Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Controls

Default keyboard shortcuts and mouse controls.

Configure the default behavior for keyboard shortcuts and mouse controls in the Preferences dialog, which can be accessed by clicking File > Preferences from the menu bar.

File Management

To do this Press
New model Ctrl + N
Open Ctrl + O
Import Ctrl + I
Export Ctrl + E
Save Ctrl + S
Save as Ctrl + Shift + S

Workspace

To do this Press
Open context sensitive help F1
Search tool Ctrl + F

View

To do this Press
Rotate Middle Mouse Drag

Arrow Keys
Incrementally rotate clockwise, counter clockwise Ctrl + Right Arrow

Ctrl + Left Arrow
Flip the model Ctrl + Up Arrow

Ctrl + Down Arrow
Set rotation center Ctrl + Middle Mouse Click on model
Reset rotation center Ctrl + Middle Mouse Click in space
Pan Right Mouse Drag

Left + Right Mouse Drag
Zoom Middle Mouse Scroll
Circle zoom Alt + Middle Mouse Draw

Z, then Left Mouse Draw
Fit (and fit selected) F
Go back to previous view B
Save a view Ctrl + Numeric Key (0-9)
Recall a view Numeric Key (0-9)

Display

To do this Press
Enter and exit the Show/Hide tool D
Show selection

If there is no selection, show all of the current entity type

 A
Show entire model Shift + A
Hide selection

If there is no selection, hide all of the current entity type

 H
Hide and clear selection

(Idle mode only)

 Ctrl + H
Isolate selection and turn off all other entity types

If there is no selection, isolate the current entity type

 I
Isolate selection and retain all other entity types

(Show/Hide tool only)

 Shift + I
Middle Mouse Click
Tip: Middle mouse click again to reverse the isolated display. This is useful if you want to append to your selection and isolate more entities.
Show entities adjacent to selection

If there is no selection, show adjacent entities that are the same type as the entity selector

(Idle mode only)

 J
Reverse display of selection

If there is no selection, reverse the display of the current entity type

 R
Switch the display from mesh only, geometry only, or both

(Idle mode only)

 G
Toggle on/off IDs of a selection

(Idle mode only)

 Q
Tip: To show elements only, press E to switch the entity filter to elements, then I/Shift + I to isolate all displayed elements. To add loads to the display, press L to switch to loads, then A to show.

Editing

To do this Press
Delete Delete
Undo Ctrl + Z
Redo Ctrl + Y
Perform an action Middle Mouse Click
Organize O
Cut Ctrl + X
Copy Ctrl + C
Paste (into new component) Ctrl + V
Paste (into current component) Ctrl + Shift + V

Selection

To do this Press
Window select Left Mouse Drag
Append selection Ctrl + Left Mouse Click
Deselect Shift + Left Mouse Click
Select displayed Ctrl + A
Select all Ctrl + Shift + A
Select adjacent Ctrl + J
Select similar (based on type and config if applicable) Ctrl + M
Reverse selection Ctrl + R
Open advanced selection Spacebar
Select elements By Face or By Edge Alt + Left Mouse Click
Adjust feature angle when selecting elements By Face or By Edge Alt + Scroll
Select nodes and lines By Path Alt + Left Mouse Click
Edit Double Mouse Click
Suspend snaps Alt
Clear active selector Backspace
Clear all guide bar selectors Esc

Entity Selector

To do this Press
Set to components/connectors C
Set to elements E
Set to laminates/lines/loads L
Set to materials M
Set to nodes N
Set to plies/points/properties P
Set to solids/surfaces/systems S
Set to all Esc + Esc
Tip: For entity types that have the same first letter (solids, surfaces), continually press the keyboard shortcut to alternate between entity types.

Browser

To do this Press
Show selection A
Hide selection H
Isolate selection I
Delete Delete
Duplicate Ctrl + D
Rename F2
Review Q

Common Across Tools

To do this Press
Cycle through secondary ribbon tools Ctrl + Tab
Cycle through guide bar selectors Tab
Exit a tool Esc

Right-click and mouse through the exit control

Double right-click