Seems to me that I used to be able to hold down the mouse wheel while navigating the 3D view port and it would pan.
Now it has stopped working... any ideas?

Hi Mindset, yes that's correct that normally holding down the middle wheel button and keeping it down and dragging should pan the 3D view.

Maybe it's possible that your mouse wheel button is broken? When you're in a web browser and you push it do you get the scroll widget showing there?

Or are you possibly releasing it instead of keeping it held down while moving it?

Another thing you may be running into is that in a perspective view it pans by an amount relative to the rotation pivot point - if that pivot point is way in front of some objects then it's possible for the panning to only move a very small distance, try using the "Reset" button on the toolbar at the bottom of the viewport to zoom to fit and reset the pivot point and see if that helps.

There is also an alternative way to pan the 3D view which is to hold down the shift key and then drag the Right mouse button instead.

- Michael

Wow - Michael,

You are absolutely terrific.
Time to get a new mouse... I did not notice it missing from the browser.
I also did not know the Shift key - Right mouse trick.

You really are the best.
They should create a special version of the Nobel Prize exclusively for you!

Hi Mindset, well I'm glad that you were able to get it traced down to a broken mouse button! :)

I'm not surprised you didn't notice it before because that middle press is not used very regularly in other programs.

- Michael