Blender 3d shortcut keys

Shortcut Command How useful(?)
Window Hotkeys
Blender
CTRL-LEFTARROW Go to the previous Screen + –
CTRL-RIGHTARROW Go to the next Screen + –
CTRL-UP ARROW or CTRL-DOWN ARROW Maximise the window or return to the previous window display size + –
SHFT-SPACE Toggle between maximised and normal window size, same as using previous shortcut + –
SHFT-F4 Change the window to a Data View + –
SHFT-F5 Change the window to a 3D Window + –
SHFT-F6 Change the window to an IPO Window + –
SHFT-F7 Change the window to a Buttons Window + –
SHFT-F8 Change the window to a Sequence Window + –
SHFT-F9 Change the window to an Outliner Window + –
SHFT-F10 Change the window to an Image Window + –
SHFT-F11 Change the window to a Text Window + –
SHFT-F12 Change the window to an Action Window + –
Universal Hotkeys
Blender
CTRL-LMB Lasso select: drag the mouse to form a freehand selection area + –
ESC This key always cancels Blender functions without changes or: FileWindow, DataView and ImageSelect: back to the previous window type or: the RenderWindow is pushed to the background (or closed, that depends on the operating system) + –
SPACE Open the Toolbox + –
CTRL-SPACE Opens menu with manipulator type choices (Press 2, 3, 4, or 5 to change the widget type) + –
ALT-SPACE Opens menu with manipulator orientation choices + –
TAB Start or quit EditMode + –
F1 Loads a Blender file. Changes the window to a FileWindow + –
SHFT-F1 Appends parts from other files, or loads as Library-data. Changes the window to a FileWindow, making Blender files accessible as a directory + –
F2 Writes a Blender file. Change the window to a FileWindow + –
SHFT-F2 Exports the scene as a DXF file + –
CTRL-F2 Exports the scene as a VRML1 file + –
F3 Writes a picture (if a picture has been rendered). The fileformat is as indicated in the Display Buttons. The window becomes a File Select Window + –
CTRL-F3 Saves a screendump of the active window. The fileformat is as indicated in the DisplayButtons. The window becomes a FileWindow + –
SHFT-CTRL-F3 Saves a screendump of the whole Blender screen. The fileformat is as indicated in the DisplayButtons. The window becomes a FileWindow + –
F4 Displays the Logic Context (if a ButtonsWindow is available) + –
F5 Displays the Shading Context (if a Buttons Window is available), Light, Material or World Sub-contextes depends on active object + –
F6 Displays the Shading Context and Texture Sub-context (if a ButtonsWindow is available) + –
F7 Displays the Object Context (if a Buttons Window is available) + –
F8 Displays the Shading Context and World Sub-context (if a ButtonsWindow is available) + –
F9 Displays the Editing Context (if a Buttons Window is available) + –
F10 Displays the Scene Context (if a Buttons Window is available) + –
F11 Hides or shows the render window + –
F12 Starts the rendering from the active camera + –
LEFTARROW Go to the previous frame + –
SHFT-LEFTARROW Go to the first frame + –
RIGHTARROW Go to the next frame + –
SHFT-LEFTARROW Go to the last frame + –
UPARROW Go forward 10 frames + –
DOWNARROW Go back 10 frames + –
ALT-A Change the current Blender window to Animation Playback mode. The cursor changes to a counter + –
ALT-SHFT-A The current window, plus all 3DWindows go into Animation Playback mode + –
I Insert Key menu. This menu differs from window to window + –
J Toggle the render buffers. Blender allows you to retain two different rendered pictures in memory + –
CTRL-O Opens the last saved file + –
Q Quit Blender. This key closes Blender. Blender quit is displayed in the console if Blender is properly closed. !!!Please note it is : CTRL-Q. in 2.43 + –
ALT-CTRL-T TimerMenu. This menu offers access to information about drawing speed. The results are displayed in a pop-up + –
CTRL-U OK, Save User defaults. The current project (windows, objects, etc.), including UserMenu settings are written to the default file that will be loaded every time you start Blender or set it to defaults by pressing CTRL-X + –
CTRL-W Write file. This key combination allows you to write the Blender file without opening a FileWindow + –
ALT-W Write Videoscape file. Changes the window to a FileWindow + –
CTRL-X Erase All. Everything (except the render buffer) is erased and released. The default scene is reloaded + –
CTRL-Y Redo. + –
CTRL-Z Undo. + –
SHFT-CTRL-Z Redo. + –
Object Mode Hotkeys
Blender
HOME All Objects in the visible layer are displayed completely, centered in the window. + –
PAGE UP Select the next Object Key. If more than one Object Key is selected, the selection is shifted up cyclically. Only works if the AnimButtons->DrawKey is ON for the Object. + –
SHFT-PAGEUP Adds to selection the next Object Key. + –
PAGE DOWN Select the previous Object Key. If more than one Object Key is selected, the selection is shifted up cyclically. Only works if the AnimButtons->DrawKey is ON for the Object. + –
SHFT-PAGEDOWN Adds to selection the previous Object Key. + –
ACCENT (To the left of the 1KEY in US keyboard) Select all layers. + –
SHFT-ACCENT Revert to the previous layer setting. + –
TAB Start/stop EditMode. Alternative hotkey: ALT-E. + –
A Selects/deselects all. + –
CTRL-A Apply size and rotation. The rotation and dimensions of the Object are assigned to the ObData (Mesh, Curve, etc.). At first glance, it appears as if nothing has changed, but this can have considerable consequences for animations or texture mapping. This is best illustrated by also having the axis of a Mesh Object be drawn (EditButtons->Axis). Rotate the Object and activate Apply. The rotation and dimensions of the Object are 'erased'. + –
SHFT-CTRL-A If the active Object is automatically duplicated (see AnimButtons->DupliFrames or AnimButtons- >Dupliverts), a menu asks Make duplis real?. This option actually creates the Objects. If the active Mesh Object is deformed by a Lattice, a menu asks Apply Lattice deform?. Now the deformation of the Lattice is assigned to the vertices of the Mesh. + –
SHFT-A This is the AddMenu. In fact, it is the ToolBox that starts with the `ADD' option. When Objects are added, Blender starts EditMode immediately if possible. + –
B Border Select. Draw a rectangle with the LeftMouse; all Objects within this area are selected, but not made active. Draw a rectangle with the RightMouse to deselect Objects. In orthonormal ViewMode, the dimensions of the rectangle are displayed, expressed as global coordinates, as an extra feature in the lower left corner. In Camera ViewMode, the dimensions that are to be rendered according to the DisplayButtons are displayed in pixel units. + –
SHFT-B Render Border. This only works in Camera ViewMode. Draw a rectangle to render a smaller cut-out of the standard window frame. If the option DisplayButtons->Border is ON, a box is drawn with red and black lines. + –
C Centre View. The position of the 3DCursor becomes the new centre of the 3D Window. + –
ALT-C Convert Menu. Depending on the active Object, a PopupMenu is displayed. This enables you to convert certain types of ObData. It only converts in one direction, everything ultimately degrades to a Mesh! The options are:
Font -> Curve
MetaBall -> Mesh The original MetaBall remains unchanged.
Curve -> Mesh
Surface -> Mesh + –
CTRL-C Copy Menu. This menu copies information from the active Object to (other) selected Objects.
Fixed components are:
Copy Loc: the X,Y,Z location of the Object. If a Child is involved, this location is the relative position in relation to the Parent.
Copy Rot: the X,Y,Z rotation of the Object.
Copy Size: the X,Y,Z dimension of the Object.
DrawType: copies Object Drawtype.
TimeOffs: copies Object time offset.
Dupli: all Duplicator data (Dupliframes, Dupliverts and so on)
Mass: Real time stuff.
Damping: Real time stuff.
Properties: Real time stuff.
Logic Bricks: Real time stuff.
Constraints: copies Object constraints.
If applicable:
Copy TexSpace: The texture space.
Copy Particle Settings: the complete particle system from the AnimButtons.
For Curve Objects:
Copy Bevel Settings: all bevelling data from th + –
SHFT-C CentreZero View. The 3DCursor is set to zero (0,0,0) and the view is changed so that all Objects, including the 3Dcursor, can be displayed. This is an alternative for HOME. + –
D Draw mode menu. Allows to select draw modes exactly as the corresponding menu in the 3D viewport header does. + –
SHFT-D Add Duplicate. The selected Objects are duplicated. Grab mode starts immediately thereafter. + –
ALT-D Add Linked Duplicate. Of the selected Objects linked duplicates are created. Grab mode starts immediately thereafter. + –
CTRL-D Draw the (texture) Image as wire. This option has a limited function. It can only be used for 2D compositing. + –
ALT-E Start/stop EditMode. Alternative hotkey: TAB. + –
F If selected Object is a mesh Toggles Face selectMode on and off. + –
CTRL-F Sort Faces. The faces of the active Mesh Object are sorted, based on the current view in the 3DWindow. The leftmost face first, the rightmost last. The sequence of faces is important for the Build Effect (AnimButtons). + –
G Grab Mode. Or: the translation mode. This works on selected Objects and vertices. Blender calculates the quantity and direction of the translation, so that they correspond exactly with the mouse movements, regardless of the ViewMode or view direction of the 3DWindow. Alternatives for starting this mode:
LMB to draw a straight line.
The following options are available in translation mode:
Limiters:
CTRL: in increments of 1 grid unit.
SHIFT: fine movements.
SHIFT-CTRL: in increments of 0.1 grid unit.
SHIFT-X: Locking the X axis in place. Moving along Y, Z axis only. *
SHIFT-Y: Locking the Y axis in place. Moving along X, Z axis only. *
SHIFT-Z: Locking the Z axis in place. Moving along X, Y axis only. *
MMB toggles: A short click restricts the current translation to the X,Y or Z axis. Blender calculates which axis to use, depending on the already initiated mouse movement. Click Middle Mo + –
ALT-G Clears translations, given in Grab mode. The X,Y,Z locations of selected Objects are set to zero. + –
CTRL-ALT-G Translation Manipulator. + –
SHFT-G Group Selection
Children: Selects all selected Object's Children.
Immediate Children: Selects all selected Object's first level Children.
Parent: Selects selected Object's Parent.
Shared Layers: Selects all Object on the same Layer of active Object + –
I Insert Object Key. A keyposition is inserted in the current frame of all selected Objects. A PopupMenu asks what key position(s) must be added to the IpoCurves.
Loc: The XYZ location of the Object.
Rot: The XYZ rotation of the Object.
Size: The XYZ dimensions of the Object
LocRot: The XYZ location and XYZ rotation of the Object.
LocRotSize: The XYZ location, XYZ rotation and XYZ dimensions of the Object.
Layer: The layer of the Object.
Avail: A position is only added to all the current IpoCurves, that is curves which already exists.
Mesh, Lattice, Curve or Surface: depending on the type of Object, a VertexKey can be added + –
CTRL-J Join Objects. All selected Objects of the same type are added to the active Object. What actually happens here is that the ObData blocks are combined and all the selected Objects (except for the active one) are deleted. This is a rather complex operation, which can lead to confusing results, particularly when working with a lot of linked data, animation curves and hierarchies. + –
K Show Keys. The DrawKey option is turned ON for all selected Objects. If all of them were already ON, they are all turned OFF. + –
SHFT-K A PopupMenu asks: OK? Show and select all keys. The DrawKey option is turned ON for all selected Objects, and all Object-keys are selected. This function is used to enable transformation of the entire animation system. + –
L Makes selected Object local. Makes library linked objects local for the current scene. + –
CTRL-L Link selected. Links some of the Active Object data to all selected Objects, the following menu entry appears only if applicable.
To Scene: Creates a link of the Object to a scene.
Object IPOs: Links Active Object IPOs to selected ones.
Mesh data: Links Active Object Mesh data selected ones.
Lamp Data: Links Active Object Lamp data to selected ones.
Surf Data: Links Active Object Surf data selected ones.
Material: Links Active Object Material to selected ones. + –
SHFT-L Select Linked. Selects all Objects somehow linked to active Object.
Object IPO: Selects all Object(s) sharing active Object's IPOs.
Object Data: Selects all Object(s) sharing active Object's ObData.
Current Material: Selects all Object(s) sharing active Object's current Material.
Current Texture: Selects all Object(s) sharing active Object's current Texture. + –
M Moves selected Object(s) to another layer, a pop-up appers. Use LMB to move, use SHIFT-LMB to make the object belong to multiple layers. If the selected Objects have different layers, this is ORed in the menu display. Use ESC to exit the menu. Press the OK button or ENTER to change the layer seting. The hotkeys (ALT-)(1KEY, 2KEY, ... - 0KEY) work here as well (see 3DHeader). + –
CTRL-M Mirror Menu. It is possible to mirror an Object along the X, Y or Z axis. + –
N Number Panel. The location, rotation and scaling of the active Object are displayed and can be modified. + –
ALT-O Clear Origin. The `Origin' is erased for all Child Objects, which causes the Child Objects to move to the exact location of the Parent Objects. + –
SHFT-O If the selected Object is a Mesh toggles SubSurf onn/ off. CTRL-1 to CTRL-4 switches to the relative SubSurf level for display purpouses. Rendering SUbSurf level has no HotKey. + –
CTRL-P Make selected Object(s) the child(ren) of the active Object. If the Parent is a Curve then a popup offers two choices:
Normal Parent: Make a normal parent, the curve can be made a path later on.
Follow Path: Automatically creates a Follow Path constraint with the curve as target. If the Parent is an Armature, a popup offers three options:
Use Bone: One of the Bones becomes the parent. The Object will not be deformed. A popup permits to select the bone. This is the option if you are modeling a robot or machinery
Use Armature: The whole armature is used as parent for deformations. This is the choiche for organic beings.
Use Object: Standard parenting. In the second case further options asks if Vertex groups should not be created, should be created empty or created and populated. + –
ALT-P Clears Parent relation, user is asked if he wishes to keep or clear parent-induced transforms.
Clear Parent: the selected Child Objects are unlinked from the Parent. since the transformation of the Parent disappears, this can appear as if the former Children themselves are transformed.
... and keep transform: the Child Objects are unlinked from the Parent, and an attempt is made to assign the current transformation, which was determined in part by the Parent, to the (former Child) Objects.
Clear Parent inverse: The inverse matrix of the Parent of the selected Objects is erased. The Child Objects remain linked to the Objects. This gives the user complete control over the hierarchy. + –
SHFT-P Push/Pull Transformations. It is a bit like scaling, except that every element is moved the same distance toward or away from the center. The distance they move is controlled by moving the mouse toward you (pull away from center) or away from you (push toward center). *
RKEY. Rotate mode. Works on selected Object(s). In Blender, a rotation is by default a rotation perpendicular to the screen, regardless of the view direction or ViewMode. The degree of rotation is exactly linked to the mouse movement. Try moving around the rotation midpoint with the mouse. The rotation pivot point is determined by the state of the 3DWiewport Header buttons. Alternatives for starting this mode:
LMB to draw a C-shaped curve.
The following options are available in rotation mode:
Limiters:
CTRL: in increments of 5 degrees.
SHIFT: fine movements.
SHIFT-CTRL: in increments of 1 degree.
SHIFT-X: Locking the X axis in place. Rotat + –
ALT-R Clears Rotation. The X,Y,Z rotations of selected Objects are set to zero. + –
CTRL-ALT-R Rotation Manipulator.
SKEY. Size mode or scaling mode. Works on selected Object(s). The degree of scaling is exactly linked to the mouse movement. Try to move from the (rotation) midpoint with the mouse. The pivot point is determined by the settings of the 3D Viewport header pivot Menu. Alternatives for starting scaling mode:
LMB to draw a V-shaped line.
The following options are available in scaling mode:
Limiters:
CTRL: in increments of 0.1.
SHIFT-CTRL: in increments of 0.01.
SHIFT-X: Locking the X axis in place. Scaling along Y, Z axis only. *
SHIFT-Y: Locking the Y axis in place. Scaling along X, Z axis only. *
SHIFT-Z: Locking the Z axis in place. Scaling along X, Y axis only. *
MMB toggles: A short click restricts the scaling to X, Y or Z axis. Blender calculates the appropriate axis based on the already initiated mouse movement. Click MMB again to return to free scaling.
Grid: Moves Object to nearest grid point.
Sel->Curs: Moves Object to cursor.
Curs->Grid: Moves cursor to nearest grid point.
Curs->Sel: Moves cursor to selected Object(s).
Sel->Center: Moves Objects to their barycentrum. + –
T Texture space mode. The position and dimensions of the texture space for the selected Objects can be changed in the same manner as described above for Grab and Size mode. To make this visible, the drawingflag EditButtons->TexSpace is set ON. A PopupMenu asks you to select: Grabber or Size . + –
CTRL-T Makes selected Object(s) track the Active Object. Old track method was Blender default tracking before version 2.30. The new method is the Constrain Track, this creates a fully editable constraint on the selected object targeting the active Object. + –
ALT-T Clears old style Track. Constraint track is removed as all constrains are. + –
U Makes Object Single User, the inverse operation of Link
(CTRL-L) a pop-up appears with choices.
Object: if other Scenes also have a link to this Object, the link is deleted and the Object is copied. The Object now only exists in the current Scene. The links from the Object remain unchanged.
Object & ObData: Similar to the previous command, but now the ObData blocks with multiple links are copied as well. All selected Objects are now present in the current Scene only, and each has a unique ObData (Mesh, Curve, etc.).
Object & ObData & Materials+Tex: Similar to the previous command, but now Materials and Textures with multiple links are also copied. All selected Objects are now unique. They have unique ObData and each has a unique Material and Texture block.
Materials+Tex: Only the Materials and Textures with multiple links are copied. + –
V Switches in/out of Vertex Paint Mode. + –
ALT-V Object-Image Aspect. This hotkey sets the X and Y dimensions of the selected Objects in relation to the dimensions of the Image Texture they have. Use this hotkey when making 2D Image compositions and multi-plane designs to quickly place the Objects in the appropriate relationship with one another. + –
W Opens Object Booleans Menu. + –
X Erase Selected? Deletes selected objects. + –
Z Toggles Solid Mode on/off. + –
SHFT-Z Toggles Shaded Mode on/off. + –
ALT-Z Toggles Textured Mode on/off. + –
Edit Mode - General
Blender
TAB or ALT-E This button starts and stops Edit Mode. + –
CTRL-TAB Switches between Vertex Select, Edge Select, and Face Select modes. Holding SHIFT while clicking on a mode will allow you to combine modes. + –
A Select/Unselect all. + –
B KEY-B Circle Select. If you press BKEY a second time after starting Border Select, Circle Select is invoked. It works as described above. Use NUM+ or NUM- or MW to adjust the circle size. Leave Circle Select with RMB or ESC. + –
CTRL-H With vertices selected, this creates a Hook object. Once a hook is selected, CTRL-H brings up an options menu for it. + –
N Number Panel. Simpler than the Object Mode one, in Edit Mode works for Mesh, Curve, Surface: The location of the active vertex is displayed. + –
O Switch in/out of Proportional Editing. + –
SHFT-O Toggles between Smooth and Sharp Proportional Editing. + –
P SeParate. You can choose to make a new object with all selected vertices, edges, faces and curves or create a new object from each separate group of interconnected vertices from a popup. Note that for curves you cannot separate connected control vertices. This operation is the opposite of Join (CTRL-J). + –
CTRL-P Make Vertex Parent. If one object (or more than one) is/are selected and the active Object is in Edit Mode with 1 or 3 vertices selected then the Object in Edit Mode becomes the Vertex Parent of the selected Object(s). If only 1 vertex is selected, only the location of this vertex determines the Parent transformation; the rotation and dimensions of the Parent do not play a role here. If three vertices are selected, it is a `normal' Parent relationship in which the 3 vertices determine the rotation and location of the Child together. This method produces interesting effects with Vertex Keys. In EditMode, other Objects can be selected with CTRL-RMB. + –
CTRL-S Shear. In EditMode this operation enables you to make selected forms `slant'. This always works via the horizontal screen axis. + –
U Undo. When starting Edit Mode, the original ObData block is saved and can be returned to via UKEY. Mesh Objects have better Undo, see next section. + –
W Specials PopupMenu. A number of tools are included in this PopupMenu as an alternative to the Edit Buttons. This makes the buttons accessible as shortcuts, e.g. EditButtons-> Subdivide is also `WKEY, 1KEY'. + –
SHFT-W Warp. Selected vertices can be bent into curves with this option. It can be used to convert a plane into a tube or even a sphere. The centre of the circle is the 3DCursor. The mid-line of the circle is determined by the horizontal dimensions of the selected vertices. When you start, everything is already bent 90 degrees. Moving the mouse up or down increases or decreases the extent to which warping is done. By zooming in/out of the 3Dwindow, you can specify the maximum degree of warping. The CTRL limiter increments warping in steps of 5 degrees. + –
EditMode - Mesh
Blender
CTRL-NUM+ Adds to selection all vertices connected by an edge to an already selected vertex. + –
CTRL-NUM- Removes from selection all vertices of the outer ring of selected vertices. + –
ALT-CTRL-RMB Edge select. + –
C If using curve deformations, this toggles the curve Cyclic mode on/off. + –
E Extrude Selected. Extrude in EditMode transforms all the selected edges to faces. If possible, the selected faces are also duplicated. Grab mode is started directly after this command is executed. + –
SHFT-E Crease Subsurf edge. With Draw Creases enabled, pressing this key will allow you to set the crease weight. Black edges have no weight, edge-select color have full weight. + –
CTRL-E Mark LSCM Seam. Marks a selected edge as a seam for unwrapping using the LSCM mode. + –
F Make Edge/Face. If 2 vertices are selected, an edge is created. If 3 or 4 vertices are selected, a face is created. If 2 or more faces are selected, an FGon can be created. In 2.41 (and probably earlier), faces do not have to be co-planar to form an FGon. + –
SHFT-F Fill selected. All selected vertices that are bound by edges and form a closed polygon are filled with triangular faces. Holes are automatically taken into account. This operation is 2D; various layers of polygons must be filled in succession. + –
ALT-F Beauty Fill. The edges of all the selected triangular faces are switched in such a way that equally sized faces are formed. This operation is 2D; various layers of polygons must be filled in succession. The Beauty Fill can be performed immediately after a Fill. + –
CTRL-F Flip faces, selected triangular faces are paired and common edge of each pair swapped. + –
H Hide Selected. All selected vertices and faces are temporarily hidden. + –
SHFT-H Hide Not Selected: All non-selected vertices and faces are temporarily hidden. + –
ALT-H Reveal. All temporarily hidden vertices and faces are drawn again. + –
ALT-J Join faces, selected triangular faces are joined in pairs and transformed to quads + –
K Knife tool Menu.
Face Loop Select: (SHIFT-R) Face loops are highlighted starting from edge under mouse pointer. LMB finalizes, ESC exits.
Face Loop Cut: (CTRL-R) Face loops are highlighted starting from edge under mouse pointer. LMB finalizes, ESC exits.
Knife (exact): (SHIFT-K) Mouse starts draw mode. Selected Edges are cut at intersections with mouse line. ENTER or RMB finalizes, ESC exits.
Knife (midpoints): (SHIFT-K) Mouse starts draw mode. Selected Edges intersecting with mouse line are cut in middle regardless of true intersection point. ENTER or RMB finalizes, ESC exits. + –
L Select Linked. If you start with an unselected vertex near the mouse cursor, this vertex is selected, together with all vertices that share an edge with it. + –
SHFT-L Deselect Linked. If you start with a selected vertex, this vertex is deselected, together with all vertices that share an edge with it. + –
CTRL-L Select Linked Selected. Starting with all selected vertices, all vertices connected to them are selected too. + –
M Mirror. Opens a popup asking for the axis to mirror. 3 possible axis group are available, each of which contains three axes, for a total of nine choices. Axes can be Global (Blender Global Reference); Local (Current Object Local Reference) or View (Current View reference). Remember that mirroring, like scaling, happens with respect to the current pivot point. + –
ALT-M Merges selected vertices at barycentrum or at cursor depending on selection made on pop-up. + –
CTRL-N Calculate Normals Outside. All normals from selected faces are recalculated and consistently set in the same direction. An attempt is made to direct all normals `outward'. + –
SHFT-CTRL-N Calculate Normals Inside. All normals from selected faces are recalculated and consistently set in the same direction. An attempt is made to direct all normals `inward'. + –
ALT-S Whereas SHIFT-S scales in Edit Mode as it does in Object Mode, for Edit Mode a further option exists, ALT-S moves each vertex in the direction of its local normal, hence effectively shrinking/fattening the mesh. + –
CTRL-T Make Triangles. All selected faces are converted to triangles. + –
U Undo. When starting Edit Mode, the original ObData block is saved and all subsequent changes are saved on a stack. This option enables you to restore the previous situation, one after the other. + –
SHFT-U Redo. This let you re-apply any undone changes up to the moment in which Edit Mode was entered + –
ALT-U Undo Menu. This let you choose the exact point to which you want to undo changes. + –
W Special Menu. A PopupMenu offers the following options:
Subdivide: all selected edges are split in two.
Subdivide Fractal: all selected edges are split in two and middle vertex displaced randomly.
Subdivide Smooth: all selected edges are split in two and middle vertex displaced along the normal.
Merge: as ALT-M.
Remove Doubles: All selected vertices closer to each other than a given threshold (See EditMode Button Window) are merged ALT-M.
Hide: as HKEY.
Reveal: as ALT-H.
Select Swap: Selected vertices become unselected and vice versa.
Flip Normals: Normals of selected faces are flipped.
Smooth: Vertices are moved closer one to each other, getting a smoother object.
Bevel: Faces are reduced in size and the space between edges is filled with a smoothly curving bevel of the desired order. + –
X Erase Selected. A PopupMenu offers the following options:
Vertices: all vertices are deleted. This includes the edges and faces they form.
Edges: all edges with both vertices selected are deleted. If this `releases' certain vertices, they are deleted as well. Faces that can no longer exist as a result of this action are also deleted.
Faces: all faces with all their vertices selected are deleted. If any vertices are `released' as a result of this action, they are deleted.
All: everything is deleted.
Edges and Faces: all selected edges and faces are deleted, but the vertices remain.
Only Faces: all selected faces are deleted, but the edges and vertices remain. + –
Y Split. This command splits the selected part of a Mesh without deleting faces. The split parts are no longer bound by edges. Use this command to control smoothing. Since the split parts have vertices at the same position, selection with LKEY is recommended. + –
Edit Mode - Curve
Blender
C Set the selected curves to cyclic or turn cyclic off. An individual curve is selected if at least one of the vertices is selected. + –
E Extrude Curve. A vertex is added to the selected end of the curves. Grab mode is started immediately after this command is executed. + –
F Add segment. A segment is added between two selected vertices at the end of two curves. These two curves are combined into one curve. + –
H Toggle Handle align/free. Toggles the selected Bezier handles between free or aligned. + –
SHFT-H Set Handle auto. The selected Bezier handles are converted to auto type. + –
CTRL-H Calculate Handles. The selected Bezier curves are calculated and all handles are assigned a type. + –
L Select Linked. If you start with an non-selected vertex near the mouse cursor, this vertex is selected together with all the vertices of the same curve. + –
SHFT-L Deselect Linked. If you start with a selected vertex, it is deselected together with all the vertices of the same curve. + –
M Mirror. Mirror selected control points exactly as for vertices in a Mesh. + –
T Tilt mode. Specify an extra axis rotation, i.e. the tilt, for each vertex in a 3D curve. + –
ALT-T Clear Tilt. Set all axis rotations of the selected vertices to zero. + –
V Vector Handle. The selected Bezier handles are converted to vector type. + –
W The special menu for curves appears:
Subdivide. Subdivide the selected vertices.
Switch direction. The direction of the selected curves is reversed. This is mainly for Curves that are used as paths! + –
X Erase Selected. A PopupMenu offers the following options:
Selected: all selected vertices are deleted.
Segment: a curve segment is deleted. This only works for single segments. Curves can be split in two using this option. Or use this option to specify the cyclic position within a cyclic curve.
All: delete everything. + –
Edit Mode - Metaball
Blender
M Mirror. Mirror selected control points exactly as for vertices in a Mesh. + –
EditMode - Surface
Blender
C Toggle Cyclic menu. A PopupMenu asks if selected surfaces in the `U' or the `V' direction must be cyclic. If they were already cyclic, this mode is turned off. + –
E Extrude Selected. This makes surfaces of all the selected curves, if possible. Only the edges of surfaces or loose curves are candidates for this operation. Grab mode is started immediately after this command is completed. + –
F Add segment. A segment is added between two selected vertices at the ends of two curves. These two curves are combined into 1 curve. + –
L Select Linked. If you start with an non-selected vertex near the mouse cursor, this vertex is selected together with all the vertices of the same curve or surface. + –
SHFT-L Deselect Linked. If you start with a selected vertex, this vertex is deselected together with all vertices of the same curve or surface. + –
M Mirror. Mirror selected control points exactly as for vertices in a Mesh. + –
SHFT-R Select Row. Starting with the last selected vertex, a complete row of vertices is selected in the `U' or `V' direction. Selecting Select Row a second time with the same vertex switches the `U' or `V' selection. + –
W The special menu for surfaces appears:
Subdivide. Subdivide the selected vertices
Switch direction. This will switch the normals of the selected parts.
Mirror. Mirrors the selected vertices + –
X Erase Selected. A PopupMenu offers the following choices:
Selected: all selected vertices are deleted.
All: delete everything. + –
VertexPaint Hotkeys
Blender
SHFT-K All vertex colours are erased; they are changed to the current drawing colour. + –
U Undo. This undo is `real'. Pressing Undo twice redoes the undone. + –
W Shared Vertexcol: The colours of all faces that share vertices are blended. + –
EditMode - Font
Blender
RIGHTARROW Move text cursor 1 position forward + –
SHFT-RIGHTARROW Move text cursor to the end of the line. + –
LEFTARROW Move text cursor 1 position backwards. + –
SHFT-LEFTARROW Move text cursor to the start of the line + –
DOWNARROW Move text cursor 1 line forward + –
SHFT-DOWNARROW Move text cursor to the end of the text. + –
UPARROW Move text cursor 1 line back. + –
SHFT-UPARROW Move text cursor to the beginning of the text + –
ALT-U Reload Original Data (undo). When EditMode is started, the original text is saved. You can restore this original text with this option. + –
ALT-V Paste text. The text file /tmp/.cutbuffer is inserted at the cursor location. + –
UV Editor Hotkeys
Blender
E LSCM Unwrapping. Launches LSCM unwrapping on the faces visible in the UV editor. + –
P Pin selected vertices. Pinned vertices will stay in place on the UV editor when executing an LSCM unwrap. + –
ALT-P Un-Pin selected vertices. Pinned vertices will stay in place on the UV editor when executing an LSCM unwrap. + –
EdgeSelect Hotkeys
Blender
ALT-CLICK Selects an Edge Loop. + –
FaceSelect Hotkeys
Blender
ALT-CLICK Selects a Face Loop. + –
TAB Switches to EditMode, selections made here will show up when switching back to FaceSelectMode with TAB. + –
F With multiple, co-planar faces selected, this key will merge them into one FGon so long as they remain co-planar (flat to each other). + –
L Select Linked UVs. To ease selection of face groups, Select Linked in UV Face Select Mode will now select all linked faces, if no seam divides them. + –
R Calls a menu allowing to rotate the UV coordinates or the VertexCol. + –
U Calls the UV Calculation menu. The following modes can the applied to the selected faces:
Cube: Cubical mapping, a number button asks for the cubemap size
Cylinder: Cylindrical mapping, calculated from the center of the selected faces
Sphere: Spherical mapping, calculated from the center of the selected faces
Bounds to x: UV coordinates are calculated from the actual view, then scaled to a boundbox of 64 or 128 pixels in square
Standard x: Each face gets default square UV coordinates
From Window: The UV coordinates are calculated using the projection as displayed in the 3DWindow + –
Text Editor Hotkeys
Blender
CTRL-SHFT-V Paste text from Windows clipboard + –
CTRL-SHFT-C Copy text to Windows clipboard + –
CTRL-SHFT-X Cut text to Windows clipboard + –

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Introduction to Texture Nodes

n this tutorial we will be creating a brick texture using nothing but procedural textures and Blender’s powerful new texture node system.
teary-nights
Let’s begin…
Start by adding a plane and rotating it to face the camera.
1-plane1
With the plane selected, add a new material and new texture. Those familar with blender will recognize that a new button labelled Nodes has been added. Click it. You will notice that doing so, disables the standard dropdown texture choices.
2-nodes-button
Now switch to the Node editor.
15-node-editor
Again, you will notice a new button has been added to the header, in the shape of a spotted square. Click it to switch to the Texturing Node system.
1-tex-button
By default you will see a checkboard and output nodes. Go ahead and delete the checkerboard node.
3-delete-checkboard
Creating the brick mask
Add a brick texture by hitting space then selecting, Add>Patterns>Bricks. Change the settings to the picture below and connect it to the Output node.
4-brick-settings
This basic brick texture will be used as the foundation to create our diffuse, bump, pattern and spec maps, so we want to make sure that if we change any of the settings, that all 4 textures update accordingly. So to do this, we need to create a group.
With only the Brick node selected hit Ctrl+G, and click Make Group. To make it easier to identify later, label it ‘Mask’:
5-mask
The new node system allows us to add multiple outputs to the same node screen for each texture map that we need. In this case we are creating 4, so with the Mask and the Output nodes selected, duplicate it three times and label the outputs: Diffuse, Pattern, Spec and Bump.
6-duplicated-nodes
That’s the basic brick mask set up. We will now move on to texturing each map accordingly.
Altering the Pattern Texture
Create two cloud inputs (Add>Textures>Clouds) and give them the following settings:
7-clouds
These cloud layers will be used to give the bricks a randomized texture pattern depending on the row and number of the brick. To do this, join each cloud layer to the brick inputs in the mask that is connected to the Pattern output:
8-clouds-connected
The Bias setting can be adjusted from -1.00 to 1.00. This determines how much of Brick 1 and Brick 2 to use. Setting it to 0.00 will use both Brick 1 and Brick 2 evenly, creating a nice random brick texture, which is ideal for what we want.
Altering the Specular Texture
Just like we did with our pattern texture, we are going to be adding a texture that will reflect the light off our bricks. So in this instance the Musgrave texture works best (Add>Texture>Musgrave). Give the Musgrave texture the following settings (making sure you change the colors as shown) then insert it into the Brick 1 slot. Now change the colour of Brick 2 to black:
9-spec
This will create a fine sandy texture that will reflect off the light.
Altering the Bump Map Texture
The bump is slightly different in that we aren’t altering brick slot 1 or 2, but instead converting the resulting texture to a normal map. To do this, add a Value to Normal node (Add>Convertor>Value to Normal) and place it in between the mask and the output as shown. Make sure that you change the connection on the output from Color to Normal.
10-bump
This will ensure our bricks have nice bevelled edges.
The node system is now complete!
11-full-nodes
Adding the Node System to the Texture Panel
If you switch to the texture panel in our material settings, you will notice that our texture now has a dropdown list next to it, listing each of our outputs. This allows us to bring the textures from node system into our standard texture panel and change the blending options.
To start with select Diffuse from the drop down list.
12-node-selector
Now swith to the Map To panel and make the following changes.
13-diffuse-multiply
Going back to our Texture Panel, add another texture slot and change the output to Spec:
14-spec-select1
Switch to the Map To panel and make the following changes:
14-spec-settings
Add another texture slot and select Bump for the output:
15-bump-select
Now make the following changes in the Map To panel:
15-bump-settings
Add a final texture slot and select Pattern as the output:
16-pattern-select
Switch to the Map To tab and make the following changes:
16-pattern-settings
That’s it! If you render now, you should get a result similar to this:
1-by-1
I used the default brick size for this tutorial which is quite large. If you want to decrease their size, this can easily be done by altering the size of the texture in the Map Input field.
17-map-input
For example, altering those numbers to 3.00 yields this result:
3-by-3
As you can see the texture node system is incredibly powerful. It can be used to quickly create texture combinations that previously would have required the use of an image editor. This opens the doors to faster workflows, more realistic textures and more artistic license.
download_blend
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial! If you have any questions be sure to ask. I’d love to see your end result, so feel free to post it below!

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How to make Puddles

So to kick it off, I’m starting with a very important topic: Puddles. Because no rain scene is complete without them!Puddles are notoriously known amongst the 3d community for being difficult to achieve, and for very good reason! They are flush with the ground, partly reflective and subject to water physics.
I used to just avoid them at all cost. But thankfully I’ve discovered an easy method that achieves stunning results by harnessing the power of textures ;)
Many of you have requested more text based tutorials, so today’s tutorial is sans-video ;)

Setting up the scene

With a new scene, delete the default cube.

Add a plane (Shift+A).

In the top view, scale the plane to the shape of a rectangle. You can do this by pressing S and then X or Y.

We will now UV texture the plane. First split the view port vertically and change the new view port to a UV Image editor. In the image view port, open a floor texture of your choice. For this tutorial I will be using a cobble texture off CGTextures.com. You can download the texture here.

To UV unwrap the plane, enter edit mode (TAB) and press U and select Unwrap from the pop up menu. You will need to rotate the UV coordinates, so that the scaling matches the object.

Position the camera to the desired position for your scene. In my case it was on the left hand side.

If you switch to texture view mode, you can see the texture in real time. This can help you position the camera.

Creating an environment

Before we start texturing the plane, we need to set up an environment so that the plane has something to reflect.
Go the World panel and check Paper Sky. This will ensure the texture we are about to apply, is not stretched or warped in anyway.

Switch to the Texture panel and ensure that World is visible along the top bar. This means that we are applying textures to the world settings, not an object. Then add a new texture.

Set the texture type to Image or Movie and Open a background image.

You can choose any image for the background, but I will be using this image that I found on Flickr:

Depending on the size of your scene, you may need to tile the texture to create better reflections. You can do this in the Tile options. To make the background appear in your render, check Horizon.

To create reflecting light, move the default lamp to the end of the plane and duplicate it as many times as necessary. This will vary depending on the scene, but I’ve found that around 10 lamps at varied heights and varied energy values to be effective.

The lamp settings can be left as default, but you may like to change each lamps color depending on your scene.

Adding the ground texture

We’ve UV mapped the texture to the plane, but before it will show up in the render, we also need to add it too the texture settings.
With the plane still selected, add a new material.

Leave all the options as default for now.

Switch to the texture panel and add a new texture.

From the texture type drop down menu, select Image or Movie.

Next, click Open and select the same floor texture that we used previously.

To ensure the texture uses the UV coordinates, select UV from the mapping options drop down menu.

If you rendered now you would get a result similar to this.

Adding reflections

Now comes the tricky part. In order to tell Blender which parts of the ground are going to be puddles, we need to paint over the floor texture with a thick black brush. You can do this easily in a paint editor, such as Gimp or Photoshop. Make sure you paint on a separate layer as you will need to use it again later in the tutorial.
Alternatively you can download my ready created texture here:

Before we add the texture, you will need to activate Mirror in the materials panel. Leave all the settings as default as we want the texture to control what parts of the plane will be reflective.

Add a new texture and place it underneath the previous texture we created earlier.

You may like to name the texture Mirror and the previous texture Col so you don’t get them confused. Set Image or Movie as the texture type. Click Open from the texture panel and select the altered texture we just created.

In the texture mapping options, choose UV.

In the Influence panel, select Ray Mirror. This will take the light areas of the image and make them reflective. Check RGB to Intensity to convert the image to B&W format. Check Negative to invert the texture. This will make the dark areas of the image reflective instead of the white areas. We want this so the cracks and puddles in the image are reflective.

If you rendered now you would get a result similar to this, which is very reflective! This is necessary however, as we will be adding a bump map which will distort the reflections and make them less obvious.

Creating the bump map

Prepare for awesomeness! Bump maps push the scene closer to realism by adding raised imperfections to a surface, and are great fun to use.
Add a new texture underneath the previous, and name it Normals. Select Image or Movie as the texture type and click Open image. Select the custom made puddle texture.

In the mapping options, select UV.

In the Influence options, select Normal. If you choose a positive value the dark values will become raised. However the tiles in my texture are light, so I will be using a negative value to reverse it. Set the value to -0.15

If you rendered now you would see a result similar to this. Whilst it is okay, I would prefer the cracks to be more reflective and less distorted.

To do this we need to alter the contrast of image. In the texture settings, set the contrast to 3. This will make the cracks extremely dark, and as a result unaffected by the bump mapping.

Perfect! The cracks now look more flooded as if they have collected water.

Adding specularity

Specularity is used in 3d to fake reflections, so as a rule of thumb you normally shouldn’t use both reflections and specularity on the same object. However… in this particular case, I want the lights to create a light sheen effect over the tiles and puddle.
Because the tiles are white, you will need to create a separate texture with white puddles. This is so the specularity effects the puddles as well. This texture will be identical to the previous, only the puddles will be white. This can easily be achieved in Gimp or Photoshop, by selecting the puddles layer that you previously painted and inverting it.
Alternatively, you can download my ready made texture here:

Before you add the texture to the plane, go to the material settings and turn off specularity! The reason for this is that we want the image texture to control the strength of the specularity. The value in the material settings will apply normal specularity to the entire object, which we don’t want. So make sure this is set to 0.

Go to the texture panel and add a new texture underneath the previous textures.

Change the name of the texture to Specularity, and set the type to Image or Movie. Click Open and select the new puddle texture.

In the mapping options, select UV.

Check the Specular Intensity. The value will define how much or how little specularity you want in the image. In this example, 0.6 works okay but you may need to experiment with a value that is appropriate for your scene.

If you rendered now you would see a result similar to this. Notice the subtle sheen off the tiles and the puddles? Perfect :)

Adding ripples

The only thing missing are some subtle ripples in the puddle. This can easily be achieved with a basic procedural texture.
For the last time, add a new texture.

Name the texture, Ripples and leave the texture type as Clouds.

By default the cloud texture is too large, so set the texture to 0.02 and increase the depth to 6 to create finer more detailed ripples.

In the Influence panel, check Normal and set the amount to 0.001. This will create very subtle imperfections across the plane.

Finished!

Well… almost. If you want to push the scene further, why not give it a little Wow Factor ;)

I’ve added color correction, soft glow, vignette and depth of field.
Now it’s finished!

As always I’m excited to see what you guys create, so feel free to post them below! If you know of any alternative methods to create puddles, feel free to share that as well :)

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Realistic Medium Poly Tree

Vegetation has always been a neglected topic when it comes to tutorials. So I have decided to give the community exactly what they have been asking for. This method makes a tree with a reasonable number of faces. (mine came out to 7,128) This allows for having multiple trees without your scene becoming too heavy. Another great thing about this method, is that you can use it in the blender game engine. If you’re not using Blender, you should be able to use the same methods in whichever program you are using.
In this tutorial you will be learning
Modeling from details first
UV Unwrapping
Creating normal Maps using xNormal
Applying Textures
First load your reference photo into the background.

Press “Shift +A” and insert a tube into the scene.


Start maping the tube to fit the trunk, and main branch.



Select one segment from the main branch, and duplicate it “Shift + D”.

Use this new segment to shape out another branch.



Repeat this same step for all of the main branches.

Right now, the tree looks flat. This is no good.

To fix this, start pulling around verts along the Y axis.


Another thing you can do is to put the 3d cursor at the base of a branch, and rotate along the cursor.


Repeat these same steps for all the branches.


Now we need to connect all the main branches. to do this, delete the closest 2 faces where a branch intersects.

Now insert an edgeloop with “CTRL + R”.

Now merge the outer verts together, press “W” to open up the specials menu, and select Merge.


This looks too uniform, so pull the verts around a bit so it looks natural.

Repeat these steps for all the branches.

Now we need to make the smaller branches, so add another tube.


Start shaping out a branch.


Duplicate this branch, and place it to make a forks.

Now it’s time to UV unwrap the tree, so split the 3D view, and select the UV/Image Editor.

Now open your bark texture.

Make sure that the caps are deleted.

Select the edges where branches connect, as well as an edgeloop running down the branch, and mark seam by pressing “CTRL + E”


Now select all, hit “U” and select unwrap.

Change the Viewport Shading to Textured

Right now our UV’s are too small, so scale them up.



Some of the UV’s may be stretched, so edit them to make the bark texture a little more uniform



Repeat these last few steps for the small branch that we made.

Now on to the leaves. Load up a photo of a small leaf cluster into Gimp or Photoshop.

Crop and scale the leaf cluster into either 512X512, or 1024X1024

Mask out your leaves from the background.

With this mask you can easily make your color and alpha map.


These next new steps are optional, but making a normal map for your leaves will really help push this to the next level
In a new scene, Create a plane.

Split the view and open the UV/Image Editor.

Create a new material, turn on Z Transparency, and change the alpha value to 0.


Now apply your texture maps.


For your alpha map, uncheck Color. Check Alpha, and change the value to -1.

In the 3D view, change the display mode to GLSL, and change the Viewport Shading to Textured.


Add a Multires Modifier, and set the levels to 8.



Now go to Sculpt mode, and sculpt the plane to give the leaves some depth.



Duplicate your plane with “Shift + D” On one copy apply the modifier, on the other turn off the modifier.


Export both of your planes as .obj.

In Xnormal, import both your low poly plane, and your high poly plane.


In Baking Options, chose where you want to save your file to, then Hit the Generate Maps button.



Load up your bark texture into Gimp, or Photoshop, and desaturate it.


Apply a slight Gaussian Blur, Adjust the levels like so, Then Invert the image.



In Xnormal, click the “tools” tab, then “Hightmap to normal map”

Right Click in the Hightmap window, load your new bark texture. Then In the Normal map window, right click and select Generate.


Now right click, and save your normal map.

Now go back to your original scene file, and add a plane. Open your leaf color map into the UV/Texture Editor, and unwrap the plane.

Move the object center to the start of the twig.

With the face selected in edit mode, open the “specials” menue by hitting “W” then select “Subdivide”.

Move the verts around so this plane does not appear flat at any angle.

Add a new material to the plane. Enable z Transparency, and set the alpha value to 0.


Load your Color map to the UV coordinates.

Check the Specular Color box. This will make the specularity look much more realistic.

For your Alpha map, check the Premultiply button, as well as the alpha button, and setting it to -1.

For your Normal map, make sure to check the normal map button, and that you change the Normal Space to Tangent.

Repeat the same few steps for the Bark. (excluding the part on alphas)

Set the Shading Mode to GLSL.


To get a better view, of how the normal maps react, change the point light to a sun, and give it a slight angle.

To make the leaves double sided in the game engine, change the engine to “Game Engine”.

Now in Edit mode, select one face on the plane. In the Object Data Tab under Normals, check “Double Sided” In the same tab under Texture Face check “Two-side” as well as changing the transparency to Clip Alpha.


Duplicate the leaf cluster and position it onto the small branch.

Keep doing this as many times as you feel the need. Try to position them in such a way that gives good volume without the need for ridiculous amounts of leaves.

Now join all the leaves to the branch, and move the pivot point to the end of the branch.

Now place the branch onto the main branches of the tree, and duplicate until the tree is full. Then parent all the branches to the tree with “CTRL + P”.



Now put it in a scene, and you’re done! (This image is from the Blender Game Engine)

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