# Set a new view in Perspective without moving

**URL:** <https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/set-a-new-view-in-perspective-without-moving/152789>\
**Category:** Rhino\
**Tags:** windows\
**Created:** [January 2, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/set-a-new-view-in-perspective-without-moving/152789 "2023-01-02T21:47:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![James\_Richters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/james_richters/32/641992_2.png) [@James\_Richters](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/James_Richters)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/set-a-new-view-in-perspective-without-moving/152789/1 "2023-01-02T21:47:26Z")

</div>

I would like to make a button that simply re-orients to a top view, while in perspective mode and then allow me to continue in perspective mode from there. I have found 2 ways to get a top view:  
 ![Screenshot 2023-01-02 163600](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/uploads/default/original/4X/9/7/4/974d28d73d6875eef19eb5918820de7fa79575ad.png)

The car top view that the green arrow is pointing to, changes to the top view, but also puts in ‘Top’ mode… so I can’t change the perspective angle… and when I push the perspective car, I am set to a default perspective angle… but I wanted to be just put in perspective mode without changing from the top view angle, so I can roll it around away from top myself away from a top view

The airplane top view that the red arrow is pointing to re-orients the perspective view to a top view and allows me to roll it around from there, but it moves me to the center of my cplane… which I do not want to happen… so I want it to act just like the airplane top view without moving my target or zoom.

What I want is a combination of these two buttons… I want to change my view exactly the same way that the little car top view does it, keeping my view, zoom, and target the same, but staying in perspective view like the airplane button mode so I can just take it from there in perspective mode.

It seems like I should be able to make a simple marco button that does the car button and then changes to perspective view without changing the zoom or target, but I haven’t figured out how to do that… is it possible to change back to perspective view without changing to the default perspective angle?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jeremy5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/jeremy5/32/493741_2.png) [@jeremy5](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/jeremy5)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 12:16am UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/set-a-new-view-in-perspective-without-moving/152789/3 "2023-01-03T00:16:05Z")

</div>

Hi James,

If you have a conveniently placed horizontal surface in your perspective view, you can use `_OrientCameraToSrf` to place the camera immediately above a chosen point on that surface which will have the effect you want. If you don’t have a suitable surface you could create one temporarily, otherwise I _think_ a bit of programming will be needed.

HTH  
Jeremy

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pascal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/pascal/32/479395_2.png) [@pascal](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/pascal)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/set-a-new-view-in-perspective-without-moving/152789/4 "2023-01-03T00:30:12Z")

</div>

Hi James -  
`'_SetView _Top -_ViewportProperties _Projection _Perspective _EnterEnd`  
-Pascal

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tom\_P](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/tom_p/32/766520_2.png) [@Tom\_P](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/Tom_P)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/set-a-new-view-in-perspective-without-moving/152789/5 "2023-01-03T00:33:07Z")

</div>

> [@James\_Richters](#):
>
> so I can’t change the perspective angle

currently on a mac without a mouse…(so i might be wrong with the key-combination)

there is a hot-key combination that allows you to release from plan-view:  
ctrl + shift + RMB (right mouse button) should free the camera from looking down.  
but projection will be parallel

the difference between the car icon and the plane icon:  
car = world coordinates  
plane = cplane - cordinates

EDIT:  
another approach:

start rotating the view with RMB,  
then press ctrl + shift  
now the camera will snap to top-front-right… whatever is closest.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![James\_Richters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/james_richters/32/641992_2.png) [@James\_Richters](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/James_Richters)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 12:27pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/set-a-new-view-in-perspective-without-moving/152789/6 "2023-01-03T12:27:06Z")

</div>

> [@pascal](#):
>
> '\_SetView \_Top -\_ViewportProperties \_Projection \_Perspective \_EnterEnd

Thank You @pascal that works perfectly

@jeremy5 Thanks `_OrientCameraToSrf` would be helpful as well

@Tom_P Thanks for the ctrl + shift modifier suggestion, that is even better than a button to reset the view because most of the time I am already rotating it when I decide I want to start over from a top view.

> [@Tom\_P](#):
>
> the difference between the car icon and the plane icon:  
> car = world coordinates  
> plane = cplane - cordinates

I noticed that, but also  
car = camera stays in place  
plane = camera is reset to cplane center