How Do I Turn Off 3D Orbit in AutoCAD?

The most common way to "turn off" the 3D Orbit command in AutoCAD when it is active is simply by pressing a key. However, the question might also refer to controlling its behavior, as suggested by the provided reference.

Here's how to handle 3D Orbit:

Exiting the Active 3D Orbit Command

If you are currently using the 3D Orbit command (interactive viewing mode), you can stop it and return to the standard drawing environment instantly.

• Press the Esc key. This is the universal key in AutoCAD to cancel the current command.
• Press the Enter key. Similar to Esc, pressing Enter will also typically exit the 3D Orbit command.

Once you press Esc or Enter, the interactive 3D viewing stops, and your cursor returns to its normal state.

Controlling 3D Orbit Behavior (Referencing the Video)

The provided reference mentions controlling a setting within the 3D Orbit functionality. The description "So I turned that off so now look wherever I click on the screen that becomes [the center]" suggests the video is discussing how to make the point you click on the screen the center around which the orbit rotates.

This specific behavior is controlled by the ORBITAUTOCTYPE system variable in AutoCAD.

• ORBITAUTOCTYPE: This system variable controls the type of automatic center of orbit.
  • When ORBITAUTOCTYPE is set to 1, clicking a point on the screen while using the 3D Orbit command makes that point the center of the orbit. This aligns with the behavior described in the reference snippet.
  • Other values (0 or 2) use different methods to determine the orbit center (e.g., the center of the extents of the drawing).

Based on the reference, turning "that" off results in the click location becoming the center. This implies that "that" refers to a setting that, when on, prevents clicking from setting the center. Conversely, setting ORBITAUTOCTYPE to 1 enables this behavior.

To control how clicking affects the orbit center:

1. Type ORBITAUTOCTYPE on the command line and press Enter.
2. Enter the desired value (0, 1, or 2) and press Enter.

ORBITAUTOCTYPE Value	Behavior
0	Uses the geometric center of the drawing extents.
1	Uses the point you click as the center (as per reference).
2	Uses the center of all visible objects.

By setting ORBITAUTOCTYPE, you are not turning the 3D Orbit command off, but rather controlling how it behaves, specifically how it determines the pivot point for rotation.

To summarize turning off 3D Orbit:

• To exit an active 3D Orbit session, press Esc or Enter.
• To control the behavior of the orbit pivot point, use the ORBITAUTOCTYPE system variable. Setting ORBITAUTOCTYPE to 1 makes your click location the orbit center, a behavior discussed in the linked video reference.