There are two ways to move the camera, and a set of keyboard controls that work in both.

The two camera modes

Orbit is the default. The camera circles a point on the model, which suits inspecting a structure from the outside.

First person puts you inside the scene, looking around from where you stand. Better for walking under a deck or through a structure.

Switch between them with the first-person button in the toolbar at the bottom of the 3D view. It highlights when first-person is active; click it again to return to orbit.

Mouse controls

Shift-drag always pans, whatever mode you are in. Use it when you want to shift the view slightly without leaving the rotation you have set up.

If you would rather the left button panned by default, change it in the 3D settings described below.

Keyboard controls

These work in both modes:

Holding Shift or Alt while moving is the quickest way to cross a large structure and then fine-tune your position.

Getting back

Click Home in the toolbar to fly back to the project's default view. Use it whenever you have lost your bearings.

Home returns to a view saved on the project itself, which an administrator can update. If it points somewhere unhelpful, that is a project setting rather than something wrong with your session.

The compass

For georeferenced projects, a compass sits in the bottom-right corner. It turns as you do, and clicking it faces the camera north. Projects without georeferencing have no compass.

Making the model easier to see

Open Settings in the toolbar for:

• Brightness lightens or darkens the whole scene.
• Quality trades detail against speed while the model loads.
• Left mouse button chooses whether dragging rotates or pans by default.
• Fly to selection sets whether selecting an observation moves the camera to it.

Related

• Using the clipping box to see inside a structure
• Working with images
• Adding an observation to the 3D model
• Troubleshooting a project that will not open in 3D