3D toolbar overview

The 3D toolbar appears after you click the 3D model with the Hand tool, which also enables the 3D model and plays any animations associated with it. The 3D toolbar always appears in the area above the upper left corner of the 3D model and cannot be moved. A small blue triangle appears immediately below the 3D toolbar, which you can click to hide and show the toolbar.

Note: You can disable or enable the blue triangle toggle by choosing Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat > Preferences (Mac OS), selecting 3D under Categories, and then clicking the Enable Toggle For 3D Toolbar Control option.

You can use the 3D toolbar to zoom in and out, rotate, and pan across the object. Use the Model Tree to hide or isolate parts, or make parts transparent.

You manipulate a 3D model by selecting and dragging various 3D navigation tools. When you navigate in 3D, it may help to think of it as viewing the stationary 3D model from a camera’s perspective. You can rotate, pan (move up, down, or side-to-side), and zoom in or out.

Note: You can hide the toolbar by right-clicking/Control-clicking the 3D model and choosing Hide Toolbar. To show the toolbar, choose Show Toolbar from the same context menu.

3D navigation tools

Rotate: Turns 3D objects around relative to the screen. How the objects move depends on the starting view, where you start dragging, and the direction you drag, such as in a straight line or in curves, circles, or loops.

Note: You can also use the Hand tool to rotate an object if Enable 3D Selection For The Hand Tool is selected in the 3D panel of the Preferences dialog box.
Spin: Turns a 3D model in parallel to two fixed axes in the 3D model, the x-axis and the z-axis.
Pan: Moves the model vertically and horizontally only. You can also pan with the Hand tool: Ctrl-drag/Command-drag.
Zoom: Moves you toward, or away from, objects in the scene when you drag vertically. You can also zoom with the Hand tool by holding down Shift as you drag.
Walk: Pivots horizontally around the scene when you drag horizontally; moves forward or backward in the scene when you drag vertically; maintains a constant elevation level, regardless of how you drag.The Walk tool is especially useful for architectural 3D models.

Note: The Walk tool is available when you select the Preferences setting that consolidates tools or when you right-click /Control-click the 3D model and choose Tools > Walk.
3D Measurement Tool: Measure part sizes and distances in the 3D model.

3D toolbar view controls

Default View: Returns to a preset zoom, pan, rotation, and projection mode of the 3D model. You can use the Options menu on the Model Tree or the Manage Views command on the 3D toolbar Views menu to set a different view as the default.

If an object ever moves out of your view, you have, in essence, turned your camera completely away from the object. Click the Default View icon on the 3D toolbar to move the object back into view.
Views menu: Lists any views defined for the current 3D model.
Toggle Model Tree: Opens and hides the Model Tree panel.
Play/Pause Animation: Plays or pauses any JavaScript-enabled animation.
Projection: Toggles between using perspective and orthographic projection of the 3D object.
Model Render Mode menu: Determines how the 3D shape appears. For an illustrated guide, see Examples of Model Rendering modes.
Enable Extra Lighting menu: Lists the different lighting effects, in which the number, color, orientation, and brightness of the lights, the reflectivity of the surface, and other factors affect the illumination of the 3D object. Experiment with No Lights, White Lights, Day Lights, Bright Lights, Primary Color Lights, Night Lights, Blue Lights, Red Lights, Cube Lights, CAD Optimized Lights, and Headlamp to get the visual effects you want.
Background Color swatch: Opens the color picker, which you can use to select a different color for the space surrounding the 3D object.
Toggle Cross section: Shows and hides cross sections of the object. Use the pop-up button to open the Cross Section Properties dialog box. For more information, see Create cross sections.