Blender 3D: Noob to Pro/Keystroke, Button, and Menu Notation

As you read through these tutorials, you will encounter cryptic codes such as  SHIFT + LMB  and Timeline → End Frame. They describe actions you perform using the keyboard and mouse. The notation used in this book comes from the standard used by the Blender community. We will try to import those standards here to facilitate our studies.

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Hotkeys

A typical numpad

Most computer keyboards have number keys in two different places. A row above the letters, and in a numpad (numeric keypad) to the right of the keyboard. While many applications use these two sets of keys interchangeably, Blender does not. It assigns different functions to each set. If you're using a laptop keyboard without a separate numeric keypad, this might cause some difficulty. You'll need to use your function key to do some things. It is possible to indicate to Blender the type of keyboard you are using, but we strongly recommend you use a standard external keyboard if you use a laptop for these tutorials as it will make your studies and usage of Blender much more straightforward and enjoyable.

This book often assumes your keyboard has a numpad. If yours doesn't, consult the tutorial on Non-standard Input Devices for alternative ways to access the numpad's functions.

Key Notation

Notation	Corresponding key or action
Alt	The Alt key (known as ⌥ Option on Apple keyboards)
Cmd	The ⌘ Command key also known on other platforms as the ⌘ Windows key or ❖ Super key
Ctrl	The ⌃ Ctrl key (also known as the Control key)
Fn	The Fn key (also known as the Function key, generally found only on laptops)
Shift	The ⇪ Shift key
Enter	The ↵ Return key (also known as the Enter key)
Esc	The Esc key (also known as the Escape key)
F1  through  F12	The function keys F1 through F12 (often in a row along the top of the keyboard)
Space	The Spacebar
Tab	The ↹ Tab key
A  through  Z	The letters A to Z (on the keyboard)
0key  through  9Key	The digits 0 to 9, placed above the letters on the keyboard
Num0  through  Num9	The digits 0 to 9, placed on the numpad
NumLock ,  Num/ ,  Num* ,  NUM− ,  Num+ ,  NumEnter , and  Num.	The NumLock, /, *, -, +, Enter, and . keys respectively, all located on the numpad.
Delete	The Delete key
Down Arrow	The ⇣ Down Arrow key
Left Arrow	The ⇠ Left Arrow key
Right Arrow	The ⇢ Right Arrow key
Up Arrow	The ⇡ Up Arrow key

When a key is used in a module, it means press that key. For exammple:

•  M  means "press the M key"
•  Num0  means "press the 0 key thats found on the numpad."

Combinations that involve holding down a key while performing another action are written with a plus sign (+). For example:

•  Shift + Tab  means "press  Tab  while holding down  Shift "
•  Shift + Ctrl + F9  means "press  F9  while holding down both  Ctrl  and  Shift "

Mouse Notation

Blender uses three mouse buttons and the scroll wheel, if you have one. If your mouse only has one or two buttons, consult the tutorial on Non-standard Input Devices for alternative ways to access the functions assigned to these buttons.

Notation	Corresponding action
LMB	click with the Left Mouse Button
RMB	click with the Right Mouse Button
MMB	press down on (don't turn) the scroll wheel or Middle Mouse Button
SCROLL	turn the scroll wheel in either direction

Mouse and keyboard actions are often combined.  Shift + RMB  means to click  RMB  while holding down  Shift .

Navigating Menus

Blender uses both pop-up and pull-down/pull-up menus. Many menus have sub menus (menus that are reached via another menu). If a menu item displays a triangle, that means it leads to a sub menu.

The File menu

You can move through items in a menu by either:

• Moving the mouse pointer up and down

• Pressing  Up Arrow  and  Down Arrow 

You can enter a sub menu by either:

• Moving the mouse pointer to the right

• Pressing  Right Arrow  while hovering over a menu item that shows a triangle on its side.

You can leave a sub menu by doing one of the following:

• moving the mouse pointer to the left

• pressing  Left Arrow 

To initiate a menu action, you can:

• click  LMB 

• press  Enter 

You can escape from a menu by:

• moving the mouse pointer away from the menu

• pressing  Esc 

For each menu, Blender remembers your last choice and highlights it for you the next time you enter the menu.

Notation

Menu notation is fairly self-explanatory.

 Shift + A  Mesh → UV Sphere

Means:

1. Press Shift+A
2. In the menu that pops up, move through the items until Mesh is highlighted
3. Enter the Mesh sub menu
4. Move through the items until UV Sphere is highlighted
5. Press Enter or click the left mouse button to initiate the action

Additional Resources

• the Blender Manual page on "keyboard and mouse" at http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Manual/Interface/Keyboard_and_Mouse