How to Set Custom View Presets in FreeCAD

This guide explains how to configure and save custom view presets in FreeCAD to quickly recall specific camera angles, rotations, and zoom levels. By utilizing the built-in Draft Working Plane Proxy, the standard Freeze View command, or a custom Python macro, you can streamline your 3D viewport navigation and jump directly to your preferred perspectives during complex modeling tasks.

Method 1: Using the Draft Working Plane Proxy (Persistent with Project)

The most robust way to store custom viewpoints inside a FreeCAD project is with a Working Plane Proxy. This saves the camera position directly into the document tree so it remains available whenever you open the file.

  1. Rotate, pan, and zoom the 3D view until the model is framed exactly as you want it.
  2. Switch to the Draft workbench using the workbench dropdown menu.
  3. In the top menu, go to Draft > Utilities > Working plane proxy (or click the Working Plane Proxy icon on the toolbar).
  4. Select the newly created Proxy object in the Tree view.
  5. In the Property View panel at the bottom-left, locate the Data tab.
  6. Set the property Save Camera Position to True.
  7. Rename the proxy in the Tree view (press F2) to something descriptive, such as "Isometric Detail" or "Inspection View."

Whenever you need to restore that custom view, double-click the proxy object in the Tree view, or right-click it and select Write camera position.

Method 2: Using the Freeze View Utility (Quick Session Saves)

For temporary view management during a single modeling session, FreeCAD provides a native freeze-view function.

  1. Frame the 3D view to your target orientation.
  2. Navigate to View > Freeze view > Save view from the top menu bar.
  3. Select an available slot (or use the designated key combination, such as Shift + F1).
  4. To return to the saved view later, go to View > Freeze view > Restore view and select your saved slot (or press F1).

Note: Freezing a view saves it for the current session or into a temporary cache. If you restart FreeCAD, these slots may reset unless saved out to a file via View > Freeze view > Save view to file....

Method 3: Creating a Permanent View Button with a Macro

If you want a custom camera preset available globally across all FreeCAD documents via a dedicated toolbar button, use a Python macro.

  1. Adjust the viewport to the desired angle.

  2. Enable the Python Console via View > Panels > Python console.

  3. In the console, enter the following command and press Enter:

    Gui.ActiveDocument.ActiveView.getCamera()

  4. Copy the long text string returned in the console output.

  5. Go to Macro > Macros..., click Create, name your macro (e.g., CustomView1.FCMacro), and click OK.

  6. In the macro editor window, paste the following code, replacing the placeholder with your copied camera string:

    import FreeCADGui
cam_str = 'PASTE_CAMERA_STRING_HERE'
FreeCADGui.ActiveDocument.ActiveView.setCamera(cam_str)

  7. Save and close the macro editor.

  8. Go to Tools > Customize > Toolbars tab.

  9. Under the Macros category, select your new macro, assign it an icon and label, and add it to your custom workbench toolbar for one-click access.