Student Library

Basic Controls

2 min read

Main Operation

  • Ctrl + N for new file
  • Ctrl + O for opening a new file
  • Ctrl + S for saving a file
  • Ctrl + Shift + O to save current progress as a filetype.
  • Ctrl + Z to undo last move.
  • Ctrl + Shift + Z to redo last move.

Workspaces

  • Responsible for working on a particular aspect.

  • Several known workspaces include:

    • Layout: placing objects, simulating physics
    • Modelling: for creating objects
    • Sculpting: for shaping objects (more fine-tuned)

Main Workspace Controls

  • Mouse Click
    • LMB for selecting objects
    • RMB to access object context menu
      • Hold Alt to center view on mouse cursor
  • Mouse Drag
    • LMB to mass select objects (box select)
    • MMB to rotate view
      • Hold Alt to snap to axis.
      • Hold Shift to pan view.
      • Hold Ctrl to zoom view
  • Mouse Scroll to zoom in or out
  • Shift + Space to show tools.
  • F9 to adjust last operation

Basic Transforms

  • While an object is selected:

    • G to move the object
    • R to rotate the object
    • S to scale the object

  • Press LMB to finalize transformation, Esc to cancel

  • During a transformation, you may:

    • press Shift for precise transformations
    • press Ctrl to snap to grid during move/scale transforms
    • press MMB to fix transformation to axis
      • while pressing, press Shift to fix to plane
    • press X, Y, or Z to fix transformation to the , , or -axis
      • pressing Shift and X, Y, or Z to fix transformation to the , , or -plane

Modelling

  • The art and science of creating surfaces that mimic real world objects or expresses imagination of abstract objects

  • Basic editing modes used in modelling are:

    • Object Mode: for basic object manipulation, creating/joining objects.
    • Edit Mode: for mesh editing
    • Sculpt Mode: for editing individual mesh elements

Mesh

  • A mesh is composed of three parts: a vertex, an edge, and a face.

    • Vertex (pl. vertices): most elementary part of a mesh; a single point in 3D space.
    • Edge: a line that connects two vertices.
    • Face: the actual surface of an object; the area between three or more connected vertices

  • A normal is a line perpendicular to a line, a tangent line on a curve, or a tangent plane on a surface.

Graph View