Tip 1014: Shifting the Ortho Mode on and off
When an idea reaches critical mass there is no stopping the shift its presence will induce.
— Marianne Williamson
Did you know that the SHIFT key can be used to temporarily turn Ortho mode on and off?
Ortho mode can be turned on and off by hitting the F8 function key. It acts as a toggle–once is on, once again is off. You can also hit the Ortho button in the Status bar at the lower left of the work area.
The Ortho button in the status bar
However, it can be inconvenient and time-consuming to keep turning the Ortho mode on and off frequently using these two switches. For a quick, temporary change of the Ortho state, just hold down the SHIFT key for a second or two. If Ortho mode is on, SHIFT turns it off until you release the key. Conversely, if Ortho mode is off, SHIFT turns it on until the key is released.
If you are familiar with raster-based programs such as Microsoft Paint and Adobe Photoshop, this will seem natural, because holding down SHIFT in these programs while drawing a line forces the line to be vertical or horizontal.
Send along your comments or questions, I enjoy hearing from you.
Happy CADDing! 🙂
Mark