Orbit model with keyboard

SketchUp Pro
1

Is there a way to orbit the model with the keyboard?
What i need is to rotate around one isolated axis only.

More specifically:
I need to align the view roatation with a line in my model.
I have a house-model, where the house is not oriented along a north-south axes.
The model axes on the house are obviously oriented along the house-walls.
Now, i need a north-oriented Plan view.
If i switch to TOP View (F12), i get this:

1197×962 171 KB

I don’t understand where the model has it’s orientation from, i guess it must be from the main building, since this is being shown parallel.
But as i moved the axes to the plan-bitmap, i would have expected that TOP view would orient along that axes. Or maybe the Geolocation north, which would be the same in my case.

2

Install SketchUp Plugins | PluginStore | SketchUcation
If you are not already a member, then you can get a free-membership at SketchUcation…
Get the angle needed using the Protractor tool, then rotate the plan view, zoom as needed, and finally save to a Scene-tab.

3

Thanks @TIG, worked like a charm, problem solved.

If someone has answers:
Just for curiousness and for users reading the title, is there a way to orbit via keyboard?

And, what is going on in my model, where is it getting it’s north from, for the top view?

4

For a plan view it aligns ‘North’ with the green-axis [Y] - you usually model with the main walls oriented ‘orthogonally’.

You can also set a model’s ‘Solar’ North to be something else - which is obviously useful for correct shadow studies etc.
Logically you’ll model with the house’s walls orthogonal with green/Y which will only be approximating to a true ‘Solar North’ ?

You’ll need this tool installing to let you change ‘Solar North’ for shadows etc…
https://extensions.sketchup.com/en/content/solar-north

5

Not with native tools. There have been some utilities written in Ruby over the years for spinning the camera. Perhaps one of these extensions watches the arrow keys (which are now usually used for locking axis inferences) ?

6

… and, I was basically thinking of @jim_foltz’s “jf-rotcam90” script.

7

Thanks Dan.
@jim_foltz, neither the forum- nor the google- search knows anything about jf-rotcam90 … is it around somewhere?

8

Dan means this one.

9

Yes, with native tools. In your example above, right click on an axis in empty space and select ‘Align View’. Green pointing straight up on screen will then be the new orientation, your desired Top view.
In general with whatever new drawing axes: right click an axis in empty space > select ‘Align View’ > green points straight up. Best to do so in parallel projection mode.

p.s. save this view in a scene, to easily return to when needed.

1 Like
10

Nice! the Align View featrue is exactly what i neeeded. My problem is solved.
TIG’s plugin was doing it too, there just were minor rounding differences, but below visibility i think.

The titile-question is though not solved, or, the answer is no… dan’s answer points to a tool that seems to rotate only in given steps, so it’s not strictly a move by keyboard. I was thinking more of a cursor-movement thing.
I think i saw someone request a keyboard navigation in computer-game style…