Visual Nature Studio 3 Feature of the Week

Years in the making, VNS 3 is the biggest 3D Nature upgrade ever.

With features that immediately benefit everyone from beginner to advanced users, VNS 3 is already producing great results in the projects of visualization experts around the world.

Each week our Feature of the Week will focus on one of the new cutting-edge features VNS 3 offers. This week's feature is:

Easier View Navigation

Navigating your View's Camera has never been easier!

One of the most awkward parts of 3D visualization (especially by those unfamiliar with 3D and the 3D camera paradigms used by 3D rendering software is the View (and Camera) navigation. In VNS 2, this was somewhat compounded by using the same set of buttons to move both the Views' Cameras, as well as objects within the Views.

With VNS 3, we have taken advantage of our new Window Titlebar Buttons to put the View Manipulation controls right where they ought to be, on top of each View. No longer do you need to remember the state of the Manipulate View's Camera button. Each View has a distinct set of Manipulation buttons. If you switch to a different window, these buttons automatically un-press, so you don't accidentally come back and unintentionally move something with the mouse. You never have to move your mouse far to get to the function you want. Let's look at the buttons from the top of a View Window:

The normal object manipulation buttons (Move/Rotate/Scale) and their axis locks (X/Y/Z/Elev/Heading/Pitch/Bank) are all still available on the main toolbar for moving objects, or Cameras that you can see within a View window just like before. And, for those who learned and love the secret hold-spacebar Manipulate Camera shortcut, we have a treat for you. It's still hidden there in case you are hooked on it and still want to use it. But it doesn't get in your way if you don't.

And as an extra bonus, you can now control the size of the titlebars of the windows within VNS 3. If you're running on a small screen (1024x768) VNS will force the smaller title bars and buttons within them. But on larger displays where there is room, it will go to larger, easier to see and use buttons on a larger title bar. Other small user interface elements will also increase in size where possible. If you're a fan of tight spaces, you can always force VNS to use the small size elements though with an advanced configuration option.

Manipulation buttons are close at hand. Each View has its own set of controls. View Manipulation shuts off automatically. Old functionality still available. Small or large buttons and titlebars.

Order your VNS 3 today!