Using Manipulators (Basic Mode)

When you want to transform objects or elements in the 3D scene, Blender offers manipulators that help you control those transformations. Let’s take a look at the different manipulators shown in Figure 3.1.

Move (A): Changes the position of an object in space

Rotate (B): Controls the orientation of an object

Scale (C): Manipulates the size of an object

All transforms (D): Provides the option to use more than one transform manipulator at once

Figure 3.1 Manipulators in Blender, including the 3D View header and the transform controls

In the 3D view header, you can select the type of transform you want to perform. If you press Shift while clicking on different transform icons, you can perform multiple transforms at once. (In Figure 3.1, the fourth example (D) shows all three transform manipulators being used at the same time.)

Using the different manipulators, you can move, rotate, and scale objects. These manipulators will appear at the pivot point of the object (marked as a little orange spot) and you perform an action with them using the following controls:

LMB click one of the axes to make the object move, rotate, or resize on that specific axis (X is red, Y is green, and Z is blue). LMB click again to confirm the transform.

To get to the precision mode, press and hold Shift after you click to transform; this will make the transform slower, allowing you to make precise adjustments to it.

To lock one axis and manipulate the other two, press and hold Shift before you click the axis you want to lock. For example, if you press Shift and then click the Z-axis to move it, the object will actually move on the X- and Y-axes. (This option only works when moving or scaling, and is not available with rotations.)

Each manipulator has a small white circle in its center. Click it with the Move manipulator to move the object using the current point of view as a reference (dragging it parallel to the view). Click and drag the small white circle within the Rotation manipulator to get to the orbit mode, which allows you to rotate on all axes at once. Click and drag the small white circle of the Scale manipulator to scale the object on every axis. The Rotation manipulator also has an outer white circle; click and drag it to rotate the object using the current point of view as the rotation axis.

Hold down Ctrl while using these manipulators to switch between normal transforms and Snap Mode. This feature will allow you to snap to several elements while you perform transforms. If snapping is activated, holding down Ctrl will “free” the object when transforming; if it’s deactivated, holding down Ctrl will enable the snapping. This feature is very useful because you won’t need to continuously turn the Snap tool on and off by clicking the Snap icon on the 3D View header.

In the 3D view header, you can select Pivot Point and Transform Orientation. The pivot point defines the point around which objects rotate. By default, the Transform Orientation (access this menu by pressing Alt + Space) is Global, which means it’s aligned to the 3D World axes (default scene axes). You can switch it to the Local axes of the selection to rotate objects using their own orientation.