Viewport Navigation Display

A Blender extension that displays an interactive camera-style overlay in the TOP orthographic view, showing the position, orientation, and field of view of other 3D viewports.

Features

• Camera-style overlay: Displays a camera icon with converging lines representing the actual field of view (FOV) based on viewport lens settings
• Accurate positioning: The overlay shows the real camera position, not just the target point
• Interactive controls:
  • Alt + Drag: Move the other viewport's position on XY plane
  • Shift + Alt + Drag: Rotate the viewport around its own axis (not orbiting)
• Auto-zoom: When dragging the camera icon toward viewport edges, the TOP view automatically zooms out to keep the icon visible
• Smart scaling: The camera overlay maintains appropriate visual size with min/max limits during zoom operations
• Customizable appearance: Adjust scale and color of the camera overlay
• Real-time sync: Changes are instantly reflected in both viewports

Controls Summary

Usage

1. Split your Blender window to have two 3D viewports
2. Set one viewport to TOP orthographic view (Numpad 7)
3. Click the camera icon in the viewport header or enable in the sidebar (View tab > Viewport Navigation)
4. The camera overlay shows the position, direction, and FOV of the other viewport
5. Use the controls above to manipulate the other viewport

Visual Representation

• Trapezoid shape: Represents the camera frustum with converging lines showing the FOV
• Detached arrow: Points in the view direction
• Semi-transparent fill: Easy to see but doesn't obscure the scene
• Dark edges: Clear visibility of the camera shape

Requirements

• Blender 4.2.0 or later

Installation

1. Download the extension package (.zip)
2. In Blender: Edit > Preferences > Add-ons > Install
3. Select the downloaded .zip file
4. Enable the "Viewport Navigation Display" addon

Panel Location

• Header: Camera icon button in 3D Viewport header (only visible in TOP view)
• Sidebar: View tab > Viewport Navigation panel

License

GPL-3.0-or-later