BB-1 field guide · Blender 4.2 LTS and later · default keymap

blender
bible

The only design bible you will need to master Blender 3D. Every shortcut that gets a beginner unstuck, on one keyboard you can press.

object mode
press any key

Tap a key, or type on your own keyboard.

The screen shows what that key does in Blender. Latch shift, ctrl or alt to see the second layer, and flip the mode switch to see how keys change in Edit Mode.

mode
keys
click sound
held
shiftctrlalt

Swipe the keyboard sideways for the numpad and mouse. Coloured squares show each key's job in the current mode.

The pointer picks the editor.

Shortcuts go to whatever is under the mouse, not the panel you clicked last. If a key does nothing, move the pointer over the viewport and try again.

Esc takes back a move.

Type while you move.

G, X, 2, Enter moves the selection 2 m along X. R 90 turns it 90°. S 0.5 halves its size. No dragging needed.

F3 finds everything.

Forgot a shortcut? Press F3, type what you want, and the result shows its shortcut beside it. On a Mac laptop, press fn F3.

levels

Learn the keys in the order you will need them. Day 1 keeps you from getting lost, week 1 lets you build, month 1 makes you quick. Tick a shortcut once your fingers know it. Progress stays in this browser.

help, it broke

Sixteen things that go wrong in the first month, and the keys that put them right. Pick the pad that looks like your screen, or describe the problem.

no mouse, no numpad

Blender assumes a three-button mouse and a numeric keypad. On a laptop, these settings and gestures fill the gap.

On a Mac trackpad

Two-finger swipe
Orbits the view, like dragging the middle mouse button.
Pans the view.
Pinch
Zooms.
Drag the gizmo
The axis ball, hand and magnifier at the top right of the viewport orbit, pan and zoom on any computer.

Settings worth switching on

Input›Emulate Numpad
The number row acts as the numpad. In Edit Mode, 1, 2 and 3 then change the view, so pick vertex, edge or face in the header.
Input›Emulate 3 Button Mouse
Navigation›Orbit Around Selection
The view turns around what you selected, not the screen centre. You get lost less often.
Navigation›Zoom to Mouse Position
Zooms toward the pointer, like a map.

All under Edit › Preferences.

Small print that saves an hour

⌘ or ⌃ on a Mac
⌘ works in place of Ctrl for nearly every shortcut. The few that clash with macOS stay on ⌃: ⌃ Space maximizes an editor, ⌃ Tab opens the mode pie.
fn for function keys
On a Mac laptop, F2, F3 and F12 need fn held down, unless you change that in System Settings › Keyboard.
Stay on the default keymap
Nearly every tutorial uses it. The Industry Compatible keymap moves most keys, so tutorials stop matching.
Left-click select
This guide assumes it, as Blender has since 2.80. With right-click select, swap the mouse buttons above.