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[edit] WindowType

The first button on the left allows you to set the window type.

[edit] Triangle

Expands/collapses menus.

[edit] Menus

Menus provide a self-explanatory way to access to all Blender functions which can be performed in the 3D Window. They are context sensitive and will change depending on the selected Object.

• View
• Select
• Object

Windows with menus, like the 3D Viewport, do not have the standard "Full Window" and "Home" header buttons, functions which have moved to the View Menu.

[edit] Mode

Allows to switch Mode among the allowed ones for active Object:

• Pose Mode (Armature) Ctrl TAB.
• Weight Paint (all).
• Texture Paint (Mesh).
• Vertex Paint (Mesh) V toggles.
• UV Face Select (Mesh) F toggles.
• Edit Mode (all) TAB toggles.
• Object Mode (all) TAB toggles.

[edit] Draw Mode

This menu sets the drawing method. Respectively:

• BoundBox: The quickest method, for animation previews, for example.
• WireFrame
• Solid: Zbuffered with the standard OpenGL lighting. Z toggles between WireFrame and Solid.
• Shaded: This is as good an approach as is possible to the manner in which Blender renders - with Gouraud shading. It displays the situation from a single frame of the Camera. Shift Z toggles, use Ctrl Z to force a recalculation.
• Textured Draws each individual vertex the color from the textures in the material, but the area between vertices is averaged out. Unless you have a lot of vertices, the texture won't be clearly defined. To get better definition, use UV texturing, or add vertices with a Subsurf->simple subdivide modifer. Objects can have their own Draw Type, independent of the window setting (see EditButtons>>DrawType). The rule is that the minimum (more economic) DrawMode is displayed.

[edit] Pivot Point

This menu determines the manner in which the Objects (or in Edit mode, vertices, edges or faces) are rotated, scaled or mirrored.

• Bounding Box Center: The midpoint of the boundbox is the center of rotation or scaling. COMMA
• Median Point: The median of all Objects or vertices is the center of rotation or scaling.
• 3D Cursor: The 3DCursor is the midpoint of rotation or scaling. DOT
• Individual Objects Center: All Objects rotate or scale around their own center.
• Active Object: All Objects rotate or scale around the active object center.

[edit] 3D transform manipulator

Todo

[edit] Layers

These 20 buttons show the available layers. In fact, a layer is nothing more than a visibility flag. This is an extremely efficient method for testing Object visibility. This allows the user to divide the work functionally.

For example: Cameras in layer 1, temporary Objects in layer 20, lamps in layers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, etc. All hotkey commands and tools in Blender take the layers into account. Objects in 'hidden' layers are treated as unselected.

Use LMB for selecting, Shift LMB for adding/removing to/from the group of selected layers.

Hotkeys:

• 1, 2 etc. 0 for layers 1,2,3,4, etc.
• Alt 1, Alt 2 ... Alt 0 for layers 11, 12, ... 20.

Here, as well, use SHIFT+ Hotkey adding/removing to/from the group of selected layers.

[edit] Lock

Every 3DWindow has it's own layer setting and active Camera. This is also true for a Scene: here it determines what layers - and what camera - are used to render a picture. The lock option links the layers and Camera of the 3DWindow to the Scene and vice versa: the layers and Camera of the Scene are linked to the 3DWindow. This method passes a layer change directly to the Scene and to all other 3DWindows with the "Lock" option ON. Turn the "Lock" OFF to set a layer or Camera exclusively for the current 3DWindow. All settings are immediately restored by turning the button back ON.

[edit] Snap

Todo

[edit] Render this window

Todo

Redirects to fix

• Reference/Windows/File → Doc:Reference/Windows/File Browser
• Reference/Windows/Ipo → Doc:Reference/Windows/Ipo