Viewports and layouts
Multi-viewport grids, layout presets including MPR and 3D, custom grids, focus, swap, reset, and fullscreen.
Concepts
- A viewport is one on-screen image pane. Each viewport has a kind (for example 2D stack, volume, or MPR: axial / sagittal / coronal).
- The active viewport is the one keyboard shortcuts, some toolbar actions, and fullscreen use until you focus another.
- A layout preset places multiple viewports in a grid or a specialized template (for example a four-up MPR layout).
Layout presets (what they are for)
| Preset (examples) | When to use it |
|---|---|
| 1x1 | Full attention on a single series; best for first-pass read or MIP review. |
| 1x2 / 2x1 | Two-up comparison on one monitor, portrait vs landscape preference. |
| 2x2 | Quad; compare two series with two more reference panes, or use four synchronized planes for multi-oblique work. |
| 3x3 | High-density; overview of many low-channel series or triage. |
| MPR | Reconstruction triplet or multi-planar read when volume data allows MPR viewports. |
| 3d-four-up / 3d-main / 3d-only / 3d-primary / axial-primary / frame-view | Volumetric and advanced layouts: primary stack plus auxiliary 3D or plane views, or focus modes for rotation and slab-style review. |
| custom | You choose rows and columns explicitly. |
Use cases
- Stroke window / CT head: 2x2 with soft brain window on one side and bone on another, or 1x2 coronal+axial in MPR when thin slices exist.
- Oncology follow-up: 2x2 with prior vs current, matching slice positions using sync (see Synchronization).
- MSK: 1x1 for fine detail, then reset and swap to compare T1 vs T2 in two panes.
Custom grid
When you outgrow the named presets, open custom and set rows and columns. The viewer preserves assignments where possible; changing layout may reset a viewport that cannot keep the same kind (the product tries to keep state when the kind is compatible—see the implementation’s layout rules in release notes for edge cases).
Active viewport and focus
- Click a viewport to make it active (border/highlight, model-dependent).
- Most toolbar actions, reset, swap, and fullscreen act on the active viewport by design.
Use case: in a 2x2, click the right lower cell before using cine so playback targets the right series.
Fullscreen
Fullscreen expands the active viewport. Use for subtle findings or to maximize space on small laptops. Toggle with toolbar control or the f shortcut when the viewer has focus. Exit fullscreen the same way.
Reset
Reset re-centers the active viewport: typical behaviors include default zoom/pan, clearing ad-hoc transforms, and in some volume cases resetting camera. Use after a colleague’s pan/zoom or when you are lost after magnification.
Use case: you zoomed in for a small lung nodule, then need the entire lung field again for context—reset then re-pan if needed.
Swap
Swap exchanges content or assignments between two viewports in multi-pane layouts to quickly align comparison pairs without re-dragging series from the thumbnail rail.
Use case: the prior exam loaded on the wrong pane; swap so left = prior, right = current for natural eye movement.
MPR and 3D viewports
When the study supports a volume kind, the viewer enables MPR and 3D navigation tools in the Navigate group: crosshairs, rotate 3D, and related controls appear only when the active viewport can use them. If a control is disabled, the current series is likely 2D stack-only for that cell.
Use case: crosshairs in three MPR panes to keep plane intersection on a vertebral level while scrolling.
Related
- Synchronization — keep multiple panes aligned.
- Navigation and cine — scroll and time playback.