Keyboard and mouse
Reference of all mouse and keyboard commands: camera navigation, views, selection, drawing, transforming and general keyboard shortcuts
Overview
This page summarizes all mouse and keyboard commands of VICUS Buildings: navigation in the 3D scene, view switching, selection of objects, commands while drawing and transforming building geometry as well as general program shortcuts. The quick reference is also available directly in the program.
Access
- Key F1 – opens the quick reference for keyboard and mouse control in the program
- alternatively, menu Help > Keyboard and mouse control…
Camera and navigation
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Hold left mouse button | Orbit mode: camera rotates around the clicked point |
| Hold right mouse button | First-person mode: mouse rotates the camera around the camera position |
| Hold middle mouse button | Move the camera (pan) |
| Mouse wheel | Move the camera forward/backward (zoom) |
| W / S | Move the camera forward/backward |
| A / D | Move the camera left/right (relative to the viewing direction) |
| R / F | Move the camera up/down |
| Q / E | Rotate the camera around the Z axis (only in the perspective projection) |
| Shift (hold) | Slow down camera movement and zoom (factor 0.1) |
| Space (hold) | Speed up camera movement and zoom (factor 10) |
The movement keys can be combined with the right mouse button held down to move through the model as in a first-person view. With the Ctrl key held down, the movement keys are deactivated so that shortcuts such as Ctrl+S do not move the camera.
Practical tip:
For quick navigation in large building models, combine the WASD keys with the right mouse button held down and additionally hold the Space key to speed up the movement. For precisely approaching individual rooms or windows, the Shift key helps in reverse, slowing down the movement. This way you switch fluidly between a rough overview and fine positioning.
Views
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+2 / Ctrl+4 / Ctrl+8 / Ctrl+6 | View from north / east / south / west (use the number pad) |
| Ctrl+5 | View from above |
| Ctrl+7 / Ctrl+9 / Ctrl+1 / Ctrl+3 | Bird’s-eye view from north-west / north-east / south-west / south-east |
| Ctrl+G | Find selected geometry: the camera jumps close to the selected geometry; the viewing direction is preserved |
 2D mode | Toggles the orthographic top view (2D mode) on/off – button in the toolbar of the 3D scene |
For the view shortcuts with Ctrl+number, the number pad should be used. Via the menu View > Reset view, the camera returns to the default view (position above the coordinate origin, looking straight down).
Selection
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Left click | Select object exclusively (cancels the previous selection) |
| Ctrl + left click | Add object to the selection or remove it from it (toggle additively) |
| Ctrl + left-click drag | Draw a selection window (rubber band). The drag direction determines the effect: from left to right captures all touched objects, from right to left only fully enclosed objects; dragged upward, the captured objects are deselected instead of selected |
| Shift + left click | Instead of the clicked object, select the parent object (e.g. the room instead of the surface) with all associated child objects |
| Alt + left click | Select only the object itself, without its child objects (e.g. a surface without its windows) |
| Esc | Cancel the entire selection |
| Ctrl+A | Select all objects |
| Ctrl+F | Open the dialog Smart selection (selection by filter criteria) |
| Ctrl+I | Invert the selection |
| Del | Delete selected objects |
| F6 / F7 | Hide / show selected objects |
In the program settings, the additive selection mode can be permanently enabled; then the effect is swapped: a single click toggles additively, Ctrl+click selects exclusively. Selection and visibility describes the details of selection and visibility.
Drawing and editing geometry
While drawing surfaces, rooms, roofs or windows, the following commands apply:
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Left click | Place a point (vertex) at the current position of the local coordinate system |
| Enter | Apply the drawn geometry into the project (once it is valid); also completes the window drawing in “Complex” mode or with the “Draw with mouse” option enabled |
| Esc | Cancel the drawing process and return to normal navigation |
| X / Y / Z | Lock the chosen axis (movement only along this axis); in the interactive three-point rotation, the keys select the rotation axis |
| 0–9, Minus, Comma | Open the input field for coordinate offsets and type in values |
| F3 | Toggle snapping on/off |
| Ctrl (hold) | Temporarily suppress snapping |
| F4 | Mode for aligning the local coordinate system (only when the coordinate system is visible) |
| F5 | Mode for moving the local coordinate system (only when the coordinate system is visible) |
| Shift + middle mouse button | Align the local coordinate system once to the surface under the mouse pointer (orientation only, position remains) |
| Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z | Undo / Redo |
See also Drawing aids for snap options and the local coordinate system.
Copying and transforming
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+D | Start interactive placing of copies of the selected geometry (corresponds to the button Place interactively (Ctrl+D) in the Copy tool) |
| Shift + mouse wheel | During interactive placing: change the number of copies (linear arrangement, 1–256 copies) |
| Enter | Confirm interactive transformation (e.g. three-point rotation, interactive resizing) |
| Esc | Cancel interactive transformation |
Details on the transformation tools can be found under Transformations and Trim and copy.
General shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | Create new project |
| Ctrl+O | Open project |
| Ctrl+S | Save project |
| Ctrl+Shift+S | Save project under a new name |
| Ctrl+E | Save project as a project package |
| Ctrl+W | Close project and return to the start screen |
| Ctrl+Q | Quit the application |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y | Redo |
| F1 | Open the quick reference for keyboard and mouse control |
| F2 | Open the current project file in the text editor |
| F8 | Open the project directory in the file manager |
| F9 | Open the simulation view and switch directly to the dynamic building simulation page |
| F10 | Open the Simulation view (simulation settings) |
Good to know:
With F9 you jump from any view directly to the dynamic building simulation page – the fastest way to recompute after a model change. You return to geometry editing via the Model button in the toolbar at the left edge of the window.
Notes
- The Model, Simulation and Results views can also be switched via the toolbar at the left edge of the window.
- All drawing and transformation modes are activated via the toolbar of the 3D scene, see Drawing rooms.