, boundaries, edges, and points. This zoom operation also updates the center of rotation and sets a manual rotation center, which will stay active until you click the Zoom Extents or the Go to Default 3D View button or otherwise change the mode of the rotation center.
Zoom Extents
Click the Zoom Extents button to zoom out and fit the complete geometry into the window.
 
Zoom to Point
Ctrl+middle-mouse click to zoom to the point that the mouse points to. This zoom action sets a manual rotation center and zooms into the point.
Changing Views in the Graphics Window
Button
Name
Action
Go to XY View, Go to YZ View, and Go to XZ View (3D only)
Click the Go to XY View, Go to YZ View, and Go to XZ View buttons to change the view to the xy-, yz-, or xz-plane in a 3D Graphics window. The first click selects the plane view with a positive normal direction. A second click on the same button switches to a negative normal direction. A third click flips the direction in the plane, and a fourth click switches the normal again, so the clicks cycle through all four possible views for the chosen plane.
Go to YX View, Go to ZY View, and Go to ZX View (3D only)
These buttons are only available if Click the Go to YX View, Go to ZY View, and Go to ZX View buttons to change the view to the xy-, yz-, or xz-plane in a 3D Graphics window. The first click selects the plane view with a positive normal direction. A second click on the same button switches to a negative normal direction. A third click flips the direction in the plane, and a fourth click switches the normal again, so the clicks cycle through all four possible views for the chosen plane.
Go to Default View
Click the Go to Default View button to change the view to the default view in a 3D Graphics window.
 
Display a user-defined view:
After creating a View under the Definitions node, click the down arrow next to the Go to View button () and select a user-defined view from the list.
Rotate Right 90°, Rotate Left 90°
Click the Rotate Right 90° and Rotate Left 90° buttons to rotate a geometry in a 3D Graphics window by 90° in the right (clockwise) or left (counterclockwise) direction.
Show Axis Orientation
Click the Show Axis Orientation button to toggle the display of the axis orientation indicator (triad) in the lower-left corner of the 3D Graphics window on or off.
Show Grid
Click the Show Grid button to toggle the display the grid box on or off in the 2D and 3D Graphics window.
Show Legends
Click the Show Legends button to toggle the display of the color legend on or off in 2D and 3D Graphics windows or to toggle the display of legends on or off in 1D Graphics windows.
 
Vertical axis
On the Default 3D View page, under Graphics in the Preferences dialog box, you can choose the vertical axis for default 3D views. From the Vertical axis list, choose x-axis, y-axis, or z-axis (the default). Also, by default, the axis points upward. To make it point downward instead, clear the Axis points upward check box. The default 3D view is used when adding new views and when clicking the Go to Default View button in 3D in the Graphics toolbar.
Moving Around and Rotating a 3D Geometry
There are many options available for moving around the Graphics window and rotating 3D geometries, in addition to the buttons for changing views listed under Changing Views in the Graphics Window above.
Controlling the Rotation
As the default, there is an automatic rotation center, so that the rotation center switches if there is something observable in the screen center. The automatic rotation center is good for navigating the model but not always for working on a local area of a big model. For that purpose, you can switch to a manual rotation center. Click the middle mouse button to set a new rotation center if you want to temporarily fix the rotation center (a manual rotation center). Zooming to a point or a selection also sets a manual rotation center. If you middle-click somewhere in the Graphics window where there is no object, the rotation center switches back to the automatic mode. The manual rotation center is only temporary and is reset to the automatic mode if you click the Zoom Extents, Go to Default View, Go to XY View, Go to YZ View, Go to XZ View, Go to YX View, Go to ZY View, or Go to ZX View button. You can switch between automatic and manual modes by pressing the R key, and the rotation center icon will appear to indicate the current mode, if it is activated. See the preferences settings below for disabling the automatic rotation center and the middle-mouse clicking and controlling the visibility of the rotation center icon, if desired.
If you want to permanently lock the current rotation center (in rare cases you may need to do so; perhaps for creating snapshot images for a report), select the Lock rotation center check box in the View node’s Settings window. It locks the rotation center permanently, so you have to clear this check box to unlock it. The current locked rotation center will be saved in the model.
The automatic, manual, and locked modes have different rotation center icons on the screen when you rotate the object or perform any mouse operation:
•
For the automatic mode: .
•
For the manual mode: .
•
For the locked mode: .
The rotation center icon can be visible or hidden. You can specify the visibility in the Preferences dialog box, on the Graphics>Interaction>Rotation Center page, as well as controlling if the automatic rotation center and the middle-click for specifying the rotation center should be active. The following settings are available:
•
Clear the Auto check box to turn off the automatic rotation center (which is active by default).
•
Clear the Set with mouse middle-click check box to turn off the automatic rotation center (which is active by default).
•
From the Visibility list, choose Always hide (the default) to never show the rotation center icon, Shown only on mouse action to show it only when you click the mouse or press R to change the rotation center, or Always show to make it visible always.
Setting the manual rotation point in the Graphics windows is only supported for the OpenGL renderer.
Constrained Rotation
To rotate around the x-, y-, and z-axis, use the X, Y, and Z keyboard shortcuts, respectively. If you press and hold the X key when rotating a 3D geometry, it will rotate around the x-axis only (lock the x-axis). In the same way, press and hold the Y and Z keys to rotate around the corresponding axis. You can switch the rotation while rotating with the left mouse button active; for example, press and hold the X key and then release it; then press and hold the Y key to switch between locking the x-axis and the y-axis without releasing the left mouse button.
Additional Tools for Moving, Zooming, and Rotating
In addition, the following list contains tools that are available for moving, zooming, and rotating geometries in the Graphics window. Except where stated otherwise, these tools are available for 3D geometries only.
Task
Action and Result
Operation Order
Rotate the objects in the scene around the scene’s rotation center.
In the Graphics window, click and hold down the mouse button while dragging it in any direction.
This rotates the scene around the axes parallel to the screen X- and Y-axes with the origin in the scene rotation point.
click
Move the visible frame on the image plane in any direction (pan)
In the Graphics window, right-click and hold down the mouse button while dragging it in any direction. Available in all space dimensions.
right-click
Zoom in and out around the mouse position where the action started
In the Graphics window, click and hold down the middle mouse (scroll wheel) button and drag the mouse forward or back to zoom in and out (change the view angle of the camera in 3D). Available in all space dimensions.
middle-click
Set the manual rotation center
In the Graphics window, click the middle mouse button.
middle-click
Rotate about the X- and Y-axes in the image plane (tilt and pan the camera)
Press Ctrl and click in the Graphics window. While holding down the key and button, drag the mouse in any direction.
This places the rotation coordinate system in the camera (the camera look-at axis) and rotates around the axes parallel to the screen X- and Y-axes.
You can also constrain the rotation around the x-, y-, and z-axis using the X, Y, and Z keys, respectively. See Constrained Rotation.
Ctrl+click
Move the camera origin in the plane that intersects the camera origin and that is orthogonal to the camera look-at axis
Press Ctrl and right-click in the Graphics window. While holding down the key and button, drag the mouse in any direction.
Ctrl+right-click
Move the camera into and away from the object (dolly in/out)
Press Ctrl and then click the middle mouse button. While holding down both the key and button, in the Graphics window, drag the mouse in any direction.
Ctrl+middle-click, hold and drag
Move the camera origin along the camera look at axis
Press Ctrl and then click the middle mouse button (scroll wheel).
Ctrl+middle-click
Rotate the objects in the scene about the axis that intersects the camera origin and the scene’s rotation center (roll direction)
Press Alt, then click in the Graphics window. While holding down the key and button, drag the mouse in any direction.
Alt+click
Move the camera origin in the plane that intersects the camera origin and that is orthogonal to the axis that intersects the camera origin and the scene’s rotation center
Press Alt, then right-click the mouse in the Graphics window. While holding down the key and button, drag the mouse in any direction.
Alt+right-click
Move the camera origin along the axis that intersects the camera origin and the scene’s rotation center
Press Alt, then middle-click in the Graphics window. While holding down the key and button (scroll wheel), drag the mouse in any direction.
Alt+middle-click
Rotate the objects in the scene about the camera look-at direction
Press Ctrl+Alt, then click in the Graphics window. While holding down the keys and the button, drag the mouse in any direction. If you have not rotated the camera (using Ctrl+click), the effect is the same as when using Alt+click.
Ctrl+Alt+click
Lighting, Transparency, Projection, and Wireframe Rendering
The following are available for 3D models.
Button
Name
Action
Scene Light
Click any plot under Results. In the Graphics window or any other plot window, click the Scene Light button to turn it on. Click again to turn scene light off. See Figure 6-13.
When creating a View, this action toggles the Scene light check box on the View page.
Transparency
Click any plot under Results. In the Graphics window or any other plot window, click the Transparency button to turn it on. Click again to turn transparency off. See Figure 6-13.
When creating a View, this action toggles the Transparency check box on the View page. See User-Defined Views.
Orthographic Projection
Click this button to use orthographic projection; otherwise, perspective projection is used.
Wireframe Rendering
Click any plot under Results. In the Graphics window, click the Wireframe Rendering button to turn it on. Click again to turn the wireframe off. See Figure 6-13. Note that wireframe rendering only has effect when mesh rendering is turned off (for a view that normally shows the mesh).
When creating a View, this action toggles the Wireframe rendering check box on the View page. See User-Defined Views.
See also Preferences Settings to set the level of graphic detail to Wireframe and speed up the rendering of complex models or to improve visual appearance.
Figure 6-13: Scene light, transparency, and wireframe rendering examples.
Hiding and Showing Geometric Entities
Selecting an item in any Selection list highlights the corresponding geometric entities or objects in the Graphics window for selection or deselection. Only the geometric entities you can see in the Graphics window are available for selection; that is, hidden objects cannot be selected and selection methods vary based on the Component’s space dimension.
Button
Name
Action
Click and Hide
In the Graphics window, toggle the Click and Hide button (click to highlight and turn on and click again to turn off). When turned on, click a geometric entity or geometry object, and it is then hidden and added to the list of hidden entities or hidden geometries in the Hide for Geometry or Hide for Physics node under a View. In the Selection lists, (hidden) appears next to the entity number. When click and hide is active, the cursor changes to indicate that clicking now hides objects: . See Figure 6-14.
The click and hide functionality is turned off when you activate any of the following actions:
•
Right-click in the Graphics window and select Exit Click and Hide from the context menu.
•
Clicking an Active button in the Settings window (that is, activating or deactivating the selection).
•
Changing the selection in the Model Builder, manually or as a side effect of some other action such as adding a new feature.
•
In 2D, clicking the Edit Object button.
When creating a View, right-click the View node and select Hide for Geometry or Hide for Physics, depending on the current node in the model tree. Select a Geometric entity level from the list to hide.
Also see Hide for Geometry, Hide for Physics, and Hide for Mesh Import when creating a View.
View Unhidden
In the Graphics window, click the View Unhidden button to display any geometry objects, domains, boundaries, edges, or points not hidden.
View Hidden Only
In the Graphics window, click the View Hidden Only button to display only hidden geometry objects, domains, boundaries, edges, or points.
View All
In the Graphics window, click the View All button to display all hidden and unhidden geometry objects, domains, boundaries, edges, or points.
Reset Hiding
In the Graphics window, click the Reset Hiding button to reset all hidden geometry objects, domains, boundaries, edges, or points to the default.
This removes any Hide for Geometry or Hide for Physics subnodes added to a View node (when in geometry mode, Hide for Physics subnodes are not removed).
When the View Hidden Only button (), View Unhidden button (), or View All button () is clicked on the Graphics window toolbar, it changes the view accordingly. The selection list on the Settings window details what is hidden or shown based on the button clicked. See Figure 6-14 and Figure 6-15 for examples based on the original geometry shown in About Highlighted Geometric Entities in the Graphics Window.
Figure 6-14: An example of the domains that display in the Graphics window when the View unhidden button is clicked. The selection list displays the detail that domains 4 and 7 are hidden in the Graphics window. Compare to Figure 6-15.
Figure 6-15: An example of the domains that display in the Graphics window when the View unhidden only button is clicked. The selection list displays the detail that domains 2, 3, 5, and 6 are hidden in the Graphics window. Compare to Figure 6-14.