Blender issue or ME?

[Nacy Nightfire]

Answer: ME

I thought I'd share a solution to  the most annoying problem I've been having with Blender.  No one else has reported this on this forum as a problem they were experiencing, but I've read elsewhere it's a problem for some folks.  In a nutshell, if my file  gets to large I lose the ability to 'Pan" the scene and I can't  place my cursor.  And in that state its like someone has tied my right hand behind my back and handed me a pencil to write with.   To continue with the file and get in close I'd have to select geometry and hit the numpad period key. 

Was it the density of the geometry?  Windows XP? Blender?

 

Well after hours of research and trying everything think I could think of I discovered a button that was turned on by accident.  It's "lock to cursor" selection in the Transform panel.  Since I've never used it before or really knew what it was all about, it was off completely off my diagnostic "radar".  What I thought was happening due to heavy geometry or the eventual breaking of the file, was in reality the likelihood that as I progressed along with the file I got tired , sloppy, then flailed and unintentionally hit that button.

 

I think we've all experienced this kind of problem and I'm sharing this with anyone else that might find it useful. Perhaps others can share some similar experience with Blender that they've self diagnosed and fixed after much consternation, that they haven't yet posted to the forum for the benefit of all.