28. 3D View

The 3D View in Blender is probably the most important editor type. There are 15 other editor types in Blender.

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In the default view we have five non-overlapping windows with different editors for each. Also, we can easily change editors anytime by selecting a different editor, from Editor type selector in the Header. For most windows, the default header location is at the bottom.

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This shows the 3D View header. We can select any of the other editors from the editor type selector. Right now, we are in Object Mode. You have to be in the Object Mode to add new mesh objects.

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Besides the Object mode, we also have the Edit mode. This mode is important for changing vertex positions and adding new vertices. There are Edge and Face edits.

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In the 3D view, it is best to keep the Tool Shelf and Properties Panel open, so you can easily write numerical value as well as select different tools. Pressing T on N will toggle their display, should you want a bigger 3D viewing area.

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You can easily split or join windows, by starting a dragging motion on the diagonal lines, at top-right and bottom-left of a window. Deleting window will show an arrow of which window will take over. Both windows will have to have either same height or width for joining.

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Blender uses a lot of shortcuts. The shortcuts use the keyboard, the 3-button mouse, and Numpad. If you use a particular menu option from Header a lot, you should note the shortcut, written on the right.

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Python can be used to automate model creation, animation, etc. Two editor windows are important for Python: the Python console editor and Text editor. In the text editor, either write a new script or open an existing script and then press Run Script. This script creates a cylinder.

# cylinder.py

from bpy import ops
from byp import data
ops.mesh.primitive_cylinder_add()

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