The 3D Move Gizmo

If you work in 3D or if you don’t work in 3D but are thinking about it, you’ll definitely want to learn about the Auto CAD 3D “Gizmos”. The gizmos, also known as grip tools, were introduced in AutoCAD 2007 and provide an efficient and intuitive way for you to edit objects in 3D space.
The Move gizmo enables you to restrict the movement of selected objects or sub-objects to a specified axis or plane. You can activate the Move gizmo using any of the following methods:

• Enter the 3DMOVE command at the Command Line and then select the object(s) or sub-object(s) you want to move.
• Set the 3D Modeling workspace and choose the 3D Move button from the Modify panel of the Home ribbon tab and then select the object(s) or sub-object(s) you want to move.
  
  
• Set the current visual style to any 3D visual style and then select an object or sub-object.
  
  

When the Move gizmo is activated, it displays the X,Y, and Z axes as thick red, green, and blue vectors. Between each set of axes, is a square representing the plane defined by those axes.

If you pass the cursor over one of the vectors, the vector turns yellow and a continuous line is displayed in the original color indicating the axis of constraint. To constrain movement along the axis, click on the yellow vector.

With the selected object(s) constrained to an axis, you can drag the cursor and enter a displacement value or snap to key points on existing objects.

Only the coordinate value (X, Y, or Z) corresponding to the constrained axis will change.