Camera View Controls - Help!

[Singing Wolf]

*** NOTE: Despite hours of searching for an answer to the questions I asked here, I somehow managed to stumble upon what I was seeking just a few minutes after making this posting!!! Maybe asking the questions opened my brain to unnoticed avenues ... *grins* Whatever the case, I'm leaving this posting up here in case somebody else has the same questions and needs some assistance. ***

Hi! I just downloaded the standard version last night (to try out before I consider buying the professional version), and I'm rather confused about a few things that didn't seem to be detailed anywhere in the Wiki/Help guides.

In particular, I couldn't find instructions on something I thought would be very elementary: camera view controls

Let's say you've opened up a nice-looking train-layout project, and when it appears, you're viewing it (three dimensionally) from the front, with your eyes (the camera view) slightly above the table.

Now you want to look (still three dimensionally) at the layout, but viewing it from the other sides of the table. And you want to change the height above the table from which your camera is viewing it. And you want to change the angle at which the camera is viewing the table.

Despite hours of searching, I couldn't find instructions anywhere on how to change the camera view. (Knowing my search skills, it's possible I missed a very obvious place where those instructions were provided. *grins*) So I did the only thing left to do -- start randomly pushing buttons on the keyboard.

To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that pressing "Q" or "W" cause the camera view to rotate around the table, allowing a view of all sides. Great!

Then I discovered that pressing "A" causes the camera view to rotate around the table's horizontal axis, allowing you to change the angle at which the camera views the table.

However, it seems that rotation can only be performed in one direction, and there doesn't seem to be a key that will rotate the view in the opposite direction. (i.e., if you rotate your view above the table too much, the only way to correct it seems to continue until you've done a complete rotation, causing the view of the table to first turn upside down, then eventually becoming right-side up again).

Does anybody know how I can have the camera view roll in the direction opposite that of the "A" key? [Edit: the "Y" key rolls in the opposite direction than the "A" key]

And does anybody know if there's a way to change the height of the table in relation to the camera view (i.e., move the entire layout up and down on the vertical axis)?

It would seem that somewhere in the most basic controls for the simulator would be a listing of how to easily change the camera view of the layout, and I'm hoping there is, and that somebody can either provide me with a list of commands, or point me to where one is.

Thanks, everybody!!!

[Singing Wolf]

Here's a comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts (including camera views) supplied by Wolfgang (wopitir). It's formatted to be easier to read in his forum entry at "http://en.3d-modellbahn.de/forum/thema/6428" (which is in German, but was easily translated by Google translate):

MBS key commands
In General
Ctrl + Z Undo
Shift + Ctrl + Z Restore
Ctrl + X Cut out
Ctrl + C Copy
Ctrl + V Paste (with offset)
Ctrl + G Group
Ctrl + U Ungroup
Ctrl + A Select All
Remove Delete object
, (Full Stop) Delete object

F1 Open Wiki
F3 Open dialogue window "Select"
Alt + F4 Program exit
F5 Animation on / off
F6 Sound on / off
F7 Photo Copy to clipboard
F8 Save the photo below
F12 Toggle full screen

Move plant
+ Zoom + (enlargement)
- Zoom - (reduction)
Enter Zoom to selected object and center it on the screen
Arrow Keys Shift system
q Plant, turn to the left
w Plant, turn to the right
a Conditioning tilt forward
y Conditioning tilt backwards

Mouse buttons
left mouse button (LMB) Click Mark object
Keep LMT Raise Marker window
Ctrl + LMB click Select multiple objects individually
Mouse wheel Zoom +/-
Press and move mouse wheel Plant, turn (Free Camera)
right mouse button (RMB) Move freely conditioning
Hold Alt + LMB and drag Copy and move object (height and Snapmodus off)
Alt + LMB click Copy and paste object at the same location (height and Snapmodus off)

High Altitude Mode
LMT click Highlight Mark (input field "size" and "History" note)
Keep LMT Several highlights mark (input field "size" and "History" note)
Shift + LMB + hold mouse up / down Highlights raise / lower

Move object
q Lift object Z-axis +
y Reduce object Z-axis -
w Move Object, Y-axis +
s Move Object, Y-axis -
a Move an object, X-axis -
d Move an object, X-axis +

Switchable objects (signals / points / switches)
Spacebar, Arrow key up Next switching state
Down arrow key Previous switching state
Item 1 First switching state
End Last switching state

FYI, this page (also in German) also had some good keyboard tips : "http://en.3d-modellbahn.de/wiki/3231"

[EASY]

Hi Singing Wolf,

i pefer the mouse to move arround.

- press and hold rigth mouse button -> move the mouse to move in x- and y-direction (keyboard: arrow-keys)

- press and hold mouse wheel -> move the mouse to roll in all axis (keyboard: "q", "w", "a" , "y")

- mouse wheel to zoom (keyboard "+", "-")

... see also here in wiki

EASY

... as i see, you found the answer by your own, while i was writeing...