- Qt Creator Manual
- Working in 3D Editor
- Qt Creator Manual 4.14.0

Editing 3D Assets in Design Mode ◦ Adding 3D Views

# Working in 3D Editor

When editing a 3D scene, you view the scene in the 3D Editor view. You can change the projection of the view by switching between perspective camera and orthographic camera modes. When using the perspective camera mode, objects that are far from the camera appear smaller than those nearby. In the orthographic camera mode, all objects appear at the same scale irrespective of their distance from the camera. Both of them are free-form camera modes that you can use to orbit around the scene.

When you import 3D scenes from files that you exported from 3D graphics tools, you also import a scene camera, light, model, and materials. If your scene did not contain them, you can add the corresponding Qt Quick 3D types from Library.

You can use the toolbar buttons to transform 3D objects and manipulate the 3D scene. Transformation refers to moving, rotating, or scaling of an object. The pivot of the component is used as the origin for transformations. You can set a local pivot offset for an item in Properties to transform the component around a point other than its local origin. A line is drawn in 3D Editor from the pivot point to the center of the component to provide a visual connection between them.

Toggle between local and global orientation to determine whether the gizmos affect only the local transformations of the item or whether they transform with respect to the global space.

Additional helpful features when editing 3D scenes are the edit light, which is a quick way to light the scene, and the grid that helps you to navigate in 3D space. Select the (Toggle Grid Visibility) or press G to show or hide the grid.

The following video illustrates navigating in 3D Editor and using the toolbar:

## Controlling the 3D Editor Camera

To switch to perspective camera mode, select (Toggle Perspective/Orthographic Edit Camera). To switch to orthographic camera mode, select .

You can navigate the scene by panning, rotating, and zooming the 3D Editor camera:

- To pan, press Alt and use the middle mouse button to click and drag anywhere in the rendered view to slide the view around.
- To orbit, press Alt and click and drag anywhere in the rendered view to rotate the view.
- To zoom, use the mouse wheel or press Alt and right-click anywhere in the rendered view to zoom the view in or out as you drag up or down.

To zoom and focus the 3D Editor camera on a selected item, select (Fit Selected) or press F.

The world axis helper (1) shows the direction of the world axes in view. To point the camera at the currently selected component in the direction of an axis, click the axis. Clicking the dot at the end of the axis will point the camera at the opposite direction of the axis. If no component is selected, the camera is pointed at the world origin. This does not affect the camera zoom level.

You can use scene cameras (2) to view the the View3D type from a specific angle in Form Editor while editing scenes. Different types of cameras are available in Library under Qt Quick 3D. For more information about using cameras in the scene, the available camera types, and their properties, see Using Scene Camera.

## Using Global and Local Orientation

To switch between local and global orientation, select or (Toggle Local/Global Orientation) or press Y.

In global orientation mode, transformation of a selected object is presented with respect to the global space. For example, while the move tool is selected, selecting a cube will show its move gizmo aligned with the axes of global space. Dragging on the red arrow of the gizmo moves the object in the global x direction.

In local orientation mode, the position of a selected object is shown according to local axes specific to the selected object. For example, selecting a rotated cube will show its axes rotated, and not aligned with the axes of global space. Dragging on the red arrow of the gizmo moves the object in the local x direction in relation to the object.

## Using Edit Light

The edit light is an extra point light that can be used to illuminate the scene. To toggle the edit light on and off, select or (Toggle Edit Light) or press U.

For more information about the available scene light types and their properties, see Using Lights.

## Selecting Items

To move, rotate, or scale items in the scene, you need to select them first. The selection mode buttons determine how items are selected when you click them in 3D Editor:

- In the (Select Item) mode, a single item is selected.
- In the (Select Group) mode, the top level parent of the item is selected. This enables you to move, rotate, or scale a group of items.

To toggle the selection mode, press Q.

## Moving Items

You can move items in relation to their coordinate system, along the x, y, or z axis or on the top, bottom, left, and right clip planes of the 3D Editor view.

To move items, select or press W:

- To move items along the axes of the move gizmo, click the axis and drag the item along the axis.
- To move items on a plane, click the plane handle and drag the item on the plane.
- To move an item freely in 3D editor, click and drag the gray handle at the center of the move gizmo.

## Rotating Items

To rotate items, select or press E:

- To rotate an item around its rotation gizmo, click the axis ring and drag in the direction you want to rotate the item in.
- To freely rotate the item, click and drag the inner center circle of the gizmo.

## Scaling Items

You can use the scale handles to adjust the local x, y, or z scale of an item. You can adjust the scale across one, two, or three axes, depending on the handle.

To scale items, select or press R:

- To adjust the scale across one axis, click and drag the scale handle attached to the axis.
- To adjust the scale across a plane, click the plane handle and drag the item on the plane.
- To uniformly scale an item across all axes, click and drag the gray handle at the center of the item.

Editing 3D Assets in Design Mode ◦ Adding 3D Views