# Viewports

OVITO's main window contains four viewports, which are laid out in a 2 by 2 grid. Each viewport shows the same three-dimensional scene from a different view. The caption in the upper left corner and the axis tripod in the lower left corner of every viewport indicate the current viewing direction, i.e. the orientation of the virtual camera in space.

## Navigation

The colored cross marks the center of rotation of the camera. Double-click on a particle to reposition the marker.

Use the mouse to navigate within a viewport and to move the virtual camera around:

- Left-click and drag to rotate the camera around the current orbit center, which, by default, is located in the center of the simulation cell.

- Right-click and drag to move the camera parallel to the current projection plane. You can also use the middle mouse button for this.

- Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.

- Double-click on a particle or other object to set a new orbit center. From now on the camera will rotate around that location in space, which is marked by a symbol.

- Double-click in an empty region of a viewport to reset the orbit center to the center of the current object (e.g. the simulation box).

By default, the z-axis is considered the "up" (=vertical) direction, and OVITO ensures that it is always pointing upward when you rotate or move the camera. Depending on your simulation setup, this might not be the best choice. In such a case you can also make the x or y axis pointing upward in the application settings dialog.

## Viewport toolbar

The viewport toolbar.

The viewport toolbar is located below the viewports and contains buttons to explicitly activate certain navigation input modes. The Maximize Active Viewport button enlarges the current viewport such that it fills the entire main window. Clicking the button a second time restores the original 2x2 layout of viewports. The active viewport is marked by a yellow border.

The Zoom Scene Extents button adjusts the zoom level and repositions the camera of the active viewport such that the complete scene becomes fully visible.

## Viewport menu

The viewport menu.

Clicking on the caption text in a viewport's upper left corner opens the viewport menu. Here you can switch between the standard view types such as Top, Left, Front etc.

Adjust View opens a dialog box that lets you adjust the camera's position and orientation numerically.

The Show Render Frame option activates a visual clue to indicate the area of the viewport that will be visible in the final output picture. The aspect ratio of the rendered image can be adjusted in the Render Settings panel.