Navigation Controls
Pan, zoom, and orbit using the mouse, keyboard shortcuts, or trackpad.
Navigation controls let you move around your drawing at any scale — from full-site overview to individual plant placement. Panning and zooming work in every editor mode (2D, 3D, Terrain, Presentation). Orbit is exclusive to 3D mode and lets you examine the design from any angle. All gestures are available via mouse, keyboard shortcuts, and trackpad, so the controls adapt to whichever input device you prefer.
Zoom in 2D
Scroll the mouse wheel to zoom in and out, centred on the cursor position. Use Ctrl+0 to zoom to fit all objects, Ctrl+1 to zoom to 100%, Ctrl++ to zoom in, or Ctrl+- to zoom out. A zoom level dropdown also appears in the status bar.
The Space bar pan is the fastest method for designers — you never have to leave your drawing tool to reposition the view.
Orbit and pan in 3D
In 3D mode, right-click and drag to orbit around the scene. Middle-mouse-button drag pans the camera. Scroll to zoom. Press O to activate the Orbit tool.
Zooming toward the cursor means you can scroll directly into the area you want to work on without panning first.
Trackpad navigation
Two-finger drag pans the canvas. Pinch to zoom. In 3D mode, two-finger drag pans and pinch orbits. A two-finger tap opens the context menu.
Orbit only appears in 3D mode. In 2D mode the view is always top-down, so right-click drag opens the context menu instead.
Pan and zoom in 3D
In 3D mode, drag with the middle mouse button to pan the camera laterally without changing the orbit angle. Scroll the mouse wheel to dolly in and out. These controls work identically to 2D panning and zooming, so there is no mode-switching cost when you are moving between views.
Hold Shift while scrolling in 3D to zoom faster for large terrain-scale views.
Navigate with a trackpad
Two-finger drag pans the canvas in 2D, and pinch-to-zoom adjusts the zoom level. In 3D mode, two-finger drag also pans and a pinch gesture adjusts the camera distance. To orbit in 3D on a trackpad, hold Option (Alt) and drag with two fingers. A two-finger tap opens the context menu on selected objects.
Use keyboard zoom controls
Press Ctrl++ (Plus) to zoom in and Ctrl+- (Minus) to zoom out in fixed increments. These are useful when you need precise, repeatable zoom steps — for example when aligning an underlay image or checking annotation text size. Ctrl+0 (Zoom to Fit) and Ctrl+1 (Zoom to 100%) work in all modes.
Zoom to Fit (Ctrl+0) is the fastest way to recover your view if you get lost after a complex series of operations.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Space + drag | Pan (temporary, hold while drawing) |
| H | Pan tool |
| Middle-click drag | Pan with mouse (any tool) |
| Scroll wheel | Zoom in/out |
| Ctrl+0 | Zoom to Fit |
| Ctrl+1 | Zoom to 100% |
| Ctrl_+ | Zoom In (fixed step) |
| Ctrl+- | Zoom Out (fixed step) |
| Right-click drag / O | Orbit (3D only) |
The zoom level shown in the status bar at the bottom of the screen reflects the current 2D canvas zoom. In 3D mode this indicator is not shown because the camera uses a perspective projection rather than a fixed scale.
Build a habit of using Space bar + drag for panning. It keeps you in whatever drawing tool you are using and removes the need to switch tools just to reposition the canvas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I orbit the view?
Orbit is only available in 3D mode. If you are in 2D, the view stays locked to a top-down perspective by design. Switch to 3D mode using the mode selector in the top bar, then right-click and drag to orbit, or press O.
I zoomed too far out and lost my drawing — how do I get back?
Press Ctrl+0 (Zoom to Fit). This instantly frames every object in the drawing so you can see the entire design. If the drawing appears empty, check the Layers panel to make sure relevant layers are visible.
My trackpad pan feels backwards — can I reverse it?
Trackpad scroll direction follows your operating system's natural scrolling setting. Reverse it in your system's trackpad preferences (System Settings > Trackpad on macOS, or Mouse settings on Windows) and Gardenly3D will respect the change immediately.
Can I pan and zoom in Presentation (photoreal) mode?
Yes. The same navigation controls — Space bar pan, scroll to zoom, middle-click drag, and keyboard shortcuts — work in the Presentation mode viewport. Orbit is also available there since Presentation mode uses the same 3D camera as 3D mode.
The zoom percentage in the status bar has disappeared — what happened?
The zoom level indicator is only shown in 2D mode. When you switch to 3D or Presentation mode, the percentage is hidden because those modes use a perspective camera rather than a fixed-scale orthographic view.