3.3 Using the Mouse
The GAMBIT GUI is designed for use with a three-button mouse. The function associated with each mouse button varies according to whether the mouse is operating on menus and forms or in the graphics window. Some graphics-window mouse operations involve keyboard keys in conjunction with the mouse.
3.3.1 Menus and Forms
Mouse operations for GAMBIT menus and forms require only the left and right mouse buttons and do not involve any keyboard key operations.
Most of the mouse operations performed on GAMBIT GUI menus and forms require only the left mouse button. The left mouse button allows you to perform the following form-related operations:
The right mouse button allows you to perform the following form-related functions:
3.3.2 Graphics Window
There are three general types of GAMBIT GUI graphics-window mouse operations:
Display operations allow you to directly manipulate the appearance of the model in any of the graphics-window quadrants. Task operations allow you to specify topological entities and to execute geometry and meshing operations. The vertex creation operation allows you to create vertices on any displayed coordinate system grid.
GAMBIT GUI graphics-window display operations employ all three mouse buttons as well as the Shift and Ctrl keyboard keys. The types of display operations are as follows:
| NOTE (1): GAMBIT graphics window mouse operations apply only to "enabled" graphics-window quadrants. For a description of the enabling and disabling of graphics-windows quadrants, see Section 3.4.1, below. |
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NOTE (2): The following descriptions of display-window operations are based on the
default functionality of the GAMBIT mouse buttons. For example, in the GAMBIT default
configuration, GAMBIT rotates the model when you left-drag the mouse across the graphics
window (see "Rotating the Model (Left-drag),"
below.) Similarly, if you Shift-left-click an entity in the graphics window, GAMBIT
adds the entity to the appropriate open pick list (see "Picking Entities," below).
GAMBIT allows you to exchange the functionality of the mouse buttons with respect to the Shift key operations. For example, you can exchange the functions of the left mouse button such that you need only to left-click an entity to add it to a pick list but must Shift-left-drag the mouse to rotate the model. To exchange the functionality of the mouse buttons with respect to Shift key operations, perform the following steps:
When you do so, GAMBIT changes the appearance of the cursor to indicate that the functionality of the mouse buttons has been exchanged. To restore the default functionality of the mouse buttons, repeat the procedure described above. When you do so, GAMBIT restores the default cursor shape to indicate that the mouse functionality has been restored to its default state. |
To rotate the model in any quadrant, left-click anywhere in the quadrant and left-drag the cursor either horizontally or vertically in the quadrant. GAMBIT rotates the model around an axis in the plane of the screen and perpendicular to the direction of mouse movement.
Translate the Model (Middle-drag)
To translate the model across the screen in any quadrant, middle-click anywhere in the quadrant and middle-drag the cursor either horizontally or vertically in the quadrant.
Revolve/Zoom the Model (Right-drag)
The right mouse button performs two different types of display operations in the graphics window, each of which corresponds to a different direction of mouse movement:
When you right-click anywhere in a quadrant and right-drag the mouse horizontally, GAMBIT revolves the model around a central axis normal to the plane of the screen. When you right-drag the mouse vertically, GAMBIT zooms in or out on the model.
GAMBIT allows you to enlarge any portion of the model display by means of the control (Ctrl) keyboard key and either the left or middle mouse buttons. The Ctrl-left and Ctrl-middle mouse button functions differ with respect to whether GAMBIT retains or ignores the proportions of the model when the model display is enlarged.
Retaining Model Proportions (Ctrl-left-drag)
When you enlarge the model display by means of the Ctrl-left mouse button, GAMBIT enlarges a region of the modeling space the size of which is directly proportional to the quadrant in which the model display is enlarged. Consequently, the enlarged display retains the correct proportions with respect to model dimensions.
When you Ctrl-left-drag the mouse in a quadrant of the graphics window, GAMBIT displays two rectangles that bound the region to be enlarged. The rectangles differ from each other as follows.
When you release the mouse button, GAMBIT enlarges the display.
Ignoring Model Proportions (Ctrl-middle-drag)
When you enlarge the model display by means of the Ctrl-middle mouse button, GAMBIT ignores the proportions of the graphics-window quadrant in which it enlarges the display. Consequently, the dimensions of the model in the enlarged display do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensions of the model.
When you Ctrl-middle-drag the mouse in a quadrant of the graphics window, GAMBIT displays a single solid rectangle that represents the region to be enlarged. When you release the mouse button, GAMBIT enlarges the model display such that the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the rectangle fill the entire width and height, respectively, of the quadrant in which the model display is enlarged. If the dimensions of the rectangle are not directly proportional to those of the quadrant, the enlarged model appears to be stretched in either the horizontal or vertical directions.
Show Previous View (Double-middle-click)
When you double-click the graphics window using the middle mouse button, GAMBIT displays the model as shown immediately previous to the current view. For example, if you display a model in an isometric view, then rotate the model to view one side, you can return to the isometric view by double-middle-clicking the mouse anywhere in the graphics window.
Journal View (Double-right-click)
When you double-click the graphics window using the right mouse button, GAMBIT writes the command associated with the currently displayed view of the model to the active journal file.
GAMBIT graphics window task operations employ all three mouse buttons in conjunction with the Shift key to allow you to specify entities and to execute actions related to GAMBIT forms. There are two types of task operations:
Many GAMBIT modeling and meshing operations require you to specify one or more entities to which the operation applies. There are two ways to specify an entity for a GAMBIT operation:
When you use the mouse to pick an entity from the model as displayed in the graphics window, GAMBIT includes the entity name in the currently active pick list as if you had specified its name on the currently open specification form.
There are two different types of GAMBIT entity picking operations, each of which involves the Shift key. The two entity picking operations are as follows.
| Operation | Description |
| Shift-left-click | Highlights the entity in the graphics window and includes the entity in the currently active pick list |
| Shift-middle-click | Performs the following functions:
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As an example of the Shift-middle-click operation, consider the procedure required to pick one of the three faces shown in Figure 3-13 for a face-related geometry operation. All three faces share a common edge, labeled edge.1.
Figure 3-13: Three faces with adjoining edge
If you Shift-middle-click on edge.1, GAMBIT highlights face.1 and adds its label to the current pick list. If you Shift-middle-click a second time on edge.1, GAMBIT removes face.1 from the pick list and replaces it with face.2. If you Shift-middle-click a third time on edge.1, GAMBIT removes face.2 from the face pick list and replaces it with face.3. Finally, if you Shift-middle-click a fourth time on edge.1, GAMBIT removes face.3 from the pick list and replaces it with face.1.
| NOTE: To pick any face or volume in a given model, you must pick an edge that is associated with the face or volume. The type of entity picked depends on the currently active list box. For example, if you open the Mesh Faces form and activate the Faces list box, then pick an edge that constitutes a boundary of a face, GAMBIT adds the face to the list of specified faces. Similarly, if you open the Delete Volumes form and activate the Volumes list box, then pick an edge that constitutes part of a volume, GAMBIT adds the volume to the list of specified volumes. |
When you Shift-right-click the mouse in the graphics window, GAMBIT executes the operation associated with the currently open form or skips to next available list box or text box on the form. If all of the form specifications are complete, the Shift-right-click operation is equivalent to the act of clicking Apply on the bottom of the form. For example, if you open the Create Real Sphere form, input a positive value in the Radius text box and Shift-right-click in the graphics window, GAMBIT creates a sphere with the specified radius.
GAMBIT allows you to create vertices by means of the Ctrl-right mouse button. The Ctrl-right-click method of creating vertices applies in any graphics window quadrant that contains an active "grid." For a description of the procedures and specifications required to display a grid, see Section 5.1.2 of the GAMBIT Modeling Guide.
To create a vertex by means of the mouse, Ctrl-right-click the point at which the vertex is to be created. The geometric location of the vertex depends on whether you do or do not select the Snap option when you activate the grid display.
© Fluent, Inc. 11/27/01