The map tools in the context bar control how you look at your site. Use them to square the view to North or your grid, jump back to the project, switch between plan and 3D, and set how buildings and the basemap are drawn. The map tools sit on the right side of the context bar at the top of the map.
The map tools are:
Orientation
Zoom in and zoom out
Center on project
2D/3D toggle
View options
When the context bar is narrow, some map tools move into the ••• (More) menu at the end of the bar.
Align the view to North
Click the orientation dial to rotate the map back to North. The dial's arrow turns with the map, so it always points North.
Click the arrow next to the dial for more orientation options:
Align view to North rotates the map so North is up.
Align view to grid rotates the map to match your project grid.
Align drawing to grid, Align drawing to North, and Align drawing to camera set which direction the drawing tools treat as square.
Keep 2D view aligned to grid holds the 2D view square to your grid.
Show grid shows or hides the project grid. Press
Gto toggle it.
The grid options are only available once the project has a grid.
Zoom in and out
Click + to zoom in and − to zoom out.
Center on the project
Click the crosshairs icon (Center on project) to zoom the map to your project boundary. If the project has no boundary yet, Giraffe shows a message at the bottom of the screen instead.
Switch between 2D and 3D
Click 2D for a top-down plan view, or 3D for a perspective view of your buildings. Press T to toggle between them.
View options
The view options menu sets how the map and your geometries are drawn. Click the cube icon next to the snapping magnet to open it. The cube shows the current map style.
Turn on auto orbit
In the view options menu, click Toggle Auto Orbit to slowly rotate the map around the center of the screen. Auto orbit works well for presenting a scheme to a client or council. Click it again to stop.
Change the basemap style
In the view options menu, click Change Basemap Style... and pick a style from the pop-up. The basemap sets the background look of the map, like streets, satellite imagery, or a plain light map. You can also add your own Mapbox style.
Set the map style
In the view options menu, Map Style sets how 3D geometries are drawn. Pick one of three styles:
Flat draws solid shapes with no edge lines.
Simple draws shapes with edge lines. This is the default.
Silhouette adds a bold outline around each shape.
Flat  | Simple  | Silhouette  |
Force 2D and 3D hairlines
In the view options menu, the hairline options draw outlines as thin lines.
Force 3D Hairline draws the edges of 3D geometries as thin lines instead of thick ones. It is on by default. It has no effect with the Flat map style, since Flat draws no edges.
Force 2D Hairline draws 2D outlines as thin lines, whatever stroke width they have.
Set the isolation fade
In the view options menu, Isolation Fade sets how much everything else fades when you isolate geometries. Type a percentage. A higher number fades the rest of the map more. The default is 80%. Giraffe saves this setting in your browser, so it applies to every project you open there.
Show or hide labels
In the view options menu, click Toggle Label Visibility to show or hide labels on the map.
Clip below the base plane
In the view options menu, Clip Below Base Plane hides any part of a geometry that sits below the project's base plane. It is on by default, which keeps the view clean above ground. Turn it off to see basements, underground carparks, and other below-ground levels. Giraffe saves this setting with the project.
In a Space, the view options menu shows only Toggle Auto Orbit, Change Basemap Style..., Toggle Label Visibility, and Clip Below Base Plane.