The shader view pane allows you to view the selected shader ball. You can rotate the ball by clicking 
and dragging in the pane.
View menu
Sphere/Tube/Grid/Torus
Allows you to change the shape of the shader ball. The default shape is a sphere.
Low/Medium/High Resolution
Allows you to change the resolution of the shader ball. The default resolution is medium.
Home
Reverts the rotation of the shader ball back to its original position.
Background menu
Allows you to change the background of the pane. This is useful to use with shaders that have transparency or reflections.