Manage 3D View and Select Atoms

QuantumATK: 3D functionalities

Platforms:
Links: BuilderTips2

In this tutorial you will learn basic functionalities of the Builder and the Viewer.
You will learn how to manage the 3D view, and how to select atoms.
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Note

MOUSE AND KEYBOARD HOTKEYS MEMO

The icons below show a list of mouse and keyboard hot keys we will use for the pictures of the tutorial.

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The Builder and the Viewer provide beautiful and easy to use 3D view and selection functionalities. This tutorial explains how to use them.

Rotations

You can do 3D rotations and 2D rotations of any configuration: Simply click and hold down the right mouse-button and move the cursor using mouse.

Note

3D and 2D rotations

  • moving the cursor inside the Viewer window gives you 3D rotations of your 3D object.
  • moving the cursor outside the Viewer window gives you 2D rotations of your 3D object.
  • Also note that the cursor changes when you are in rotate mode: rotate_3d_icon

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Reset View

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Press Ctrl+R on your keyboard to reset the 3D view.

Zoom

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There are two ways to zoom:

  1. Use the mouse wheel.
  2. Hold down Ctrl and the right mouse botton, and move the mouse cursor up or down (zoom_icon).

Drag

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There are two ways to toggle the drag function (dragging_icon) to move your structure around in the 3D view:

  1. Hold down the mouse middle botton/wheel.
  2. Hold down Shift and the right mouse botton.

Camera and View Planes

Both the Builder and the Viewer have functionality that allows you to view a configuration in specific 2D planes: xy, yx, xz, zx, yz, zy.

Note

Camera and Move

  • In Viewer, you can use the Camera plugin to select a 2D view plane.
  • In Builder, you can use both the view_plane_icon Camera and the Move02_icon Move tool for this.

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Note that the Move tool puts you in Move Tool Mode. If you want to use another tool you must close it first!

Selections

The QuantumATK selection and de-selection functionality follows the logic of many other GUIs:

Attention

  • (hold) Ctrl + [click to object(s)] : to select object(s)
  • (hold) Shift+ [click to object(s)] : to de-select object(s) (if they are in selected mode)
  • (hold) Ctrl + A : to select all objects
  • Esc : to de-select everything
  • [click on the background] : to de-select everything

The selected objects/atoms in are indicated by a yellow halo.

  • The Group Selection Tools allow you to choose a group of atoms using a square, circular or arbitrarily shaped lasso.

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  • You can of course use these tools combined with (hold) Ctrl to select several groups.
  • You can also select all atoms of the same element by double-clicking one of those atoms while holding down the Shift key:

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More advanced selection tools are also available. In the Builder these are located in the Selection Tools plugin, while in the Viewer they are located as individual Select… plugins:

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