Edit a 3D file in Preview on Mac

1. Go to the Preview app on your Mac.

2. Open a 3D file.

3. Click a prim in the viewport (or choose View > Object Hierarchy, then select a prim). To select a specific part of a grouped object in the viewport instead of the whole group, Option-click it.

4. Do one of the following to select Move, Rotate, or Scale:

   • Click , then choose one.

   • Choose Tools > 3D Manipulator, then choose one.

   • Press Option-W, Option-E, or Option-R.

5. To change or reset the pivot point, choose Tools > 3D Manipulator > Adjust Pivot, then choose an option.

6. Drag the color-coded transform handles in the viewport.

   The x-axis handle is red, the y-axis handle is green, the z-axis handle is blue, and the screen-space handle is gray.

   Tip: To duplicate a prim, Option-drag one of its transform handles. To snap an object onto the surface of another while moving it, hold the Shift key while dragging the gray screen-space handle.

You can view and edit the properties of a selected prim in the Object Properties pane, including its transform values, visibility, material, and appearance. Not all properties, such as material and appearance properties, work with every rendering style.

1. Go to the Preview app on your Mac.

2. Open a 3D file, choose View > Object Hierarchy, then select the prim whose properties you want to edit. You can also click a prim in the viewport to select it.

   Note: To edit multiple prims at the same time, Command-click each one in the Object Hierarchy pane (or Shift-click to select a range).

3. Choose Tools > Show Object Properties.

4. Do any of the following:

   • Edit a transform value: In the Translate, Rotate, or Scale row, select a field, then enter a value for X, Y, or Z — in the scene’s unit of measurement for Translate and Scale, or in degrees for Rotate. You can also click a field while dragging up or down to increase or decrease its value. Selecting a field automatically selects the corresponding transform tool.

   • Turn on or off “Constrain proportions”: Click ; it’s always shown and appears filled when turned on. This preserves the ratio between the X, Y, and Z values instead of making them equal.

   • Show or hide the prim: Select or deselect Visible. (You may need to click next to Shape to see this option.)

   • Change the material: Click the Material pop-up menu, then choose a material.

   • Adjust the color: Click the current color or the color wheel, then choose a color. This is only available when Material is set to None.

   • Edit a material’s colors: If a material prim is selected (Option-Shift-click it in the viewport, or click the prim marked with a in the Object Hierarchy pane), click the current color or the color wheel next to Diffuse Color, Emissive Color, or Specular Color under Properties, then choose a color. If a color field is dimmed, it has a texture applied—Control-click it, then choose Reset Value to remove the texture and edit the color directly.

   • Adjust the opacity: Drag the Opacity slider left or right, or enter a value as a percentage. Opacity rendering varies by rendering style; Raytracer produces the best results.

   • Edit a camera’s focal length or aperture: If a camera prim is selected, in the Focal Length or Vertical Aperture row, select the field, then enter a value. Focal Length is in millimeters.

   • Edit a camera’s resolution: If a camera prim is selected, in the Resolution row, select a field, then enter a value in pixels for W or H.

   • Edit a camera’s interpupillary or convergence distance: If a camera prim is selected, in the Interpupillary Distance or Convergence Distance row, select the field, then enter a value in the scene’s unit of measurement.

   • Edit a light’s size: If a light prim is selected, in the Size row, select the Width or Height field, then enter a value in the scene’s unit of measurement. By default, adjusting one value updates the other field to keep the aspect ratio constant. Click to adjust each value independently.

   • Edit a light’s cone: If a light prim is selected, enter a value in degrees in the Cone Angle field, or drag the Cone Softness slider.

   • Adjust a light’s color: If a light prim is selected, click the current color or the color wheel next to Color, then choose a color. If Color Temperature appears instead, select the field, then enter a value in K. Only one of the two appears, depending on how the file was authored, and there’s no way to switch between them.

   • Change a light’s texture: If a light prim is selected, click the Texture field, then choose an image file.

   • Adjust a light’s intensity: If a light prim is selected, select the Intensity field, then enter a value.

   • Switch a variant: If the selected prim has variant sets, under Variants, choose an option from a pop-up menu, such as Material or Animation.

You can add shapes, cameras, and lights to a 3D scene.

1. Go to the Preview app on your Mac.

2. Open a 3D file, then choose Tools > Add to Scene.

3. Choose a prim type:

Control-click a prim in the Object Hierarchy pane to rename it, duplicate it, delete it, or choose from several other actions.

1. Go to the Preview app on your Mac.

2. Open a 3D file, then choose View > Object Hierarchy.

3. In the Object Hierarchy pane, select the prim you want to change.

4. Do any of the following:

   • Rename it: Press Return, then enter a new name. You can also click the name a second time, as in the Finder.

   • Duplicate it: Control-click the prim, then choose Duplicate.

   • Delete it: Press Delete, or Control-click the prim, then choose Delete.

   • Group it with other selected prims: Control-click one of the selected prims, then choose New Group with Selection.

   • Make a set of prims behave as one when clicked in the viewport: Control-click one of the selected prims, then choose Select As Group.

   • Cut it: Press Command-X, or Control-click the prim, then choose Cut.

   • Copy it: Press Command-C, or Control-click the prim, then choose Copy.

   • Paste it: Press Command-V, or Control-click the prim, then choose Paste. The pasted prim appears where your pointer is.

     Note: You can cut, copy, and paste between separate Preview windows—a handy way to move a prim from one scene to another.

   • Deactivate it: Control-click the prim, then choose Deactivate.

     Note: Hiding a prim (Visible in Object Properties) keeps it in the scene but stops it from being drawn. Deactivating removes it and its contents from the scene entirely, without deleting them from the file, so you can turn it back on later. Because deactivated prims leave the scene, anything pointing at them—a material binding, for example—ends up dangling with nothing to reference.

     Tip: Deactivating a large group can make a heavy file lighter to work with, since Preview doesn’t load a deactivated group’s contents.

   • Mark it as editable on Apple Vision Pro: Control-click the prim, then choose Editable on Apple Vision Pro. This flags the prim as one you can interact with on Apple Vision Pro—nothing changes in Preview itself.

   • Mark it as the file reference root: Control-click the prim, then choose File Reference Root. A star appears next to its name. Other files use this prim by default when they reference this file, and it’s also where new prims are added when nothing is selected.

You can change a prim’s parent or reorder prims by dragging them in the Object Hierarchy pane.

1. Go to the Preview app on your Mac.

2. Open a 3D file, then choose View > Object Hierarchy.

3. Do any of the following:

   • Change a prim’s parent: Drag it onto the transform or scope you want to be its new parent.

   • Reorder a prim: Drag it to a new position within the same parent.

   Note: Materials can also be nested under geometry, but a shader can only be nested under a material.

You can resize, rotate, or reorient the entire scene, not just your view of it. Adjusting the stage changes the file, unlike orbiting the viewport to look at the scene from a different angle.

1. Go to the Preview app on your Mac.

2. Open a 3D file, then do one of the following:

   • Rotate 90 degrees: Click to rotate left or Option-click it to rotate right.

   • Rotate by a specific amount: Choose Tools > Adjust Size, enter values in the Rotate X, Rotate Y, or Rotate Z field below Content Orientation, then click OK.

   • Change the orientation of the model: Choose Tools > Adjust Size, choose Y Up or Z Up from the Orientation pop-up menu below Scene Settings, then click OK. You can also choose a unit of measurement from the Units pop-up menu below Scene Settings.

   • Resize the model: Choose Tools > Adjust Size, enter values in the Height, Width, Depth, or Scale field below Content Size, then click OK. You can also choose a unit of measurement from the pop-up menu below Content Size.

   Note: By default, Preserve Content Size & Orientation is selected, so changing one of the Height, Width, Depth, or Scale fields updates the others to keep the same proportions. Deselect it to adjust each field independently.

You can add text annotations to a 3D scene.

1. Go to the Preview app on your Mac.

2. Open a 3D file, click , then click .

   An annotation icon appears in the viewport.

3. Click the annotation icon, then enter a note.

4. Click anywhere outside the annotation to save it. You can also drag the annotation to another location.

5. Do any of the following:

   • Change its color: Control-click the annotation, then choose a color.

   • Delete it: Control-click the annotation, then choose Delete.

   • Snap it to an object’s surface: Drag the annotation to the object.

6. Tip: To change the author name shown on new annotations, choose Preview > Settings, click General, then enter a name in the Name field.