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  • Install
  • Guide
  • Develop
  • Contribute
  • Teach
  • Discuss
  • GitHub
  • Bluesky
  • Mastodon

Section Navigation

User Documentation

  • Introduction
  • What’s New in Avogadro 2
  • Getting Started
  • Tools
    • Navigation Tool
    • Draw Tool
    • Template Tool
    • Label Tool
    • Selection Tool
    • Manipulation Tool
    • Bond-Centric Manipulation Tool
    • Measure Tool
    • Animation Tool
    • Align Tool
  • Menus
  • Building Molecules
  • Building Materials
  • Optimizing Geometry
  • Display Types
  • Extensions
  • Tutorials
  • Guide
  • Tools
  • Navigation Tool

Navigation Tool#

The icon of the Navigation Tool in light mode.

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+1

The Navigation Tool is used to rotate, pan, and zoom the view of a molecule within the view pane.

Only the perspective of the view is changed, and the positions in space of all atoms are preserved. To move atoms, fragments, or molecules within 3D space, use the Manipulation Tool instead.

Tip

When using any of the other tools, if a mouse or keyboard action is not defined for that tool but it is defined for the Navigation Tool, the action will have the same effect as if the Navigation Tool was selected.

This means that many of the below actions will also work from some other tools. For example, left-click and drag will also rotate the view while the Animation Tool is selected.

Basic usage#

Rotate the view by clicking and dragging anywhere on the view pane with the left mouse button.

Moving the mouse in a particular direction will rotate the view such that the part of the molecule nearest to you moves in the same direction. For example, clicking and dragging to the left will cause the molecule to rotate clockwise (as considered looking from the top down).

Tip

Rotation with click and drag will always be about the geometric center of the molecule.

Pan the view can be panned by clicking and dragging with the right mouse button.

Again, when panning, the molecule will move in the direction the mouse is moved in.

The zoom level can be increased and decreased using the mouse scroll wheel.

Pane options#

Reverse Direction of Zoom on Scroll

Toggle the direction that is zoomed when scrolled.

Note that the default behavior is determined by your operating system’s settings.

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Draw Tool

On this page
  • Basic usage
  • Pane options
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