Why does rotation style change when entering a sketch?

[chris.eganY2EK3]

This has been driving me crazy for a while, and I can't find how to fix it. Normally using free orbit, and when normally moving around a model the rotate point will be wherever my cursor is on the model, or the center of the currently activated component (honestly I can't figure out why it switches between those two modes either). However when I activate a sketch, it changes the rotation mode to rotate around the top level design origin, which can make moving the model around to locate features I want to reference infuriating when I'm sketching on a surface a good distance away from the origin. 

I'm really hoping this behavior is just a setting in preferences that I've been unable to find. 

[jhackney1972]

There is this setting in Preferences that automatically looks at the plane of your sketch.  If this is not it, please create a Screencast to show the behavior you are seeing.

[chris.eganY2EK3]

That setting is selected and works fine, however that is not the problem I am trying to describe. Often I will need to rotate the view while in the sketch workspace, and it's the behavior of rotation in that sketch workspace that I'm asking about. In the sketch workspace rotate mode seems to switch so that it always rotates about the top level origin point instead of the point where my cursor is like it will during the normal design workspace. I attached two screen shots, one during rotation in the main design workspace where you can see the rotation point in the center of the model, and then one in the drawing workspace where you can see that now rotation is at the origin. In this model it's not a big deal, but in larger models when the origin is a good distance away from the surface I'm sketching on it makes rotating the model in the sketch workspace impossible because it's rotating about that very distant point. 

[jhackney1972]

I did a Screencast showing a rather large model showing how the origin is "per Sketch" and is not universal.  If I return to a sketch, as you can see it centers up on the origin related to the sketch, not to the component origin.  You are going to have to create a Screencast to show the behavior since screen captures do not show the issue to anyone.

[chris.eganY2EK3]

No offence, but you are 100% missing the issue I am trying to describe. I'm describing rotation behavior, the point that the model rotates around. To repeat, in the normal design workspace, when I am not in a sketch, whenever you rotate a model, the point it rotates around is either the center of that model, or the point on the model that your cursor is over, depending on if the whole model is in view or not. However, when you are in the sketch workspace, if you try to rotate the view, so that you are no longer looking perpendicular to the surface you sketch on, the point at which the model rotates about is the origin of the model. 

The screenshots do actually show the issue. Each shows the rotation point, the green dot. The in design shows that it rotates around the center of the model itself, and then the in sketch rotates around the origin point. 

The problem is when you work on a section that is significantly off to the side from that origin. If you're zoomed into that section so that the origin is not shown on screen, and then try to rotate the view, it still rotates around that origin point which has the effect of swinging the view wildly and not in a manner that you're used to. I don't know how to record screencasts, however I attached another screen shot with another example. In here my sketch would be only on the area to the left, the origin point would be off screen. If I need to rotate the model while in sketch mode while zoomed in on that area, it swings around that point and is hard to control. 

This is the behavior I'm trying to change. When in sketch mode, if the origin point is out of view I want the model to rotate around the point the cursor is over, not the out of sight point. 

[jhackney1972]

OK, I finally understand what you are trying explain.  I have attached a Screencast with the solution below.  I am also listing a link to my blog article covering this topic in detail.  You really need to learn to use Screencast!  This issue could have been quickly explained with a quick Screencast.  To that end, I am attaching a video I made for another user showing how to create and attach a Screencast to a forum post.  It is in my Dropbox account, you do not need an account or password to view it.

[chris.eganY2EK3]

I appreciate the offered solution, but if this is the only way, then AutoDesk needs to look at this. They already have it implemented to automatically change rotation points based on what is in view for the normal design workspace, like i mentioned, when the whole part is in view it rotates around the center of the model, when you are zoomed in it automatically selects whatever point on the model your cursor is over as the rotational center, which makes a ton of sense. So why does the sketch workspace work differently? This seems like an oversight in user interface design. Having to define a rotation center manually every time I jump into and out of a sketch is crazy. 

One Quick edit: in the sketch workspace, if you simply right click and do reset orbit center, it seems to kick the orbit behavior to be the same as the design workspace, where it either picks the center of the model or where your cursor is depending on what's in view. But you have to do that every time you jump into a sketch because it defaults to that rotate about origin behavior. I'd love to see this as a preference toggle. 

[jhackney1972]

I tried.  That is what you have to work with at this time, use it or don't. 

[Anonymous]

I got the same problem. This should really be in the User Interface outlined settings. Where you can manage how you use controls in Fusion 360 from other program fields like alias, component and flow. I am pretty sure they destroyed that option. My mistake was I mixed several plugins directories from Form it. That program had the option to place directional bounds when lining up sketched fields. It's still a problem in Fusion 360. Form it sketching was much easier.

[chris.eganY2EK3]

John, I'm not sure why the attitude? I said I appreciate the solution, and I'll use it for now. But I still feel this is something that should be changed in the user interface. Isn't that the point of the forums? To share weird behavior we find so it can be fixed?

[EricY_Design]

Hi chris.eganY2EK3,

You mentioned Free Orbit seems to change "modes" after exiting a sketch, so I wonder if you're talking about the same problem, DreGz shows it in his screencast (when it's in the "bad mode"):

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-support/free-orbit-rotation-bug-with-bizarre-fix/m-p/94770...

I made a post about it here with 2 temporary workarounds, it is indeed an intermittent bug with Free Orbit in general and has been there for years... hella annoying. Finally it received a bug number:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-support/free-orbit-rotation-bug-with-bizarre-fix/m-p/94770...

Cheers,

Eric

[chris.eganY2EK3]

The issue I'm describing isn't quite the same, though I have noticed the same thing you describe in that thread. 

The issue I'm describing is purely inside sketches. The rotation scheme stops acting the same as outside a sketch. Outside a sketch the model will intelligently change the rotation point based on if the whole model is in view. When the whole model is in view it will default to rotate around model center. When you are zoomed in it will set the rotate point around where the cursor is touching the model. Inside a sketch it stops doing this and always sets rotation to model center, even when it's off screen. This causes amazing headaches when you're working with a large model and need to work on a sketch in a small portion of it.