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Tutorials to Becoming the Best Level Designer and Game Environment Artist (since 2008)

Maya Beginner Tutorial Series 3/17: Mastering Viewport Navigation

Category: Maya
January 10, 2025

The following tutorial series is directly from Module 1 of 3 of "Maya Foundation: Home-Study Course" tutorial course.

I've released this entire first Module completely free. It is focused on teaching you how to get started learning Maya completely from scratch in just 4 hours.

The full "Maya Foundation: Home Study Course" contains 3 Modules and 18+ hours of tutorials.

  • Module 1 is focused on interface overview for game environment modeling.
  • Module 2 is focused on environment modeling techniques (27 videos, 8+hrs).
  • Module 3 is focused on UV mapping and UVing (21 videos, 5+hrs).

In this tutorial we will cover how to master viewport navigation in Maya.

Video Tutorial

Maximized and Restored Viewports

Use Spacebar to switch between maximized viewport and restored Four Views.

Hover your mouse pointer inside any viewport and press Spacebar. This will maximize/restore the viewport where you mouse pointer is in.

  • Spacebar = Cycle Between Maximized and Restored Viewports

Full Viewport View

Full Viewport View will give you a bit more screen space to work with in each viewport.

  • Ctrl + Spacebar = Full Viewport View

You can do this with a single maximized viewport:

Or with 2x2 layout:

Perspective Viewport Navigation

Perspective viewport (3d view) is going to be your primary view to work in. It is essential that you master perspective viewport navigation.

  • Hold Alt + Left Mouse Button = Rotate
  • Hold Alt + Right Mouse Button = Zoom In/Out
  • Hold Alt + Middle Mouse Button = Pan Left/Right/Up/Down

Orthographic Viewport Navigation

Orthographic Viewports are 2d views. Top, side, front and back. You will often use these to move, align and model game environment objects. You only need to know two shortcut keys for orthographic navigation.

  • Hold Alt + Right Mouse Button = Zoom In/Out
  • Hold Alt + Middle Mouse Button = Pan Left/Right/Up/Down

Center View on Objects and Rotate Around Centered

Left click to select an object and press F to center view. Useful to bring any object inside the scene to your attention and centered in the viewport.

  • F = Center View on Selected Object

Once you've centered an object in the viewport use Hold Alt + LMB Click and Drag to rotate around it. Doing this will temporarily center the rotational pivot point on the centered object. Useful to look around the object as you model it.

  • Hold Alt + LMB Click and Drag = Rotate Around Centered Selected Object

Quick Layout Menu

Also remember, you can use Quick Layout Menu to quickly switch between different layout configurations:

Next Tutorial in the Series

Maya Beginner Tutorial Series 4/17: Viewport View Options and How to Setup Viewports for Modeling

Maya Foundation: Home-Study Course

Learn environment modeling. Pick Maya go all in. Learn how to model and UV with it better than anyone else. Become a modeling master with it. In "Maya Foundation: Home Study Course" I will show you how.

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About World of Level Design

My name is AlexG. I am self-taught level designer, game environment artist and the creator of World of Level Design.com. I've learned everything I know from personal experimentation and decades of being around various online communities of fellow environment artist and level designers. On World of Level Design you will find tutorials to make you become the best level designer and game environment artist.

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