Understanding the 3D View
Let’s now examine the elements of the 3D View, which is the main editor in Blender (see Figure 2.2). Some of these elements are present in other editors and this section will help you understand what these elements do.
View name (A): In the top-left corner (by default), you’ll see the name of the current view (for example, User Perspective, Front Ortho, Right Ortho). So in case you’re unsure about where the camera is located, a quick look at the view name will give you a clue.
Tools Region (B): Most of the editors have regions to the left and right of the view. You can show or hide the Tools Region by pressing T on your keyboard. You can also adjust the region’s width by hovering the cursor over its border and then clicking and dragging. If the Tools Region is hidden, on the left border of the 3DView, you’ll find a little + button; click it and it will reappear.
Tabs (C): The Tools Region has context-sensitive tabs that you can click to show different types of tools. In Figure 2.2, for example, the Create Tab is selected, and it shows buttons you can click to create different geometric shapes, curves, lights, and other objects.
Operator panel (D): At the bottom of the Tools region is the Operator panel, which will show you the parameters of the last action you performed. For example, if you create a circle, the Operator panel will display options such as the number of vertices, the circle’s radius, or if the circle should be filled—you can experiment with those options and see their effects in real time. As an alternative (useful if you like to work in full screen with no menus), you can press F6 and the Operator panel will appear over the 3D View.
Camera (E): You can’t take a render (the resulting 2D image generated from your 3D scene) without a camera in the scene. The camera defines the point of view, the field of view, zooming and depth of field, as well as other extra options that help you see in the viewport what will be rendered in the final image.
Default cube (F): The first time you start Blender, you have a cube in the center of the scene, so you already have a geometric shape to start working with. You can delete it by pressing X or Del on your keyboard and confirming if you prefer to start with another shape.
Lamp (G): If you want your render to look nice, you need lights that illuminate your scene and generate shadows. By default, Blender has a Point lamp in the scene to provide a basic illumination.
Grid (H): The grid represents the floor of your scene, with the X (red) and Y (green) axes as references to the scene’s orientation and size. By default, each square in the grid represents 1 Blender Unit (it’s possible to customize the grid if you need to).
Units
For a lot of users, it’s very important to work with realistic units of measure. Blender, by default, works with “Blender Units.” In the Properties Editor, on the Scene tab, you can find options to choose a measuring system under the Units panel. Selecting “None” will leave Blender Units as the default, but you can also choose Metric or Imperial systems. You’ll be able to work at scale as well; just define the scale in its field once you select a measuring system.
Properties Region (I): Don’t confuse this area with the Properties Editor; this region only contains properties and parameters that affect your interaction with the 3D View. It’s hidden by default, but you can show it by pressing N. You will find options to transform objects, move the 3D cursor, view options, display options (such as the grid’s size), and open background images to use as references. It’s also context sensitive, so some options will change depending on your selection or the mode in which you’re working. You can adjust its width in exactly the same way as you did with the Tools Region.
Tip
In other 3D software, you usually work with four 3D views at once. In Blender, there is an option to make a Quad View in a unique 3D View Editor. In the Properties Region of the 3D View, look for the Display panel and click “Toggle Quad View.” You can also do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Q. In the same menu, you’ll find additional options for using Quad View.
Panels (J): Blender menus, such as those in the Tools and Properties Regions or in the Properties Editor, are divided into panels. Each menu has different options and buttons for you to use. You can expand them or collapse them by left clicking the small, dark triangle to the left of the panel’s title.
In Figure 2.3, you can see that downward-pointing triangle to the left of the title (3D cursor). When you click it, the triangle will point to the right and the panel will collapse to save space in your interface. Also, if you click the diagonal lines in the top-right corner, you can reorder the panels inside a menu by dragging and dropping.
Header (K): Every area has a header, a horizontal bar at the top or bottom of the current view with menus and options for that view (see Figure 2.4). Hover the cursor over the header and press F5 to switch its position from bottom to top or top to bottom.
Depending on your selection or the mode you’re using, in the 3D View’s header, from left to right, you can see:
Editor Selector: Selects the type of editor in the current area.
Collapse Menu button: Hides or expands the Editor’s Menu in the header.
Editor’s Menu: Provides options you can use within a specific editor. In this case, for the 3D View, you have the options View, Select, Add, and Object.
Interaction Mode: Selects the mode in which you’re working (Edit Mode, Object Mode, etc.).
Drawing Method selector: Toggles between the different display methods in the 3DView (for example, Wireframe, Solid, Textured, and Rendered).
Pivot Selector: Provides a reference point in space for transforming an object.
Transform Manipulators: Selects between the different manipulators to transform objects (Move, Rotate, and Scale).
Scene Layers: The small blocks represent different layers in which you can store objects from the scene to keep everything organized.
Global/Local Layers Constraint button: Links the visibility of layers between the 3D View and the Scene Layers that you will render. If you want a layer to be rendered but you don’t want it to be visible in the 3D View, you can turn that layer on from the Render Layers tab (see Chapter 14) and turn the Global/Local Layers Constraint off so the visibility of layers in the 3D View and in the final render is not linked.
Snapping selector: Offers several options to snap the selection to other elements when you perform a transform operation.
Preview Renders: These two buttons are for rendering real-time previews. The first button renders a still snapshot, while the second one renders the whole animation. These renders are captures of what you see in the 3D View.
Tip
If an area is too small and you can’t see all the options in the header, you can hold and drag middle mouse button (MMB) over the header to the left and right to scroll it sideways and see the rest of the options.