Getting around the Blender environment can be a bit confusing at first.
Blender is a 3D environment, so you your object will look different
depending on whether it is being looked at from the top, side or
front.
The keys to control your views are on the number pad:
| 0 |
Camera view |
| 1 |
Front view |
| 3 |
Side view |
| 7 |
Top view |
| 4,6 |
Rotate your view in the horizontal plane |
| 2,8 |
Rotate your view in the vertical plane |
| 5 |
Toggles between perspective and orthogonal views |
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| You MUST use the
number pad keys. You cannot use the number keys at the top of
the keyboard. They control layers. |
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Using your cone from the previous page (If you closed it, simply make a new
one), try out all the different views.
Press the z key to change your mesh cone to a solid cone. (Pressing z
again will return it to a mesh cone.)
Select your cone (right click), then press G to grab it. Practise
moving it when in each of the top, side and front views.
Now do the same with rotating it (R key) and scaling it (S key) while in each
of the different views.
Press the A key. It selects everything including the lights and camera, or if everything is already selected, it deselects everything. |
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Centring, Zooming and Getting Lost!
To centre your view, click the 3D cursor in the position that you want the view to
centre on, and
then press the C key.
To zoom in and out, use your (NUMBER PAD) + and - keys.
Note: only the number pad + and - keys work!
Sometimes you may get lost inside 3D space a bit. To restore
the view, either click on the home icon 
at the bottom of the 3D window. Blender will resize the view to
include every object in your scene.
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Border Selection
With your cursor over the 3D window, press the B-key, and the cursor will become moving crosshairs. These moving guidelines indicate that you are in Border Select mode.
Left click and drag across the window, and any object that falls within the area of the box shape creates becomes selected when you release the mouse button.
Press A to deselect everything or press B and drag with your right mouse button to deselect parts. |
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Selecting
Right Mouse Button selects in the 3D view. Shift-right mouse button builds selection.
A-key toggles between Select All and Select None.
B-key enters border select mode. Dragging with left mouse button selects. Dragging with right mouse button deselects.
X-key deletes selected objects.
Grabbing
Right click to select, then press G to grab an object.
Once you have grabbed it, press X, Y or Z if you want to constrain movement along one of the axes.
Duplicating
Right click to select an object, then press Shift-D to duplicated it.
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