How to pan (steps)?

Hello.

I click in the drawing area, and then move my mouse around, but all I get is a mouse cursor that moves around. Is there something missing here??

I appreciate your help.
Regards,
leaning

Click the Pan tool or hold shift while pressing the middle mouse button.

Box,

  1. Clicking the pan tool makes a hand appear and then I can move that hand around with my mouse, but it doesn’t pan or move anything.

  2. My laptop doesn’t have a middle mouse button.

  3. Here is the issue I am having.

a) Go to Default Tray and ensure that Instructor is checked.
b) In Instructor, when I click on the Pan Tool, I get this:
Tool Operation
1) Click anywhere in the drawing area.
2) Move cursor in any direction to pan.

I do those two steps and I get a moving hand, not a pan.It seems there is a step missing that says you need to not “move the cursor”, but “drag” the cursor (hold the left mouse button down while moving). But this is 2017 version, and those instructions have been around forever and vetted by millions of users, so if I can’t follow them as written, then it must be me or my computer.

All I know is that when I click and move my cursor as instructed, nothing happens but a moving hand.

Any other ideas?

Regards,
leaning

Have you tried to Drag the hand? That is how it works.

In the online help it states the instructions more exactly:

To pan using the Pan tool, follow these steps:

Select the Pan tool (pan) or press the H key.
In the drawing area, click and drag the cursor in any direction.

1 Like

I would suggest getting a mouse with a middle button to use with your laptop. While you can use the pan tool to get by, a mouse is a must have to be anywhere near efficient with SketchUp. A mouse gives you the ability to pan and orbit easily.

It’s odd that the modifier keys for orbit and pan are not available in the Windows version. I’m sure that no middle mouse button is more common in Mac, hence the shortcut to get orbit and pan, but would it be any harm to let Windows users have those too?

I were on the assumption that the OP is using the touchpad of the laptop, not an external mouse, with the “my laptop does not have middle mouse button” comment.

As for Pan/orbit shortcuts Windows, they probably are there but I wouldn’t remember as I don’t use them.

I use a mouse with a scroll wheel(middle button), as is what I think of as the vogue.

With Select tool activated:
TO ORBIT: I press the scroll wheel down, and move the mouse.
TO PAN : I press the scroll wheel down and hold the shift key, and move the mouse. (as described by Box earlier).

I tried in Windows, and couldn’t find any modifier key to bring up orbit while using trackpad. That’s how I work on Mac, and I don’t feel a need to use a multi button mouse.

I thought I’d add my thoughts to the discussion, I’m not going to argue if it works for you. Each to their own.

Thanks, Colin. That’s helpful. It looks like what everyone is saying is that it takes more than “click and move” to pan; there is a “drag” aspect that has to happen. The online help captures that, but the Instructor help doesn’t. I’ll submit the feedback, FWIW. Regards, leaning

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