← Cheatsheets
Tags: blender, 3d, modeling, hotkeys, modifiers, uv, game-dev
Last updated: 2026-06-27
Blender (3D Modeling) Cheatsheet
Quick Reference
| Hotkey / Action | Description |
|---|
Tab | Toggle Object / Edit mode |
G / R / S | Grab (move) / Rotate / Scale |
E | Extrude |
Ctrl+R | Loop cut |
Ctrl+B | Bevel |
Shift+A | Add menu |
Ctrl+J | Join objects |
X | Delete |
Shift+D | Duplicate |
Navigation
- Orbit — Middle-mouse drag.
- Pan —
Shift + middle-mouse drag.
- Zoom — Scroll wheel or
Ctrl + middle-mouse drag.
- Frame selected — Numpad
. (period).
- Orthographic views — Numpad
1 (front), 3 (right), 7 (top), 9 (opposite).
Viewport Shading
| Key | Mode |
|---|
Z + Wireframe | Wireframe |
Z + Solid | Solid (default) |
Z + Material Preview | Preview with lighting |
Z + Rendered | Full render preview |
Selection
| Action | Hotkey |
|---|
| Select all / none | A / Alt+A |
| Box select | B |
| Circle select | C |
| Lasso select | Ctrl + right-click drag |
| Select loop | Alt + left-click (edge) |
| Select ring | Ctrl+Alt + left-click (edge) |
| Grow selection | Ctrl+Numpad + |
| Shrink selection | Ctrl+Numpad - |
| Invert selection | Ctrl+I |
Mesh Editing
Core Operations
| Operation | Hotkey | Notes |
|---|
| Extrude | E | Right-click or Esc to cancel movement |
| Extrude along normals | Alt+E → Region (Vertex Normals) | |
| Inset faces | I | I again for individual inset |
| Bevel | Ctrl+B | Scroll wheel for segments |
| Loop cut | Ctrl+R | Scroll wheel for cuts; left-click to confirm |
| Knife | K | Enter to confirm, Esc to cancel |
| Merge vertices | M | At Center / At Last / By Distance |
| Bridge edge loops | Edge menu → Bridge Edge Loops | |
| Fill | F | Face from selected edges/verts |
| Grid fill | Ctrl+F → Grid Fill | |
Pivot Points
| Pivot | Hotkey | Use case |
|---|
| Median Point | . (period) | Default |
| 3D Cursor | . → 3D Cursor | Precise placement |
| Individual Origins | . → Individual Origins | Transform multiple objects separately |
| Active Element | . → Active Element | Transform around last-selected |
Snapping
- Toggle snap:
Shift+Tab
- Snap during transform: hold
Ctrl
- Snap target: Vertex / Edge / Face / Volume
- Snap with base:
Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Modifiers
Applied non-destructively from the Properties panel (wrench icon).
| Modifier | Purpose |
|---|
| Subdivision Surface | Smooth mesh by subdividing (Ctrl+1–5 for levels) |
| Mirror | Symmetrical modeling, set axis and merge |
| Solidify | Add thickness to thin surfaces |
| Boolean | Union / Difference / Intersect with another object |
| Array | Repeat mesh in a pattern |
| Decimate | Reduce polygon count (collapse / un-subdivide / planar) |
| Remesh | Uniform quad topology (voxel / sharp / smooth) |
| Shrinkwrap | Project mesh onto target surface |
| Weighted Normal | Improve shading on beveled edges |
Modifier Stack Tips
- Order matters — evaluated top-to-bottom.
- Apply with
Ctrl+A (Visual Geometry to Mesh for export).
- Use
Copy to Selected to replicate modifiers across objects.
Select target objects last → Ctrl+L → Copy Modifiers
UV Unwrapping
Workflow
- Mark seams — select edges,
Ctrl+E → Mark Seam.
- Unwrap —
U → Unwrap (or Smart UV Project for quick results).
- Open UV Editor — split viewport, set editor type to UV Editor.
- Pack islands — UV menu → Pack Islands.
UV Editor Shortcuts
| Action | Hotkey |
|---|
| Select island under cursor | L |
| Pin / Unpin vertices | P / Alt+P |
| Stitch UVs | V |
| Minimize stretch | UV menu → Minimize Stretch |
| Average island scale | UV menu → Average Islands Scale |
| Export UV layout | UV menu → Export UV Layout |
Texel Density
- Display: UV Editor → Overlays → Show Texel Density.
- Set: select all UVs → UV menu → Set Texel Density.
- Consistent texel density across assets = uniform texture resolution.
Common Workflows for Game Assets
High-Poly to Low-Poly (Baking)
- Model high-poly with Subdivision + details.
- Duplicate, apply modifiers, decimate for low-poly.
- UV unwrap the low-poly only.
- Bake from high-poly to low-poly:
- Render Properties → Bake → Selected to Active.
- Bake normal, AO, curvature maps.
Clean Topology Checklist
- Use quads (4-sided faces) wherever possible.
- Avoid n-gons (5+ sides) on curved surfaces.
- Keep edge flow following the shape contours.
- Check with Overlays → Face Orientation (blue = outside).
Data Management
| Action | Hotkey / Path |
|---|
| Pack resources | File → External Data → Pack Resources |
| Purge unused data | File → Clean Up → Recursive Unused Data-Blocks |
| Origin to geometry | Right-click → Set Origin → Origin to Geometry |
| Apply scale/rotation | Ctrl+A → Rotation & Scale |