How to assign a keyboard shortcut for the Orbit Tool in Revit

[Anonymous]

Hi!

I'm using revit 2016.

Could someone please tell me how to assign a keyboard shortcut for the Orbit Tool?

By that I mean that I would like to know what name I can find the orbit tool in the keyboard shortcuts window opened via application button options, so that I can assign whatever shortcut I want.

I have looked around for a while and I have not managed to find the orbit tool listed anywhere.

The reason is simple. I have a mouse with 16 buttons and a keypad with another 32. For ergonomical reasons I want to use those buttons rather than hug the keyboard. Therefore pressing shift and then the middle mouse button is a no go.

Thank you for your help.

[ToanDN]

Type KS to access the Keyboard Shortcut.  Filter by View Cube and see if you can assign any shortcuts to the list of command.

[Anonymous]

Hi Toan,

thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately it does not help in the least. It is indeed possible to assign keyboard shortcuts to the individual orient commands but since there are so many of them, assigning a keybaord shortcut to each is kind of pointless.

Hence my question about the specific orbit command because I looked and I was not able to find it.

Thank you for your help.

[ToanDN]

If you are trying to find a keyboard shortcut to replace the combination of [holding SHIFT + pressing mouse wheel + moving mouse] then I am afraid there are none.  

I have a multi button gaming mouse and I can assign different keys to things like orient a 3D view  to different directions, etc... But I don't understand the mechanism of using a key to control Orbit, can you clarify?  

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry Toan but I don't understand what you don't understand?

To me it's very simple. I have a mouse with many many buttons. It has software I can make macros for. I can assign those macros to whatever tool I want so that rather than click on the navigation wheel then click on orbit (or pan) then click to set pivot then move the mouse around, I can just press one mouse button and move my mouse and hooray, I am orbitting.

My point is simplicity. Why complicate something when it can be simple? Why make people click and click and click and click when one click is more than sufficient? I mean, when you go shopping, do you go into the shop with a list, buy the first item on the list, take it to your car, then go back again and buy the next item on the list and so on? Or do you go in, grab all of the items you need and then return to your car?

Finally, I have managed to help myself by assigning the universal scroll function to my desired mouse key and using the mouse shift function to combine with it. It's still two keys, but at least they are both on the mouse.

I still find it utterly counter-intuitive NOT to give users the chance to decide which keys they wish to use for orbit. It's like being given a plate of delcious soup and a fork to eat it with without the possibility of requesting a spoon. Whoever designed this function must be a manager in the truest and uggliest sense of the word!

Thank you for your help, Toan and apologies for my apparent frustration.

[Viveka_CD]

Hi @Anonymous

Please see a similar discussion HERE

This is a feature request to assign a short-cut key for 3D orbit. The API team is working on this issue for a possible resolution.The option available now is using a 3D space mouse or a shift+w (on your 3D view) 

Please mark this response as "Accept as Solution" if it answers your question. Kudos gladly accepted.

Regards,

[Anonymous]

Hi Viveka,

Thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately it does not help in the least. And the space mouse is pretty much a useless toy. I have had the chance to look at one, it's nothing more than  a glorified joystick with one use, orbit.

The feature request should not be to assign a short-cut key for 3d orbit. The feature request should be about allowing the users to assign their own keybind to the tool. Most keypads and gaming mice come with very nice software allowing the setup of macros and/or key combinations.

Unfortunately your answer is not a solution to my problem.

Thank you for your reply and I'm looking forward to seeing the fix. which will likely be implemented in version 2019 since you are most likely beta testing 2018 at the moment. With a little bit of bad luck your fix will arrive around the point when I won't need to use revit any more. But hey 🙂 At least others will benefit 🙂

[Viveka_CD]

Hi @Anonymous

We totally understand your frustration.

I agree as you've mentioned- 'The feature request should not be to assign a short-cut key for 3d orbit. The feature request should be about allowing the users to assign their own keybind to the tool'

Sure,will let the team know this and request the key-bind option for later releases, will keep you posted for updates!

We have someone who uses a wacom intuos with pen as an option if you want to try. I have personally used the wacom tablet only for simple sketches  and 2D illustrations but not in Revit to make a recommendation, but its worth a try!

I suggest you post your idea at the Ideas-page.

Regards,

[Anonymous]

Hi Viveka,

thank you for your reply.

I have previously attempted the use of a device such as you suggest. While it might be useful for some users, I am unfortunately not in that group. If memory serves, I gave the tablet to a friend.

As for posting "my" idea on the idea page, I'm not quite sure that it's "my" idea to post. As the matter of fact, it's not even an idea, it's a request to add missing functionality present for a lot of other tools within Revit.

Thank you for your help and looking forward for the solution to the issue at hand.

[RobDraw]

Why do you need to assign a keyboard shortcut?

Can't you assign shift and the middle mouse button to your buttons?

I would think any programmable mouse/keyboard would have that functionality.

[Anonymous]

Hi Rob,

thank you for your reply.

I have already done something along those lines as I pointed out in my solution for this thread. I can accept using it as it is in an emergency but the solution is far from ideal.

The whole point of the issue is: I use orbit and pan in more than one CAD and I like those functions tied to two buttons, oribt for one button, pan for another button.

But the way Revit is setup requires the use of two buttons for orbit. I can assign shift to one button and the universal scroll (that's actually the middle mouse button click) to another key but if I try to assign them both to one key (as a macro) revit does not know how to use them even when my mouse and keypad software know how to assign them to the same button.

My very specific point is - I think I mentioned that before - why make simple things complicated? Why does revit force the user to press two buttons when one is enough? I do understand that some people love to use their keyboards. I don't. I prefer the mouse for anything else than typing text.

So yes, my solution of assigning the universal scroll button to another mouse button (that fits with the specific button layout) and shift to another button, works. I can orbit by using only the mouse. However, it's not comfortable to keep two buttons pressed at the same time as well as move the mouse around.

Hence my request for allowing the users to create their own shortcuts for orbit!

[Anonymous]

You can try what I did. As they mentioned the shortcut for opening the orbit wheel is shift+w. I opened my mouse driver and set one of the extra keys to do shift+w. So now I can quickly access the orbit wheel function. It is not as good as to just press and starts using orbit, but it helps.

[Viveka_CD]

Hi @Anonymous

Welcome to the Autodesk community!

Thanks for getting back to this thread and posting a recommendation.

The community will find this helpful.

Regards,

[Anonymous]

Why is this article labeled solved? Two users offered partial workarounds, but as both noted, this does not solve the initial problem of users being able to assign a key binding to the orbit tool. Currently, we can only use the orbit tool through Shift+Right Click, or Shift + Center Mouse Button, which are extant key binding. We would like to be able to change that to a different keybinding of our choosing, such as just Right Click alone. We don't want to use both the mouse and keyboard to have complete control of views. Other programs such as Rhino have one-hand view control as the default, so it is frustrating to not even have the option in Revit. Please address this issue that makes every moment in 3D view more cumbersome. 

[RobDraw]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Why is this article labeled solved? 

---

The OP found solutions that they were satisfied with.

[Viveka_CD]

Hi @Anonymous 

Thanks for your feedback. I'll send this across to the dedicated team for further action.

You are welcome to post o the Revit ideas page for comments and votes.

To answer your previous questions, the OP chose to mark the closest workaround.

Regards,

[Anonymous]

Hello and thank you for your reply Viveka.

None of the workarounds proved to be satisfactory enough. Since using Revit is not required by the education I am currently enrolled in, my real solution was actually a lot more simple:

Stop using REVIT. No more issue with the Orbiting tool.

It's like that joke: Doctor, my elbow hurts when I lift my arm. Doctor: then stop lifting your arm.

As for marking the suggestions as solutions, I only did it so I would stop being reminded of this thread. But is is obvious that like all customer service representative you only care about your metrics, as long as you have the marked solution, it doesn't matter to you whether the issue was truly sorted out or not.

Still. As I said. At least for the time being, I have absolutely no further interest in using Revit. Certainly it isn't worth investing time in just to tickle a fancy that can more efficiently be tickled by use of other programs that are less procedure bound and simply allow users to be creative. Then again. Creativity is a highly undesired trait, is it not?

[RobDraw]

What made you think Revit was the right tool for what you wanted to do?

[ToanDN]

I find it irony you accusing the program doesn't "allow users to be creative" while you are fixating on working a command the only one way, with the only one tool that you want. Creative people don't rely on tools to get things done. They can use a banana to hammer a nail if there is no hammer around.

[jplasencia80]

But finally is there a way to orbit using only one hand?

Using shift+middlebutton to make a simple orbit makes it improductive.