Mesh › Edit Mode: every menu, tool, sidebar tab and context menu of this mode, on one page. Use the panels on the right to jump between the regions.

Header

Add menu

Edit Mode - Add Menu

In Edit Mode you will see a add menu for some object types. The number of objects that you can add in edit mode is limited to the same object type that you are in edit mode with. You can just add mesh geometry to a mesh geometry. And just curve geometry to curve geometry.

The added objects in edit mode becomes part of the current object geometry. It is one object.

Last Operator

The last operators are the same than in object mode. Please read the add menu chapter in object mode.

Add menu – Type to Search

There is also a hidden search menu where you can search for specific object types in all categories with a key press when the menu is open.

Simply expand the add menu by clicking it, and start to type in the term that you want to find – this will automatically trigger the search.

Edge Menu

Edit Mode - Edge Menu

Legacy

The legacy sub menu contains tools that exists in the tool shelf already. It's the old way to do things. Different to the tools in the tool shelf, these tools are usually modal. And performs once. You have to call them again in case you want to repeat the tool.

Bevel Edges

The Bevel Tool adds a bevel to the selected Edges.

Usage: first select the geometry that you want to bevel. Then activate the tool and drag the mouse. You need to drag quite a bit outwards until you see an effect. So don't wonder when the mouse movement seem to do nothing. You can also adjust the amount in the Last Operator Bevel panel afterwards.

In the header you can see further advice. And the current values for the bevel.

Last Operator Bevel

Width type

Width Type is a drop-down box choose the Amount type for the bevel action.

Miter Outer

How the outer miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Patch

This replaces the outside vertex of a miter with 3 vertices. And uses a patch pattern there.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Miter Inner

How the inner miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Spread

Belongs to inner miter method Arc. Adjust how strong the inner radius is bent.

Intersection type

The method used to create geometry at intersections.

Face Strength

Wether to set face strength, and which faces to set the strength at.

Profile Type

The profile type.

Superellipse

Uses a mathematically smooth curve for bevel profiles

Custom

Allows manual control of the bevel profile shape via a curve widget.

Presets

Curve presets.

Navigation elements

Tools menu

Curve view

Adjust the profile curve.

Left click where no point is adds a new point. Left click at a point allows you to move it.

Holding down Shift while moving a node point activates precision movement.

Holding down ctrl while moving activates temporary snapping.

When a point is selected then the curve view reveals a sub menu at the bottom.

Handler and node position

When you select a node, then the handler and node position tools shows below the curve window.

Edge Slide

Same tool than in the tool shelf. Edge Slide slides the selected edge along the face that it is part of. This is for the edge at a cube into two possible directions.

This tool requires to have at least one edge selected.

Header Values

The header values shows you the current transformation. But also hints towards a hotkey.

Holding down Alt will allow you to slide the edges behind the limits of the guide edge. Yellow infinite guide lines appears.

Last Operator Edge Slide

Loop Cut and Slide

Loop Cut and Slide adds edge loops to divide faces

When you click once, then this edge gets created. When you click and hold, then you can move this edge to a new location.

Loop cut and Slide ignores selections. It will try to divide the face under the mouse, and continue the loop until it is closed, or until it cannot continue.

Last Operator Loop Cut and Slide

Note that all settings here just changes the latest added loop. Not all added loops in the current session.

Number of Cuts

The number of cuts that gets added. It can be more than one loop at once.

Smoothness

This value defines how smooth the loop cut gets added. From flat to bent.

Falloff

Adjust the Falloff type for smoothness.

Offset Edge Slide

The tool is called Offset Edge Loop Cut in the tool shelf. Slides the selected edge(s).

Usage: select the edges that you want to slide. Click to confirm.

You can adjust the sliding amount in the Last Operator Offset Edge Slide.

Last Operator Offset Edge Slide

Cap Endpoint

Cap Endpoint caps the loose edges.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Correct UV's

Corrects the UV's when modifying the geometry.

Bridge Edge loops

The Bridge edge loops tool bridges selected edges, and adds a polygon between them. You need to have at least two edges selected.

Last Operator Bridge Edge loops

Connect Loops

Choose the method how to deal with bridging multiple loops.

Interpolation

Choose the interpolation mode for the cuts.

Profile shape

Adjust the profile shape for the cuts.

Subdivide

Subdivide divides the selected edges. It subdivides the involved faces too, and can create new vertices.

A more unknown functionality is that it can also randomize the result with the Fractal slider in the Last operator panel.

Last Operator Subdivide

Number of Cuts

The number of cuts defines the amount of subdivisions.

Smoothness

This value defines how smooth the subdivision result is. From flat to bent.

Create N-Gons

Create N-Gons if required. Else subdividing N-Gons creates Tris.

Quad Corner Type

Adjust the corner type.

Subdivide Edge ring

Subdivides the selected edge ring(s).

Last Operator Subdivide Edge ring

Smoothness

The Smoothness factor for the interpolation.

Profile Factor

The profile strength.

Profile Shape

A drop-down box where you can define a profile for the generated geometry.

Un-Subdivide

Decimates the geometry by trying to make one quad out of four quads. But can also end in Tris where this is not possible.

Last Operator Un-Subdivide

Iterations

Number of iterations. This means how deep the calculation should go. One level of SDS, two levels, three levels, etc.. Down to the point where you cannot decimate any geometry anymore.

Rotate Edge CW

Rotate Edge rotates the selected edge clockwise.

Rotate Edge CCW

Rotate Edge rotates the selected edge counter clockwise.

Last Operator Rotate Selected Edge

Counter Clockwise

Rotate selected edges counter clockwise.

Edge Crease

When you use a Subdivision Surface Modifier, then you can define the sharpness of selected edges with this tool. Crease edges will be marked colored in edit mode.

You will see a value in the header that indicates the current strength when you activate the tool. Move with the mouse to increase or decrease the value. Or type in a value while you are in this mode. You can also scale into negative range.

A negative crease value will subtract from the current active crease value in case it exists already from a former crease operation. A Crease value of -1 removes the crease from this edge.

Last Operator Edge Crease

Factor

Adjust the crease factor.

Edge Bevel Weight

This tool adjusts the edge bevel weight for selected edges when you use the Bevel modifier at the mesh.

You need to have set the limit method to Weight. This way you can achieve a bevel weight for every individual selected edge if you want, and achieve different bevel strengths at the mesh.

You will see a value in the header that indicates the current strength when you activate the tool. Move with the mouse to increase or decrease the value. Or type in a value while you are in this mode. You can also scale into negative range.

A negative Edge Bevel Weight value will subtract from the current active crease value in case it exists already from a former crease operation. An Edge Bevel Weight value of -1 removes the weight from this edge.

Last Operator Edge Bevel Weight

Factor

Adjust the Edge Bevel Weight factor.

Mark Sharp

Mark Sharp is a tool that you need for the Edge Split modifier. Marked edges are displayed and rendered as sharp edges.

Last Operator Mark Sharp

Vertices

Calculate by the selected vertices instead of edges to mark the edges.

Clear Sharp

Clears formerly as sharp marked selected edges.

Last Operator Mark Sharp

Vertices

Calculate by the selected vertices instead of edges to mark the edges.

Set Sharpness by Angle

Set edge sharpness based on the angle between neighboring faces.

Last Operator Set Sharpness by Angle

Mark Freestyle Edge

Freestyle is a comic renderer that is included in Bforartists. Mark Freestyle Edges marks

Clear Freestyle Edge

Freestyle is a comic renderer that is included in Bforartists. Clear Freestyle Edges unmarks the selected edges as Freestyle feature edges.

Face menu

Edit Mode - Faces menu

The faces menu is just visible for Mesh objects. It provides tools to work with faces.

Legacy

The legacy sub menu contains tools that exists in the tool shelf already.

It's the old way to do things. Different to the tools in the tool shelf, these tools are usually modal. And performs once. You have to call them again in case you want to repeat the tool.

Or, in case of the Bridge Faces tool, is a double to another existing tool. The Bridge Faces tool is nothing else than the Bridge Edge Loops tool from the Edge menu. Just with another name, and working in Face selection mode. We promised to provide the same functionality than Blender. And so we have to provide this tool too.

Inset Faces

Inset insets edges into the selected faces. Think of it as an extrude inwards the face.

Activate the tool, drag the mouse. But carefully. The control is not the best. You better adjust the amount in the last operator.

Last Operator Inset Faces

Boundary

With Boundary ticked you will get the connect edges in the corners. Without the edges ends straight.

Bridge Faces

The Bridge Faces tool bridges selected faces, and adds polygons between them. You need to have at least two faces selected.

This tool is basically the Bridge Edge Loops tool, just that it operates in Face mode.

Note that this tool just shows when you are in Face Select Mode.

Last Operator Bridge Edge loops

Connect Loops

Choose the method how to deal with bridging multiple loops.

Interpolation

Choose the interpolation mode for the cuts.

Profile shape

Adjust the profile shape for the cuts.

Poke Faces

Splits the selected faces to create a triangulated geometry.

Last Operator Poke Faces

Poke Offset

Normally the center vertice of the poke operation is planar with the rest. Adjust an offset.

Offset Relative

Scale the offset by surrounding geometry.

Poke Center

Poke Center is a drop-down box choose what the center of the poke operation should be. You can choose between weighted mean, mean and bounds.

Triangulate Faces

Triangulate Faces triangulates the faces of the selected geometry.

Last Operator Triangulate Faces

Quad Method

Choose how quads should be triangulated.

Shortest diagonal

Splits the quads based on their distance between vertices.

Fixed Alternate

Splits the quads on the second and fourth vertice.

Polygon Method

Choose how N-Gons should be triangulated.

Triangles to Quads

Tris to quads tries to convert triangulated geometry back to a quad geometry by removing the edges inside of the quads.

Last Operator Tris to Quads

Max Face Angle

Adjust the threshold to adjacent triangles.

Solidify Faces

Gives the selected faces a thickness, and makes it solid.

There is also a Solidify modifier available.

Last Operator Solidify

Thickness

Adjust the thickness. You can scale also into the negative range.

Wire Frame

Wire frame grabs the edges of the faces and turns them into tubes.

Last Operator Wire Frame

Boundary

Inset Face Boundaries.

Fill

Fill closes holes in the selected mesh geometry, and triangulates the faces.

Last Operator Fill

Beauty

Uses the best possible triangulation.

Grid Fill

Grid Fill allows you to fill two edge loops with quad geometry that follows the surrounding geometry.

Usage: select two opposite edge loops. Then perform the tool.

Last Operator Grid Fill

Span

Number of sides.

Beautify Faces

Beautify faces tries to optimize triangulation.

Last Operator Beautify Faces

Max Angle

Set an angle limit.

Intersect (Knife)

Intersect creates edges where geometry intersects.

This operation happens in Edit mode, and so all parts must be in the same mesh.

Last Operator Intersect

Source

Separate Mode

Solver

Float

Merge Threshold

Adjust the merge threshold. Increase it when some geometry is not calculated. But keep it small for fast calculation.

Exact

Slower solver with best result for coplanar faces.

Intersect ( Boolean )

Intersect (Boolean) performs a Boolean operation between the selected and unselected mesh parts.

This operation happens in Edit mode, and so all parts must be in the same mesh.

Last Operator Intersect (Boolean)

Boolean Operation

Choose the Boolean method.

Intersect

Subtracts the source geometry from the target geometry.

Union

Unions the source geometry with the target geometry. Geometry inside the source and target geometry gets removed.

Difference

Removes all geometry but the overlapping geometry.

Solver

Weld Edges into Faces

This tool incorporates loose wire edges into selected faces.

You need a loose edge geometry to get it to work. By converting a curve to a Mesh geometry for example. You need to join the edge into the mesh where you want to use it. The operation happens in Edit mode.

In edit mode select the edge and the face where you want it to join. And then perform the tool.

Face Data

Rotate Colors

Rotates the vertex colors for the selected geometry. This tool requires to have vertex colors painted at the mesh.

Note that there is no way to display vertex colors in Edit mode. So you need to switch to Vertex paint mode to see the result.

Last Operator Rotate Colors

Counter Clockwise

The tool rotates clockwise by default. With this option ticked the rotation happens counter clockwise.

Reverse Colors

Reverses the vertex colors.

Note that there is no way to display vertex colors in Edit mode. So you need to switch to Vertex paint mode to see the result.

Rotate UV's

Rotates the UV space for the selected geometry by 90 degrees. This tool requires to have a working UV mapping.

Last Operator Rotate UV's

The tool rotates clockwise by default. With this option ticked the rotation happens counter clockwise.

Mesh menu

Edit Mode - Mesh Menu

The Mesh Menu in Edit Mode contains the tools to manipulate the mesh geometry in Edit mode. It just exists for Mesh Objects.

Lots of functionality that could also belong here can also be found in the Tool Shelf. The difference is that the tools in the tool shelf are easier to access. And so it contains the most used tools for the daily work. While the Mesh menu contains the not so often used tools. Or tools where you use the hotkey anyway. Delete for example.

Legacy

The legacy sub menu contains tools that exists in the tool shelf already. It's the old way to do things. Different to the tools in the tool shelf, these tools are usually modal. And performs once. You have to call them again in case you want to repeat the tool.

Bisect

Bisect cuts geometry along a plane. This description is a bit misleading though. You simply cut through the whole geometry by defining a line. And the cut goes through the geometry from the current view.

When you have set your cut and release the mouse then you reveal a widget with which you can move and rotate the cut. Clicking at the arrow and drag moves the cut. Clicking at the circle and drag rotates the cut.

Last Operator Bisect

Knife tool

The Knife tool cuts the geometry, and adds edges. When it crosses existing geometry then it adds a vertice at the crossing point.

Usage: activate the tool, left click to define the starting point. This can also be a point in the middle of a face. But ideally you choose an existing vertice or an edge as the start and endpoints. The knife tool tries to snap to them when you get close with the mouse cursor.

When done press Enter or Spacebar to confirm. Right click abandons the operation.

When you create a vertice in the middle of a face, then the knife tool will try to connect this vertice by an existing vertice of this face when you confirm with spacebar.

Hotkey functionality in the footer text

Have a look at the footer when you work with this tool. Here you will find further instructions and hotkeys.

Enter, Pad Enter, Spacebar - confirm

Esc key, RMB - cancel the operation

LMB start the cut

Double LMB - close the cut

E - create new cut

Ctrl or Shift while dragging - Snap to the middle of an edge

Z - cut through the whole geometry, also the backfaces.

MMB - pan the view.

Alt MMB - rotate the view.

Transform

To Sphere

Shapes a selection of objects into the shape of a sphere. The calculation happens with the object origins.

In Object mode this tools requires to have more than one object selected.

Usage

Select the vertices, activate the tool, then drag the mouse in the 3D viewport. In the header you will read the current factor then. Which tells you how close you are towards the sphere shape.

Last Operator To Sphere

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

To Circle

Transforms selected vertices into a circular arrangement.
Useful for reshaping loops, aligning geometry, or creating radial structures with precision.

Usage

Select the loop of mesh geometry, activate the tool. In the Last Operator panel, you can then adjust properties after the operation.

Last Operator To Sphere

Shear

Shear shears the selection.

In Object mode this tools requires to have more than one object selected.

The shear tool works along a imaginary 2d plane. The shear axis controls if the items are sheared along the x or the y axes of this plane. This is the plane along which the transformation happens. You can shear along the x or the y axis of this plane.

To make things even more complicated, the orientation of this imaginary plane is defined by the Axis and Axis Ortho items below.

Last Operator Shear

Offset

Adjust an offset.

Axis

Defines one axis of the imaginary shear axis plane.

Axis Ortho

Defines the other axis of the imaginary shear axis plane.

Orientation

Choose the orientation for the shear action.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Bend

Bends the selection.

Push/Pull

It pushes or pulls the object positions relative to the center of the selection.

In Object mode this tool requires to have more than one object selected.

Last Operator Push/Pull

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Warp

Warps a mesh selection between two defined points.

Last operator Warp

Min

The start point.

Max

The end point.

Randomize

This tool allows randomizes the positions of the selected vertices.

Last Operator Randomize

Shrink/Fatten

Shrink/Fatten scales the selected geometry along its normals. Transform orientation and Pivot point gets ignored.

A positive value pushes the vertices outwards. A negative value pushes the vertices inwards.

Last Operator Shrink/Fatten

The Last Operator Shrink/Fatten panel gives you tools to adjust the Shrink/Fatten operation. Here you have numeric input for the strength and a few more options.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Skin Resize

This tool requires to have a skin modifier at the mesh. It scales the thickness of the skin.

While the operation you will see in the header the strength value for the skin.

Last Operator Skin Resize

Vector

Adjust the position values for the three values.

Scale X, Y, Z

Limit the position relative to the source object.

Orientation

Orientation is a drop-down box choose the type of orientation for the mirroring action.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Move Texture Space

This tool relies at the move tool. With the difference that it moves the texture space instead of the object. It has also a very special use case, and just works with a material with a Texture Coordinate / Generated node. And requires to have the shading at Material or Rendered to see a result in the viewport.

In the viewport you will see the UV cage in black color. In the header you will see the values for the current position of the UV cage.

Note that once done and applied, there is no way to reset the UV cage back to zero. When you repeat the operation, then the values will start at 0 again. Even when the UV cage is already offset.

Last Operator Move

Move

Adjust in which directions you want to transform.

Orientation

Choose the orientation.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Scale Texture Space

Scale Texture space is similar to the Move texture Space. With the only difference that it scales the UV space instead of moving it.

This tool relies at the scale tool. With the difference that it scales the texture space instead of the object. It has also a very special use case, and just works with a material with a Texture Coordinate / Generated node. And requires to have the shading at Material or Rendered to see a result in the viewport.

In the viewport you will see the UV cage in black color. In the header you will see the values for the current position of the UV cage.

Note that once done and applied, there is no way to reset the UV cage back to zero. When you repeat the operation, then the values will start at 0 again. Even when the UV cage is already offset.

Last Operator Resize

Scale

Adjust in which directions you want to transform.

Orientation

Choose the orientation.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Set Dimensions

Edit Mode Only!

Normally all scale operations in Bforartists are relative to the current selection and dimensions. And you always start with a relative value of 1.

Set dimensions allows to scale mesh selections in absolute world values. No matter how the initial values are. The new values gets set in the Last Operator.

Set dimensions is an add-on. You can turn it off in the add-ons section of the user preferences when you want.

Last Operator Set Dimensions

New Dimensions

When you activate the tool then you will see the world coordinates of the selection. Change the values to other world coordinates.

Mirror

Mirror mirrors the selected geometry along the defined axis.

Interactive Mirror

Mirror by hotkeys. You activate the tool, type in x for x global for example, or x x for x local. And the selection gets mirrored

X Global, Y Global etc.

Mirrors the selection around the chosen axis.

Last Operator Mirror

The Last Operator Mirror panel gives you tools to adjust the mirror action.

Orientation

Orientation is a drop-down box choose the type of orientation for the mirroring action.

Constraint Axis

Constraint Axis gives you again the possibility to define the mirror axis. You can choose more than one axis here.

Mirror Vertex Group

This tool requires to have a vertex group assigned. It mirrors the selected vertex group.

This tool works only with a perfectly symmetrical mesh along the local X axis. Vertices that have no corresponding vertex on the other side will not be affected.

Last Operator Mirror Vertex Group

Snap

Choose several methods to snap one element to another. The menu items should be self explaining.

Last operator Snap Selection to Cursor

Single Operators

Duplicate

Duplicates the current selection.

When you duplicate a selection, then it sticks to the mouse until you left click. And moves around. A right click repositions the duplicated geometry at its original location.

Last Operator Duplicate

Mode

Not to find out. No tool tip, no entry in the Blender manual. Good Job Blender Developers.

Move X, Y, Z

Adjust the position.

Orientation

Orientation is a drop-down box choose the type of orientation for the mirroring action.

Mirror Editing

Enable Mirror Editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude

Extrude is a sub menu with several extrude methods. The contend is dependent of the mesh select mode.

Note that the tool shelf also contains extrude functionality. And a few methods here are a double. These are marked as legacy here in the manual.

Extrude Vertices

Extrudes out the selected vertices by moving the mouse.

Last Operator Extrude Only Vertices and Move

Move X Y Z

The coordinates for the extruded geometry.

Orientation

Choose the type of orientation, in which coordinate system the action should happen.

Mirror Editing

Enable Mirror Editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Edges

Extrudes out the selected edges by moving the mouse.

Last Operator Extrude Only Edges and Move

Orientation

Choose the type of orientation, in which coordinate system the action should happen.

Mirror Editing

Enable Mirror Editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Faces (Legacy)

Extrude the selected faces along their normals. This functionality is part of the Extrude Region tool in the tool shelf.

Last Operator Extrude Region and Move

Orientation

The extrusion can have different orientations. The menu items should be self explaining.

Mirror Editing

Enable Mirror Editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Faces along Normals (Legacy)

In the toolshelf it's the Extrude Along Normals tool. Extrudes the selection along local normals. You won't see a widget here. Simply drag.

The method works the same in all Mesh select modes. Vertice, Edge and Face Mode.

Last Operator Extrude Region and Shrink/Fatten

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Individual Faces ( Legacy)

In the tool shelf the tool is called Extrude Individual. Extrudes the selection along local normals of each individual face. You won't see a widget here. Simply drag.

The method works the same in all Mesh select modes. Vertice, Edge and Face Mode.

Last Operator Extrude Individual Faces and Move

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Manifold (Legacy)

The same tool exists in the tool shelf. Extrude, dissolve Edges whose faces form a flat surface, and intersect new edges.

The method works the same in all Mesh select modes. Vertice, Edge and Face Mode.

Last Operator Extrude Manifold

Orientation

The widget can have different orientations. The menu items should be self explaining.

Mirror Editing

Enable Mirror Editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Repeat

All modes. Extrudes into the Z depth of the viewport, and repeats the extrusion by the adjusted amount. You have to adjust the extrusion afterwards.

Last Operator Extrude Repeat

Steps

How much repetitions.

Offset X / Y / Z

The offset in the x y and z direction.

Scale Offset

The scale factor of the extruded element.

Spin

All modes. Extrudes in a curve form.

Last Operator Spin

Merge

Merges the geometry.

At Center, At Cursor, Collapse, At First, At Last

Merges the geometry with the given methods.

The methods At First and At Last just shows when you have vertices selected, and there is at least one first vertice and one last vertice to merge at. So minimum two. But you can have more than one vertices selected.

Last Operator Merge

By Distance

Merge the vertices by their distance to each other. This tool is meant to remove double vertices at the same location.

Last Operator Merge by Distance

Split

Selection

Split splits the edges between the selected vertices. It creates two edges out of one. And splits the edge by that.

The mode doesn't matter. There will always the edges be splitted.

Faces by Edges / Faces by Edges by Vertices

Splits selected edges so that each neighbor face gets its own copy. You have two methods here.

Last Operator Edge Split

Type

Choose the method again.

Separate

Separate separates the selected geometry, and creates a new object. The geometry becomes uneditable, since it is now a new object. You will have to leave the Edit mode, select the new object, and re-enter Edit mode when you want to edit it.

Knife Project

Knife Project uses an object as a knife to cut edges into a mesh.

Usage: Create a cube. Create a circle. Move the circle in front of the cube so that the geometry does not overlap the cube geometry. Enter Edit Mode with the cube. In the outliner hold down Shift, and select the circle. Note that you can select the circle in the 3d view with holding down Ctrl.
Now that both objects are selected, go into front view, or whatever view you want. Just make sure that in the view the circle covers a part of the cube. Projection of the cut happens from the current view. Click the Knife Project tool.

Last Operator Knife Project

Cut through

The cut goes through the whole object when the Cut through checkbox is ticked.

Convex Hull

Creates a convex hull around the outside of selected vertices. The old faces and inlaying vertices gets removed.

Last Operator Convex Hull

Delete Unused

Removes vertices that are not part of the convex geometry.

Use existing Faces

Use existing input faces that lies on the hull where possible. This option allows to have N-Gons in the convex hull.

Symmetrize

The Symmetrize tool mirrors the selected geometry symmetrical along a world axis.

Last Operator Symmetrize

Direction

Direction is a drop down box define the mirroring direction.

Threshold

Adjust a distance after which the mirroring should happen, relative to the mirror axis. 0 means it mirrors the geometry directly at the axis.

Snap to Symmetry

Tries to snap the selected vertices symmetrical along the chosen world orientation.

Last Operator Snap to Symmetry

Normals

This menu contains functionality about dealing with normals. Normals influences the shading and the direction of a face. They can point inwards or outwards. And edges can be split. So that two adjacent faces have a sharp edge.

You can activate the display of normals in the Overlays panel in Edit mode.

Recalculate Outside

Recalculates the normals of the selected geometry so that everything points outwards.

Recalculate Inside

Recalculates the normals of the selected geometry so that everything points inwards.

Last Operator Recalc Outside

Inside

Inside recalculates the normals of the selected geometry so that everything points inwards.

Flip

Flips the direction of the normals of the selected geometry.

Last Operator Flip Normals

Custom Normals only

Only flip the custom loop normals of the selected elements.

Set from Faces

Sets the vertex normals from the selected faces. This tool requires to have Auto smooth activated!

Last Operator Set Normals from Faces

Keep Sharp Edges

Don’t set sharp edges to faces.

Rotate

Rotate the normals of the selected vertices manually.

Last Operator Rotate Normals

Orientation

Choose the type of orientation, in which coordinate system the action should happen.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Point Normals to Target

All vertex normals will point to a specific target. This target can be chosen from hotkeys. They show in the header.

Pressing R for Reset will reset the normals to where they were before the operation.

Last Operator Point Normals to Target

Average

Average all of the normals in each fan of faces between sharp edges at a vertex.

Corner Angle

Set all vertices by corner angle.

Last Operator Average Normals

Type

Choose the average type again.

Copy Vectors

Copies the normals of a single selected vertice.

Paste Vectors

Pastes the normals from a formerly copied selected vertice to the currently selected vertice.

Last Operator Normals Vector Tools

Absolute Coordinates

When you paste normals then they get pasted relative to the current orientation of the selected vertice. With absolute coordinates the normals gets pasted in world coordinates.

Smooth Vectors

Smooth custom normals towards the adjacent vertex normals.

Last Operator Smooth Normals Vectors

Factor

Adjust how strong the smoothen should be.

Set Face Strength

Face strength gets used by the Weighted Normals modifier. See Face Influence checkbox.

Set selected faces to either a weak, a medium or a strong face strength.

Last Operator Face Normal Strength

Set Value

Unticked it selects by face strength by weak, medium or high. Ticked it sets the face strength to weak, medium or high.

Face Strength

Resets the normal of the selected element(s).

Shading

Sets the shading of the selected elements to either smooth or flat.

Shading is under the hood a normals operation.

Smooth Edges

Clear as sharp marked edges and set them to smooth.

Last Operator Clear Sharp

Vertices

Consider vertices instead of edges to select which edges to set to smooth.

Sharp Edges

Mark selected edges as sharp.

Last Operator Mark Sharp

Vertices

Consider vertices instead of edges to select which edges to set to sharp.

Smooth Vertices

Clear as sharp marked edges and set them to smooth. But the calculation happens from the selected vertices instead of the edges.

Last Operator Clear Sharp from Vertices

Vertices

Consider vertices instead of edges to select which edges to set to sharp.

Sharp Vertices

Mark selected edges as sharp. But the calculation happens from the selected vertices instead of the edges.

Last Operator Mark Sharp from Vertices

Vertices

Consider vertices instead of edges to select which edges to set to sharp.

Weights

The Weights menu contains Weight tools. Those tools are meant to modify the weight mapping. At characters for example. The Weight Tools requires Vertex Groups to work with. Such Vertex groups gets created when you do weight painting at a character for example. Here is defined what bone is connected to what vertice.

In Edit Mode the weight mapping doesn't show. Here you work with the Vertex Groups.

In Weight paint mode the weight painting shows with colors. Here you usually paint the weighting.

This menu items also exists in Weight Paint mode.

Legacy sub menu

Contains legacy menu items. They can currently not be activated.

Normalize All

While weight painting it can happen that a vertice gets several weightings assigned. Normalize all normalizes the weight of all Vertex groups so that the values for the single vertices in the sum is 1.

Last Operator Normalize all

Subset

Subset is a drop-down menu choose the Subset method.

Lock Active

Keep the values of the active group while normalizing others.

Normalize

Normalize normalizes the weight of the current selected Vertex group so that the values for the single vertices in the sum is 1. Means when there is influence from other groups, then those values are kept, but the one for the current group gets lowered so that the sum is 1.

The Last Operator Normalize panel has no adjustable settings.

Mirror

Mirror Vertex Group mirrors Vertex Groups and flips weights and/or names. It only edits selected Vertices. It flips when both sides are selected. Otherwise it copies from Unselected.

Last Operator Mirror Vertex Group

Invert

Invert inverts the weight painting for the selected vertex group.

Last Operator Invert Vertex Group

Subset

Subset is a drop-down menu choose the Subset method.

Add Weights

Add Vertices from Groups that have zero Weighting before inverting.

Remove Weights

Remove Vertices from Groups that have zero weight after inverting.

Clean

Removes Vertex group assignments that are not required from the active vertex group.

Last Operator Clean Vertex Group

Subset

Subset is a drop-down menu choose the Subset method.

Quantize

Quantize quantizes the weight paint values. It starts with 4 steps. With a step of 1 you have a single vertex color, no matter how you have painted it before.

Last Operator Quantize

Levels

Adds some offset to the Weight paint, and multiplys it with some gain.

Last Operator Vertex Group Levels

Subset

Subset is a drop-down menu choose the Subset method.

Offset

Here you adjust the offset.

Gain

Here you adjust the gain.

Smooth

Smooths the weight for selected vertices.

Last Operator Smooth Vertex Weights

Subset

Subset is a drop-down menu choose the Subset method.

Limit Total

Limit number of Weights per vertex. The lowest weights gets removed.

This is of interest when you have for example five bones associated with a vertice. But your game engine just allows four ...

Last Operator Limit Number of Weights per Vertex

Subset

Subset is a drop-down menu choose the Subset method.

Limit

Here you adjust how many weights are allowed.

Locks

The locks from the Vertex groups as operators.

Set Attribute

Set values of the active attribute for the selected element. It calls a popup where you can add an attribute. A vertex group index number or a uv map value for example. It depends of the element.

Sort Elements

Sort Elements is a menu with different sorting methods. It allows you to reorder the mesh indices of the selected mesh elements by various methods.

The indices can be turned on in the Overlays menu.

View Z Axis

Sorts along the active view’s Z axis, from farthest to nearest. You can use Reverse if you want it the other way.

View Y Axis

Sorts along the active view’s Y axis, from farthest to nearest. You can use Reverse if you want it the other way.

Cursor Distance

Sorts from nearest to farthest away from the 3D cursor position.

Material

Faces only! Sorts faces by their lowest material index up to highest material index. Order of faces inside each of those material groups remains unchanged.

Note that the Reverse option only reverses the order of the materials**.* And* the order of the faces inside them.

Reverse

Reverses the order of the selected elements.

Last Operator Sort Mesh Elements

Sort Elements always brings up the same last operator. But with a small difference for Randomize and Reverse. Reverse has no checkbox. And Randomize has a Seed checkbox.

Type

This is a drop-down box choose the sort method again.

Seed Edit box (Randomize only)

The seed option allows you to get another randomization – the same seed over the same mesh/set of selected elements will always give the same result!

Subdivide

Subdivide is a menu where you can quickly add and change a subdivision surface modifier with a predefined resolution in a quick way. Especially when you use the hotkey for it. The subdivision surface modifier panel can then as usual be found in the Properties editor in the Modifier tab.

Last Operator Subdivision Set

Show / Hide

The Show/Hide menu is available for all object types and in all modes. It is usually in the object related menu to find. In Object mode it's the Object menu, for a curve object in edit mode it is the Curve menu. It always contains three menu items. Show Hidden, Hide Selected and Hide Unselected.

Hide Unselected

Hides the not selected elements. The selected elements stays visible.

Last Operator Reveal Hidden / Hide Selected

Select

Define if the selected or the unselected elements gets hidden or revealed.

Cleanup

In the Cleanup menu you will find tools to clean up the current geometry.

Delete Loose

Delete loose deletes not connected geometry. Vertices, Edges, and Faces. The tool starts with deleting Vertices and Edges. But you can tick Faces in the Last Operator too, and then it also removes not connected Faces.

Last Operator Delete Loose

Vertices

Delete Vertices.

Decimate Geometry

Decimate Geometry decimates the currently selected geometry. It starts with a Ratio of 1. Which means no decimation. The lower the ratio the more decimation you will get. The Decimate Modifier works with Tris!

Last Operator Decimate Geometry

Ratio

Adjust the strength of decimation.

Degenerate Dissolve

Removes zero size Faces and Edges.

Last Operator Degenerate Dissolve

Merge Distance

Maximum distance between elements to merge.

Make Planar Faces

Make Planar Faces tries to make the selected faces planar. Quads or N-Gons for example can have vertices that are not planar.

Last Operator Make Planar Faces

Factor

Here you adjust how strong the influence should be.

Iterations

Here you adjust how often it should repeat in the try to find a solution.

Split Non-Planar Faces

Split Non Planar Faces splits up non planar Quads and N-Gons to end in planar faces.

Last Operator Split Non-Planar Faces

Max Angle

Limit the action to a maximum angle.

Split Concave Faces

Splits concave faces to make the geometry more stable. This tool is thought for N-Gons.

Fill Holes

Fill holes closes holes in the mesh geometry.

Fill holes can just calculate one face size at one time. So when you have several holes in the mesh, let's say one is a tri, and one is a quad, then you need to calculate twice.

Last Operator Fill Holes

Sides

Define what face size will be filled.

Delete

The smart delete add-on. usually does the delete job already fine. It deletes the selected element(s).

There are sometimes some situations where you need more control over what you want to delete. The tools for this can be found in the Delete menu.

Vertices

Deletes the selected vertices, and all with it connected edges and faces.

Edges

Deletes the selected edges and the connected faces.

Faces

This one works similar to the smart delete. It deletes the selected faces.

Edge Loops

This method works similar to the smart delete tool. It deletes the edge loop. But it selects the faces of the edge ring. And the Last operator offers you the option to split off face corners.

Last Operator Delete Edge Loop

Face Split

Split off face corners to maintain surrounding geometry.

Dissolve

Dissolve operations removes for examples selected vertices, edges and faces. But they are not delete operations. They are union tools.

When you for example choose Delete vertices from the mesh menu, then the involved faces can get deleted too. When you choose Dissolve vertices, then the vertices gets removed, and the faces stays intact. The edges gets unioned.

Dissolve is a union operation.

Dissolve Vertices

Dissolve Vertices dissolves the selected Vertices.

Note that pressing Del in Vertice select mode calls Dissolve Vertices already. It's the same operator. But you don't get the Last operator that way.

Last Operator Dissolve Vertices

Dissolve Edges

Dissolve Edges dissolves the selected Edges.

Note that pressing Del in Edge select mode calls Dissolve Edges already. It's the same operator. But you don't get the Last operator that way.

Last Operator Dissolve Edges

Dissolve Vertices

When the dissolve operation leaves vertices behind, then this vertices will be dissolved too.

Dissolve Faces

Dissolve Faces removes the inlaying edges of the selected faces. This faces becomes one big N-Gon.

Last Operator Dissolve Faces

Dissolve Vertices

When the dissolve operation leaves vertices behind, then this vertices will be dissolved too.

Limited Dissolve

Dissolve selected edges and vertices, limited by the surrounded angles.

Last Operator Limited Dissolve

Max Angle

The angle limit up to which the dissolve happens.

Dissolve Selection

Dissolves the selected geometry.

Last Operator Dissolve Selection

Collapse Edges & Faces

Collapses the selected edges or faces to a vertice at the center of the selection.

Mesh Select Mode

Mesh Select mode is a sub menu Set the current mesh select mode. Its functionality is equal to the mesh select mode buttons in the header. Just that you can't select more than one mode directly here.

This menu just exists to show and to edit the hotkeys. Not to work with it.

Smart Delete

Smart Delete

Smart delete deletes what is selected in an intelligent way. When you for example delete an edge then the edge gets deleted. But it also deletes the vertices connected to this edge. It performs a Dissolve operation under the hood.

There is also a Delete and Dissolve menu in the Mesh menu, choose different methods for deleting if required.

Smart delete is an add-on. And can be deactivated if desired.

UV menu

Edit Mode - UV Menu

Here you find the uv mapping methods and some further functionality. You use it best in the U Editing layout. There you can see the result in the UV Editor then.

The UV menu is just available for Mesh objects.

Minimum Stretch

Unwraps the selected geometry with the method SLIM, which is a “state-of-the-art” iterative UV unwrapping algorithm.

Last Operator Unwrap

Method

Method is a drop down box where you can choose the unwrap method.

Method Angle based + Conformal

Unwrap ABF and Unwrap LSCM shares the same Last Operator.

Method

Method is a drop down box where you can choose between Unwrap method Angle Based and Conformal.

Fill Holes

Fill holes in the mesh before unwrapping.

Margin Method

Margin

The distance between the single UV patches.

Method Minimum Stretch

Iterations

Number of iterations.

Margin Method

Margin

The distance between the single UV patches.

Smart UV Project

Smart UV Project projects the UV mapping from different angles.

Smart UV Project Settings dialogue

Angle Limit

The Angle Limit defines after which angle the mapping happens from the next side. With an angle of 66 you have around six sides to map from. The calculation is 360/66.

Margin Method

Rotation Method

How to rotate islands.

Last Operator Smart UV Project

The Last Operator for Smart UV Project contains the same settings than the Smart UV Project Settings dialogue.

Lightmap Pack

Lightmap Pack maps each face individually, and puts the result into the UV space. Without margin.

Lightmap Pack has no Last Operator.

Settings

Follow Active Quads

Follow Active quads maps UV coordinates starting from an active face, and maps all adjacent faces in quad shape then. This way you can for example unwrap a pipe or a road. You first need to have a face selected. Then select everything. And then click at Follow Active Quads.

Settings

Edge Length Mode

Edge Length Mode is a drop-down box where you can choose the Length method.

Last Operator Follow Active Quads

The Last Operator contains the same settings than the Settings dialogue.

Cube Projection

Cube Projection maps the mesh from six sides, means cubic.

Last Operator Cube Projection

Cylinder Projection

Cylinder Projection tries to map the geometry cylindric.

Last Operator Cylinder Projection

Direction

Direction is a drop-down box where you can choose in which direction the spherical projection will be mapped.

Align

Align is a drop-down box where you can choose the Align method.

Pole

How to handle the faces at the poles.

Sphere Projection

Sphere Projection tries to map the geometry spherical.

Last Operator Sphere Projection

Direction

Direction is a drop-down box where you can choose in which direction the spherical projection will be mapped.

Align

Align is a drop-down box where you can choose the Align method.

Pole

How to handle the faces at the poles.

Project from View

Project from View projects the UV from the current 3D view.

Last Operator Project from View

Project from View (Bounds)

Project from View projects the UV from the current 3D view.

Same as Project from View, but with Scale to Bounds ticked in the Last operator. And so it scales to the bounds.

Mark Seam

The unwrap algorithms Angle based and Conformal requires to have edges marked as seams. Think of it as a cutting pattern for a trouser for example. Such a trouser is also made of fabric patterns.

Same goes for the UV patches when you use Angle based or conformal unwrapping. You need to cut your mesh into parts and mark edges as seams, so that the algorithm knows where the seams are.

Mark seam marks the currently selected edge(s) as a seam. Seam edges will be displayed as red in the 3D viewport.

Vertex Menu

Edit Mode - Vertex Menu

The Vertex menu just exists for mesh objects. It provides you with tools that are designed to modify vertices.

Legacy

The legacy sub menu contains tools that exists in the tool shelf already. It's the old way to do things. Different to the tools in the tool shelf, these tools are usually modal. And performs once. You have to call them again in case you want to repeat the tool.

Bevel

The Bevel Tool adds a bevel to the selected geometry.

Usage: first select the geometry that you want to bevel. Then activate the tool. Don't wonder that the mouse movement does nothing until you move the mouse really really far away. That's by design. Best is to adjust the amount in the Last Operator Bevel panel.

Last Operator Bevel

Affect

What geometry to bevel. Vertices or Edges.

Width type

Which measure type to choose for the bevel action. Offset, Width, Depth or Percent.

Segments

How many segments gets created.

Profile Shape

Controls the profile shape strength. A value close to 0 bends the roundness to inside. A value towards 1 bends the curve to outside. A value of 0.5 defines a radius around the center point of the bevel.

Miter Outer

How the outer miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Patch

This replaces the outside vertex of a miter with 3 vertices. And uses a patch pattern there.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Inner

How the inner miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Intersection Type

The method to use to create meshes at intersections. Bevel can create self intersecting geometry.

Face Strength

Set Face Strength on the faces involved in the bevel, according to the specified mode. This can be used in conjunction with a Weight Normals Modifier (with the Face Influence option checked).

Profile Type

The profile type.

Superellipse

Uses a mathematically smooth curve for bevel profiles

Custom

Allows manual control of the bevel profile shape via a curve widget.

Presets

Curve presets.

Navigation elements

Tools menu

Handler and node position

When you select a node, then the handler and node position tools shows below the curve window.

Rip Vertices

Rip splits the edges between the selected vertices. It creates two edges out of one.

This tool works similar to the Edge Split tool. It also selects the outer edges so that you immediately move them. Right click will snap them back to the initial space.

Last Operator Rip

Move X , Y , Z

Adjust the position.

Orientation

Orientation is a drop-down box. Choose the type of orientation for the mirroring action.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Proportional Falloff

Adjust the falloff methods.

Rip Vertices and Fill

Rip splits the edges between the selected vertices. It creates two edges out of one. But fills the gap.

The last operator is the same than for the rip vertices tool above.

Rip Vertices and Extend

This tool is the same tool than the Rip Edge tool from the tool shelf.

Rip Vertices and Extend extrudes out the selected vertices. When you do this operation at an edge then you will create N-Gons that way.

Last Operator Extend Vertices

Move X , Y , Z

Adjust the position.

Orientation

Orientation is a drop-down box. Choose the type of orientation for the mirroring action.

Slide Vertices

Same tool than the Vertex Slide in the Tool Shelf. Vertex Slide slides the selected vertice along the edge that it is part of. This is for the corner vertice at a cube into three possible directions.

Last Operator Vertex Slide

Smooth Vertices

Same tool than in the tool shelf. Smoothens the selected vertices.

Last Operator Smooth Vertices

Extrude to Cursor or Add

Extrude to the mouse position.

Howto: activate the tool. then right click into the workspace by holding down the ctrl key.

In the header you will see a message that the tool waits for input.

This tool has two functionalities. If the whole geometry is selected, then it creates a copy of the geometry at the mouse position, randomly rotated by a small amount. If just elements are selected, then it extrudes this element to the mouse position.

Make Edge/Face

Adds a face when you have edges selected. And Edges when you have Vertices selected. It's a Bridge tool.

You can have either the one method or the other. When you select two adjacent vertices, then you select the edge too. And the tool works in edge mode then. In this case just the possible faces gets created. Not edges between single vertices.

First select the edges or Vertices that you want to bridge. Then click the New Edge/Face from Vertices Button.

Connect Vertex Path

Connect Vertex path connects selected vertices, but takes the vertex order into account in which you selected the vertices. It just creates edges between vertices that are not connected in this order.

Connect Vertex Pair

Connect Vertex pair connects selected vertices and makes a face of the pairs.

Smooth Laplacian

Laplacian Smooth Vertex smooths out the angles between the selected vertices. It is a tool to reduce noise at the mesh. It works a bit different than the normal Smooth Vertex tool. And gives a different result. The Laplacian method allows you to preserve the volume, and to adjust border smoothing.

Last Operator Laplacian Smooth Vertex

Vertex Crease

When you use a Subdivision Surface Modifier, then you can define the sharpness of selected vertices with this tool. Crease vertices will be marked colored in edit mode.

You will see a value in the header that indicates the current strength when you activate the tool. Move with the mouse to increase or decrease the value. Or type in a value while you are in this mode. You can also scale into negative range.

A negative crease value will subtract from the current active crease value in case it exists already from a former crease operation. A Crease value of -1 removes the crease from this edge.

Last Operator Vertex Crease

Factor

Adjust the crease factor.

Blend from Shape

This tool requires to have a shape key at the mesh. It blends the selected shape key into the mesh.

Last Operator Blend from Shape

Propagate to Shapes

This tool requires to have a shape key at the mesh. It applies the current vertex locations for the selected vertices to all other shape keys at the mesh.

Vertex Groups

Vertex groups is a menu around vertex group functionality. The vertex groups can be found in the Object data tab in the Properties editor.

When there is no vertex group assigned yet then you can only see one menu item. The Assign To New Group button.

Once you have a vertex group assigned you will see the full functionality.

Set Active Group

Select a vertex group to be the active one.

Hooks

Hooks is a menu with tools around the hook modifier. You could also adjust the hook modifier from the Properties editor. But the menu items are more accessible.

When there is no hook modifier at the mesh then you just see three menu items. When there is minimum one hook modifier applied, then you will see an extended menu.

Hook to New Object

Creates a new Hook Modifier for the active object and assigns it to the selected vertices. It also creates an empty at the center of those vertices, which are hooked to it.

Hook to Selected Object

Does the same as Hook to New Object, but instead of hooking the vertices to a new empty, it hooks them to the selected object (if it exists). There should be only one selected object (besides the mesh being edited).

Last Operator Hook to Selected Object

Active Bone

Hook to the object(s) of the active bone.

Make Vertex Parent

Parents another object to the selected vertice(s).

Workflow:

In Object mode select the object that you want to parent to a vertex. Shift select the parent object so that both are selected. Enter Edit mode. Then select one vertex for a single point. Or three for an area. Then click the Make Vertex Parent button to make the relation.

Tool Shelf

Tools

Tool Shelf - Mesh - Edit Mode

In Edit mode with a mesh object you will find some polygon tools in the tool shelf.

Tweak, Select, 3D Cursor, Transform, Annotate and Measure

The tweak, select and transform tools and the annotation and measure tool is already described in the chapter Object Mode. So we won't cover it here again. And start directly with the polygon tools.

Primitives Add Tools Group

This chapter is already explained in the Editors - 3D View - Tool Shelf - Object Mode chapter. Please have a look in this chapter.

The only difference is that the created primitive will be part of the mesh that you are in edit mode with. And not an independent object.

Extrude tools group

This group contains some extrude tools. A few more exotic ones can be found in the mesh menu.

There are some general settings, since they all have some move settings We will cover them all here for all of the tools.

Header Values

When you move your object then you will see some values in the header, which defines the current position of the object.

The value m stands for the default metric system. Meters. You can change the units in the Properties editor in the Scene properties in the Units panel. When you choose kilometers here then you will see a km instead m.

The value D stands for the distance of the current selected axis. This can also be two axis. Then you have two d values. The value in the brackets is then the direct distance to the starting point.

These values are always relative to the starting point. You always start with zero, regardless of the real world position.

Move without Widget

You don't have to use the widget to move the object. You can also click aside of it, and drag the object around. The mouse turns into a move cursor. The standard behavior then is to move in screen space. When you want to move into a specific axis, then press X or Y or Z to limit the movement to this axis.

Limit Axis

When you want to move along a specific axis, then press X or Y or Z to limit the movement to this axis. You usually start in global orientation. But you can change this in the Orientation settings.

By holding down the mouse button and pressing the X, Y or Z key twice you can toggle this to local. But also to other orientations. This depends in what orientation you start. With normal you can toggle that way between Normal and Global.

Extrude Region

The Extrude Region tool extrudes by default along the vertex normals of the current selection. When it's more than one vertex, edge or face, then the middle will be used.

The method works the same in all Mesh select modes. Vertice, Edge and Face Mode.

When you activate the tool, then you will by default see a yellow widget at the selection. Drag it to extrude the selection.

Tool Settings

Axis Type

You can choose between the regular axis type. That's the yellow widget with just one handler. It always points in the direction of the muddled normals of the selection.

Or you can use the XYZ axis type. That's a handler with three axis. This widget can be aligned with the transform orientation methods.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Extrude Region and Move

Orientation

The widget can have different orientations. The menu items should be self explaining.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Manifold

Extrude, dissolve Edges whose faces form a flat surface, and intersect new edges.

The method works the same in all Mesh select modes. Vertice, Edge and Face Mode.

Header Value

The extrude amount.

Tool Settings

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Extrude Manifold

Orientation

The widget can have different orientations. The menu items should be self explaining.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Along Normals

Extrudes the selection along local normals. You won't see a widget here. Simply drag.

The method works the same in all Mesh select modes. Vertice, Edge and Face Mode.

Header Value

This tool works like a shrink fatten extrude. And so you will see a corresponding set of values in the header.

Tool Settings

Offset Even

Scales the offset to give more even thickness. Without this checked the farer away faces will have a bigger extrude amount.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Extrude Region and Shrink/Fatten

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Individual

Extrudes the selection along local normals of each individual face. You won't see a widget here. Simply drag.

The method works the same in all Mesh select modes. Vertice, Edge and Face Mode.

Header Value

This tool works like a shrink fatten extrude. And so you will see a corresponding set of values in the header.

Tool Settings

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Extrude Individual Faces and Move

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude to cursor

Extrudes the selection towards the mouse cursor by clicking at the target position. The extruded geometry will rotate towards the mouse pointer.

Tool Settings

Rotate Source

In theory this setting should rotate the source geometry too to achieve a better result. In practice this setting does nothing.

Inset Faces

Inset insets edges into the selected faces. Think of it as an extrude inwards the face.

Activate the tool, drag the mouse. But carefully. The control is not the best. You better adjust the amount in the last operator.

Tool Settings

Outset

With outset ticked the Inset will not extrude inwards but outwards.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Inset Faces

Boundary

With Boundary ticked you will get the connect edges in the corners. Without the edges ends straight.

Bevel

The Bevel Tool adds a bevel to the selected geometry.

Usage: first select the geometry that you want to bevel. Then activate the tool. Don't wonder that the mouse movement does nothing until you move the mouse really really far away. That's by design. Best is to adjust the amount in the Last Operator Bevel panel.

Tool Settings

Affect

What geometry to bevel. Vertices or Edges.

Note that with Vertices some options are not available.

Width type

Which measure type to choose for the bevel action. Offset, Width, Depth or Percent.

Segments

How many segments gets created.

Shape

Controls the profile shape strength. A value close to 0 bends the roundness to inside. A value towards 1 bends the curve to outside. A value of 0.5 defines a radius around the center point of the bevel.

Miter outer

How the outer miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Patch

This replaces the outside vertex of a miter with 3 vertices. And uses a patch pattern there.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Miter Inner

How the inner miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Spread

Belongs to inner miter method Arc. Adjust how strong the inner radius is bent.

Intersections

The method to use to create meshes at intersections. Bevel can create self intersecting geometry.

Face Strength Mode

Set Face Strength on the faces involved in the bevel, according to the specified mode. This can be used in conjunction with a Weight Normals Modifier (with the Face Influence option checked).

Profile Type

Which profile type to use. Super ellipse or Custom.

Custom Profile

Choose and adjust a custom bevel profile. This feature needs more than one segment to work.

Preset

Choose some profile presets.

Tools

Reset View

Resets the zoom factor of the curve view.

Reset Curve

Resets the curve to the defaults. This means when you choose a curve preset to reset it to the values of the latest chosen preset.

Curve view

Adjust the profile curve.

Left click where no point is adds a new point. Left click at a point allows you to move it.

Holding down Shift while moving a node point activates precision movement.

Holding down ctrl while moving activates temporary snapping.

When a point is selected then the curve view reveals a sub menu at the bottom.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Bevel

Shape

Controls the profile shape strength. A value close to 0 bends the roundness to inside. A value towards 1 bends the curve to outside. A value of 0.5 defines a radius around the center point of the bevel.

Outer Miter

How the outer miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Patch

This replaces the outside vertex of a miter with 3 vertices. And uses a patch pattern there.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Inner Miter

How the inner miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Spread

Belongs to inner miter method Arc. Adjust how strong the inner radius is bent.

Intersections

The method to use to create meshes at intersections. Bevel can create self intersecting geometry.

Face Strength Mode

Set Face Strength on the faces involved in the bevel, according to the specified mode. This can be used in conjunction with a Weight Normals Modifier (with the Face Influence option checked).

Profile Type

Which profile type to use. Super ellipse or Custom.

Profile Type Custom

Choose and adjust a custom bevel profile. This feature needs more than one segment to work.

Preset

Choose some profile presets.

Tools

Reset View

Resets the zoom factor of the curve view.

Reset Curve

Resets the curve to the defaults. This means when you choose a curve preset to reset it to the values of the latest chosen preset.

Reverse Path

The path gets reversed. The first point becomes the last and vice versa.

Toggle Profile Clipping

Toggles the profile clipping.

Curve view

Adjust the profile curve.

Left click where no point is adds a new point. Left click at a point allows you to move it.

Holding down Shift while moving a node point activates precision movement.

Holding down ctrl while moving activates temporary snapping.

When a point is selected then the curve view reveals a sub menu at the bottom.

Loop Cut tools group

Loop Cut

Loop Cut adds edge loops. When you hover with the mouse over the geometry then you will see a yellow line in the exact middle of the face(s). This is what will be the new cutted edge.

When you click once, then this edge gets created. When you click and hold, then you can move this edge to a new location.

Loop cut ignores selections. It will try to divide the face under the mouse, and continue the loop until it is closed, or until it cannot continue. At poles for example.

Tool Settings

Number of Cuts

You can with one cut add more than one edge. Adjust the amount.

Note that here you need to adjust this setting before adding the loop. Note also that the yellow preview line will not show all added loops. But just the yellow line.

The settings remains its values as long as you don't close Bforartists and restart it.

Correct UV's

Correct the UV's when transforming the new added loop.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Loop Cut and Slide

Note that all settings here just changes the latest added loop. Not all added loops in the current session.

Number of Cuts

The number of cuts that gets added. It can be more than one loop at once.

Smoothness

This value defines how smooth the loop cut gets added. From flat to bent.

Falloff

Adjust the Falloff type for smoothness.

Factor

Change the center of the added loop.

Offset Edge Loop Cut

Slides the selected edge(s)

Usage: select the edges that you want to slide. Click to confirm.

You can adjust the sliding amount in the Last Operator Offset Edge Slide.

Last Operator Offset Edge Slide

Cap Endpoint

Cap Endpoint caps the loose edges.

Knife Tool Group

Knife tool

The Knife tool cuts the geometry, and adds edges. When it crosses existing geometry then it adds a vertice at the crossing point.

Usage: activate the tool, left click to define the starting point. This can also be a point in the middle of a face. But ideally you choose an existing vertice or an edge as the start and endpoints. The knife tool tries to snap to them when you get close with the mouse cursor.

When done press Enter or Spacebar to confirm. Right click abandons the operation.

When you create a vertice in the middle of a face, then the knife tool will try to connect this vertice by an existing vertice of this face when you confirm with spacebar.

The Knife tool can now cut through multiple objects in edit mode. You need to enter edit mode with these objects. Hold down shift to select the other objects ...

Hotkey functionality in the footer text

Have a look at the footer when you work with this tool. Here you will find further instructions and hotkeys.

Enter, Pad Enter, Spacebar - confirm

Esc key, RMB - cancel the operation

LMB start the cut

Double LMB - close the cut

E - create new cut

Ctrl or Shift while dragging - Snap to the middle of an edge

Z - cut through the whole geometry, also the backfaces.

MMB - pan the view.

Alt MMB - rotate the view.

S - activate the measure tools. Holding down S will cycle through the three measure modes. Only Distance, Only Angles and both distance and angle measurement.

A - activate the angle constraint.

Tool Settings

Measurements

The measurements modes. The names should be self explaining.

Angle Snapping

Activate snap to angles. When active then the knife cut snaps to an angle either aligned to the screen or relative to the object.

Angle Snapping Increment

The snapping angle in case the angle snappping tool is active.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Bisect

Bisect cuts geometry along a plane. This description is a bit misleading though. You simply cut through the whole geometry by defining a line. And the cut goes through the geometry from the current view.

When you have set your cut and release the mouse then you reveal a widget with which you can move and rotate the cut. Clicking at the arrow and drag moves the cut. Clicking at the circle and drag rotates the cut.

Tool Settings

Fill

Fills the cut.

Last Operator Bisect

Poly Build

This tool extrudes out edges and faces from the border of existing open geometry.

The tool will not work at a cube, since here it cannot extrude out an existing polygon from a border. There is no border since the geometry is closed.

Usage:

Move the mouse over an edge until it turns blue. Then you can left click and drag to extrude it out.

Holding ctrl and clicking will extrude the last selected element to the mouse cursor. To extrude out an edge from a vertice don't click with left mouse. This would create a polygon. But with right mouse button.

Holding down shift allows you to mark vertices, edges or polygons that you want to remove. By clicking the selected geometry will be deleted.

You can just work at one edge at a time.

Tool Settings

Create Quads

Create quad or tri geometry.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator

We have two last operators here, dependent of which method we use. Dragging out edges will reveal the Extrude At Cursor Move panel. Holding down Ctrl will reveal the Face at Cursor Move panel.

Extrude At Cursor Move panel

Orientation

The widget can have different orientations. The menu items should be self explaining.

Mirror Editing

Enable Mirror Editing.

Face at Cursor Move panel

Move X, Y Z

The position of the new created element. Attention, the actual world orientation and rotation does not matter here. It always starts with a value of zero, and moves relative to this zero then. For the actual location values have a look in the sidebar in the transform panel.

Orientation

The widget can have different orientations. The menu items should be self explaining.

Mirror Editing

Enable Mirror Editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Spin

The Spin tool extrudes the selection and spins it by a defined amount and segments. This amount and number of segments can be adjusted.

When you activate the tool then you reveal some widgets with various handlers.

You can spin vertices, edges and faces. And even whole closed objects.

Usage

Select the geometry that you want to spin out. In our case we choose a face at a cube.

The first thing that you need to is to activate the correct Axis widget, which can be done in the Tool Settings. The ones with the big + buttons at the end defines in which direction the extrusion happens. And when you touch them then you start the spin extrusion. The rest of the widget functionality should be self explaining. You have handlers to pull and to rotate.

Hint, you activate all three axis widgets by holding down shift, and clicking at the axis buttons in the tool settings.

The second step is then to move the center of the spin to the desired location to get the rotation that you want. This can be done by the move handler. Or you click into the middle of the widget, at the white circle there, and drag it around.

For an accurate rotation around a single axis you should work in one of the orthographic views.

Tool Settings

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Spin

Steps

Steps is the number of segments.

Smooth / Randomize Tools group

Smooth

Smoothens the selected vertices.

Usage

Activate the tool, move the mouse.

Tool Settings

Repeat

How often the smoothing should be applied.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Smooth Vertices

Randomize

Randomizes the selected vertices.

Usage

Activate the tool, move the mouse.

Tool Settings

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Smooth Vertices

Edge and Vertex Slide Tools Group

Edge Slide

Edge Slide slides the selected edge along the face that it is part of. This is for the edge at a cube into two possible directions.

This tool requires to have at least one edge selected.

Header Values

The header values shows you the current transformation. But also hints towards a hotkey.

Holding down Alt will allow you to slide the edges behind the limits of the guide edge. Yellow infinite guide lines appears.

Tool Settings

Correct UV's

Correct UV's corrects the UV's while editing the geometry.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Edge Slide

Vertex Slide

Vertex Slide slides the selected vertice along the edge that it is part of. This is for the corner vertice at a cube into three possible directions.

Header Values

The header values shows you the current transformation. But also hints towards a hotkey.

Holding down Alt will allow you to slide the edges behind the limits of the guide edge. Yellow infinite guide lines appears.

Tool Settings

Correct UV's

Correct UV's corrects the UV's while editing the geometry.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Vertex Slide

Shrink/Fatten / Push/Pull Tools Group

Shrink / Fatten

Shrink / Fatten shrinks or fattens the selection. The faces moves along the normals of the faces.

Header Values

The header values shows you the current transformation. But also hints towards a hotkey. Holding down Alt will turn off Even Thickness.

Tool Settings

Offset Even

Scales the offset to give more even thickness. Without this checked the farer away faces will have a bigger extrude amount.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Shrink/Fatten

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Push/Pull

It pushes or pulls the selection relative to the center of the selection.

Header Values

The header values shows you the current transformation.

Tool Settings

Offset Even

Scales the offset to give more even thickness. Without this checked the farer away faces will have a bigger extrude amount.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Push/Pull

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Shear and To Sphere Tools Group

Shear

Shear shears the selection. When you activate the tool then you will reveal a widget. This widget allows you to shear the selection in all possible axis.

Tool Settings

Orientation

Choose the orientation for the shear action.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Shear

Orientation

Choose the orientation for the shear action.

Mirror Editing

Enables Mirror Editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

To Sphere

Shapes a selection of objects into the shape of a sphere. The calculation happens with the object origins.

In Object mode this tools requires to have more than one object selected.

Usage

Select the vertices, activate the tool, then drag the mouse in the 3D viewport. In the header you will read the current factor then. Which tells you how close you are towards the sphere shape.

Last Operator To Sphere

Factor

The factor to transform the selection into a shape form.

Mirror Editing

Enables Mirror Editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Rip Tools Group

Rip Vertices

Rip splits the edges between the selected vertices. It creates two edges out of one.

This tool works similar to the Edge Split tool. It also selects the outer edges so that you immediately move them. Right click will snap them back to the initial space.

Tool Settings

Fill

Fills the gap between the new edges when you move the geometry.

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Rip

Move X , Y , Z

Adjust the position.

Constraint Axis

Limit the position relative to the source object.

Orientation

Orientation is a drop-down box. Choose the type of orientation for the mirroring action.

Mirror Editing

Enables Mirror Editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Proportional Falloff

Adjust the falloff methods.

Rip Edge

Rip Edge extrudes out the selected vertices. When you do this operation at an edge then you will create N-Gons that way.

Tool Settings

Drag

When you click at the widget of the active tool, then you perform the tool action. Adjust what should happen when you click outside of the widget, in the empty area.

Last Operator Extend Vertices

Orientation

Orientation is a drop-down box. Choose the type of orientation for the mirroring action.

Sidebar

Edit Mode

Tools Tab in Edit Mode

Many object types can be edited in edit mode. Mesh objects, armature, text object and so on. In this chapter we will go through all the object types in edit mode. But just a few object types have really relevant settings in the tools tab in edit mode. Mesh Objects. All kind of curve objects. And the Armature.

For the rest of the editable object types the tools tab stays blank.

Mesh Object - Options Panel

This panel contains some mesh specific settings. It can also be found in the header.

Transform sub panel

UV subpanel

Live Unwrap Edge Path

Changing an edges seam in the 3d view recalculates the UV unwrap.

Armature - Armature Options panel

X Axis Mirror

X Axis Mirror is made to sync the right side of a symmetrical armature with the left side of a symmetrical armature. Means you can create just one half of a skeleton. And then simply mirror it over to the other half. And any further changes that you do at the one side will also apply to the other side of the armature. This includes the whole FK IK setup. And can save you lots of work therefore.

The same checkbox can also be found in the tool settings bar as an icon button. This allows quicker access and better visual control which mirror axis is currently active.

Workflow

To get X Axis mirror to work requires a bit preparation work.

Create an armature, with some bones at the one side. Like this. The 3D cursor needs to be at 0/0/0. The left bone is in the middle. Think of it as the backbone. The right bone has an offset, and shall represent our right side of the armature.

Change the Pivot Point in the Header to 3D Cursor. Important step. We want to mirror around the 3D Cursor.

Now select the right side of the armature. Border select is one fast way. But NOT the bone in the middle, which is our backbone. We don't want to mirror this one too.

Duplicate what we have selected. And click immediately to leave the duplicate mode. Or you will pull the duplicated part around. Which is not what we want.

Next we will scale our new created armature part by -1 to mirror it over to the other side. Activate Scale, don't move the mouse, but type immediately in X for the axis and -1 for the scale factor.

This will create our mirrored armature part.

Next important step is to Flip Names. This renames the mirrored bones. Bone.001.R becomes without this step Bone.001.R.001. With rename we get Bone.001.L

And now we are finally arrived at X Axis Mirror. Tick it.

Now you should be able to modify the one side of the armature, and the other side will be modified too. This includes as told above also FK IK set-ups that you do in Pose mode.

Context Menus

Edge Context Menu

Edge Context Menu

Call this menu with double right click in the 3D viewport. You need to be in Edit mode with a Mesh object. And in selection mode Edge.

Select geometry to reveal all content.

Subdivide

Subdivide divides the selected edges. It subdivides the involved faces too, and can create new vertices.

A more unknown functionality is that it can also randomize the result with the Fractal slider in the Last operator panel.

Last Operator Subdivide

Number of Cuts

The number of cuts defines the amount of subdivisions.

Smoothness

This value defines how smooth the subdivision result is. From flat to bent.

Create N-Gons

Create N-Gons if required. Else subdividing N-Gons creates Tris.

Quad Corner Type

Adjust the corner type.

Extrude Edges

Extrudes out the selected edges by moving the mouse.

Last Operator Extrude Only Edges and Move

Orientation

Choose the type of orientation, in which coordinate system the action should happen.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Bevel Edges

Adds a bevel at the selected edges.

Last Operator Bevel

Affect

Affect vertices or edges.

Width Type

The width type.

Harden Normals

When enabled, the per-vertex face normals of the bevel faces are adjusted to match the surrounding faces, and the normals of the surrounding faces are not affected. This will keep the surrounding faces flat (if they were before), with the bevel faces shading smoothly into them. For this effect to work, custom split normals need to be enabled, which requires Auto Smooth to be enabled (see Normals). As a convenience, that option will be enabled for you if it is not already when you enable Harden Normals here.

Miter Type

Miter Outer

How the outer miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Patch

This replaces the outside vertex of a miter with 3 vertices. And uses a patch pattern there.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Inner Miter

How the inner miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Spread

Belongs to inner miter method Arc. Adjust how strong the inner radius is bent.

Intersection type

The method to use to create meshes at intersections. Bevel can create self intersecting geometry.

Face Strength

Set Face Strength on the faces involved in the bevel, according to the specified mode. This can be used in conjunction with a Weight Normals Modifier (with the Face Influence option checked).

Profile Type

The profile type.

Superellipse

Uses a mathematically smooth curve for bevel profiles

Custom

Allows manual control of the bevel profile shape via a curve widget.

Presets

Curve presets.

Navigation elements

Tools menu

Curve view

Adjust the profile curve.

Left click where no point is adds a new point. Left click at a point allows you to move it.

Holding down Shift while moving a node point activates precision movement.

Holding down ctrl while moving activates temporary snapping.

When a point is selected then the curve view reveals a sub menu at the bottom.

Handler and node position

When you select a node, then the handler and node position tools shows below the curve window.

Make Edge/Face

Adds a face when you have edges selected. And Edges when you have Vertices selected. It's a Bridge tool.

You can have either the one method or the other. When you select two adjacent vertices, then you select the edge too. And the tool works in edge mode then. In this case just the possible faces gets created. Not edges between single vertices.

First select the edges or Vertices that you want to bridge. Then click the New Edge/Face from Vertices Button.

Bridge Edge loops

The Bridge edge loops tool bridges selected edges, and adds a polygon between them. You need to have at least two edges selected.

Last Operator Bridge Edge loops

Fill

Fill closes holes in the selected mesh geometry, and triangulates the faces.

Last Operator Fill

Beauty

Uses the best possible triangulation.

Loop Cut and Slide

Loop Cut and Slide adds edge loops to divide faces

When you click once, then this edge gets created. When you click and hold, then you can move this edge to a new location.

Loop cut and Slide ignores selections. It will try to divide the face under the mouse, and continue the loop until it is closed, or until it cannot continue.

Last Operator Loop Cut and Slide

Note that all settings here just changes the latest added loop. Not all added loops in the current session.

Number of Cuts

The number of cuts that gets added. It can be more than one loop at once.

Smoothness

This value defines how smooth the loop cut gets added. From flat to bent.

Falloff

Adjust the Falloff type for smoothness.

Offset Edge Slide

Adds left and right an edge from the selected edge and slides it outwards.

Last Operator Offset Edge Slide

Cap Endpoint

Connects the endpoints of the slided edges.

Knife Topology

The Knife tool cuts the geometry, and adds edges. When it crosses existing geometry then it adds a vertice at the crossing point.

Usage: activate the tool, left click to define the starting point. This can also be a point in the middle of a face. But ideally you choose an existing vertice or an edge as the start and endpoints. The knife tool tries to snap to them when you get close with the mouse cursor.

When done press Enter or Space bar to confirm. Right click abandons the operation.

When you create a vertice in the middle of a face, then the knife tool will try to connect this vertice by an existing vertice of this face when you confirm with space bar.

Hotkey functionality in the footer text

Have a look at the footer when you work with this tool. Here you will find further instructions and hotkeys.

Enter, Pad Enter, Space bar - confirm

Esc key, RMB - cancel the operation

LMB start the cut

Double LMB - close the cut

E - create new cut

Ctrl or Shift while dragging - Snap to the middle of an edge

Z - cut through the whole geometry, also the back faces.

MMB - pan the view.

Alt MMB - rotate the view.

Rotate Edge CW

Rotate Edge rotates the selected edge clockwise.

Last Operator Rotate Selected Edge

Counter Clockwise

Rotate selected edges counter clockwise.

Edge Split

Splits selected edges so that each neighbor face gets its own copy. You have two methods here.

Last Operator Edge Split

Type

Choose the method again.

Edge Crease

When you use a Subdivision Surface Modifier, then you can define the sharpness of selected edges with this tool. Crease edges will be marked colored in edit mode.

You will see a value in the header that indicates the current strength when you activate the tool. Move with the mouse to increase or decrease the value. Or type in a value while you are in this mode. You can also scale into negative range.

A negative crease value will subtract from the current active crease value in case it exists already from a former crease operation. A Crease value of -1 removes the crease from this edge.

Last Operator Edge Crease

Factor

Adjust the crease factor.

Edge Bevel Weight

This tool adjusts the edge bevel weight for selected edges when you use the Bevel modifier at the mesh.

You need to have set the limit method to Weight. This way you can achieve a bevel weight for every individual selected edge if you want, and achieve different bevel strengths at the mesh.

You will see a value in the header that indicates the current strength when you activate the tool. Move with the mouse to increase or decrease the value. Or type in a value while you are in this mode. You can also scale into negative range.

A negative Edge Bevel Weight value will subtract from the current active crease value in case it exists already from a former crease operation. An Edge Bevel Weight value of -1 removes the weight from this edge.

Last Operator Edge Bevel Weight

Factor

Adjust the Edge Bevel Weight factor.

Mark Sharp

Mark Sharp is a tool that you need for the Edge Split modifier. Marked edges are displayed and rendered as sharp edges.

Last Operator Mark Sharp

Vertices

Calculate by the selected vertices instead of edges to mark the edges.

Clear Sharp

Clears formerly as sharp marked selected edges.

Last Operator Mark Sharp

Vertices

Calculate by the selected vertices instead of edges to mark the edges.

Set sharpness by Angle

Sets the sharpness of edges by their angle to the neighbour face.

Last Operator Set sharpness by Angle

Un-Subdivide

Decimates the geometry by trying to make one quad out of four quads. But can also end in Tris where this is not possible.

Last Operator Un-Subdivide

Iterations

Number of iterations. This means how deep the calculation should go. One level of SDS, two levels, three levels, etc. . Down to the point where you cannot decimate any geometry anymore.

Split

Splits the edges between the selected vertices. It creates two edges out of one. And splits the edge by that.

Separate submenu

Separate separates the selected geometry, and creates a new object. The geometry becomes uneditable, since it is now a new object. You will have to leave the Edit mode, select the new object, and re-enter Edit mode when you want to edit it.

Dissolve Edges

Dissolve Edges dissolves the selected edges.

Note that pressing Del in Vertice select mode calls Dissolve Vertices already. It's the same operator. But you don't get the Last operator that way.

Last Operator Dissolve Edges

Delete Edges

Deletes the selected Edges.

Show/Hide

Sub-menu with shows or hide selection, unselected or hidden operators.

Show Hidden

Makes all geometry in the scene visible again.

Hide Selected

Hides the selected geometry.

Last Operator Hide Selected

Unselected

Hides the not selected geometry.

Hide Unselected

Hides the not selected geometry. The selected geometry stays visible.

Face Context Menu

Face Context Menu

Call this menu with double right click in the 3D viewport. You need to be in Edit mode with a Mesh object. And in selection mode Edge.

Select geometry to reveal all content.

Subdivide

Subdivide divides the selected edges. It subdivides the involved faces too, and can create new vertices.

A more unknown functionality is that it can also randomize the result with the Fractal slider in the Last operator panel.

Last Operator Subdivide

Number of Cuts

The number of cuts defines the amount of subdivisions.

Smoothness

This value defines how smooth the subdivision result is. From flat to bent.

Create N-Gons

Create N-Gons if required. Else subdividing N-Gons creates Tris.

Quad Corner Type

Adjust the corner type.

Extrude Faces

Extrudes out the selected faces into the face direction by moving the mouse. When it's more than one face, then the middle will be used.

Last Operator Extrude Region and Move

Orientation

The widget can have different orientations. The menu items should be self explaining.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Faces Along Normals

Extrudes the selection along local normals.

Header Value

This tool works like a shrink fatten extrude. And so you will see a corresponding set of values in the header.

Last Operator Extrude Region and Shrink/Fatten

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Extrude Individual

Extrudes the selection along local normals of each individual face.

The method works the same in all Mesh select modes. Vertice, Edge and Face Mode.

Header Value

This tool works like a shrink fatten extrude. And so you will see a corresponding set of values in the header.

Last Operator Extrude Individual Faces and Move

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Inset Faces

Inset insets edges into the selected faces. Think of it as an extrude inwards the face.

Activate the tool, drag the mouse. But carefully. The control is not the best. You better adjust the amount in the last operator.

Last Operator Inset Faces

Boundary

With Boundary ticked you will get the connect edges in the corners. Without the edges ends straight.

Bridge Faces

The Bridge Faces tool bridges selected faces, and adds polygons between them. You need to have at least two faces selected.

This tool is basically the Bridge Edge Loops tool, just that it operates in Face mode.

Note that this tool just shows when you are in Face Select Mode.

Last Operator Bridge Edge loops

Connect Loops

Choose the method how to deal with bridging multiple loops.

Merge

With merge ticked it will not create a bridge face, but merge the selected edges.

Merge Factor

The merge factor determines at which distance between the selected edges the merge happens. 0.5 is the middle of the selected edges.

Poke Faces

Splits the selected faces to create a triangulated geometry.

Last Operator Poke Faces

Poke Offset

Normally the center vertice of the poke operation is planar with the rest. Adjust an offset.

Offset Relative

Scale the offset by surrounding geometry.

Poke Center

Poke Center is a drop-down box choose what the center of the poke operation should be. You can choose between weighted mean, mean and bounds.

UV Unwrap Faces submenu

The UV menu from the header.

Here you find the UV mapping methods and some further functionality. You use it best in the U Editing layout. There you can see the result in the UV Editor then.

The UV menu is just available for Mesh objects

Last Operator Unwrap

Method

Method is a drop down box where you can choose the unwrap method.

Method Angle based + Conformal

Unwrap ABF and Unwrap LSCM shares the same Last Operator.

Method

Method is a drop down box where you can choose between Unwrap method Angle Based and Conformal.

Fill Holes

Fill holes in the mesh before unwrapping.

Margin Method

Margin

The distance between the single UV patches.

Method Minimum Stretch

Iterations

Number of iterations.

Margin Method

Margin

The distance between the single UV patches.

Smart UV Project

Smart UV Project projects the UV mapping from different angles.

Smart UV Project Settings dialogue

Angle Limit

The Angle Limit defines after which angle the mapping happens from the next side. With an angle of 66 you have around six sides to map from. The calculation is 360/66.

Margin Method

Rotation Method

How to rotate islands.

Last Operator Smart UV Project

The Last Operator for Smart UV Project contains the same settings than the Smart UV Project Settings dialogue.

Lightmap Pack

Lightmap Pack maps each face individually, and puts the result into the UV space. Without margin.

Lightmap Pack has no Last Operator.

Settings

Follow Active Quads

Follow Active quads maps UV coordinates starting from an active face, and maps all adjacent faces in quad shape then. This way you can for example unwrap a pipe or a road. You first need to have a face selected. Then select everything. And then click at Follow Active Quads.

Settings

Edge Length Mode

Edge Length Mode is a drop-down box where you can choose the Length method.

Last Operator Follow Active Quads

The Last Operator contains the same settings than the Settings dialogue.

Cube Projection

Cube Projection maps the mesh from six sides, means cubic.

Last Operator Cube Projection

Cylinder Projection

Cylinder Projection tries to map the geometry cylindric.

Last Operator Cylinder Projection

Direction

Direction is a drop-down box where you can choose in which direction the spherical projection will be mapped.

Align

Align is a drop-down box where you can choose the Align method.

Pole

How to handle the faces at the poles.

Sphere Projection

Sphere Projection tries to map the geometry spherical.

Last Operator Sphere Projection

Direction

Direction is a drop-down box where you can choose in which direction the spherical projection will be mapped.

Align

Align is a drop-down box where you can choose the Align method.

Pole

How to handle the faces at the poles.

Project from View

Project from View projects the UV from the current 3D view.

Last Operator Project from View

Project from View (Bounds)

Project from View projects the UV from the current 3D view.

Same as Project from View, but with Scale to Bounds ticked in the Last operator. And so it scales to the bounds.

Mark Seam

The unwrap algorithms Angle based and Conformal requires to have edges marked as seams. Think of it as a cutting pattern for a trouser for example. Such a trouser is also made of fabric patterns.

Same goes for the UV patches when you use Angle based or conformal unwrapping. You need to cut your mesh into parts and mark edges as seams, so that the algorithm knows where the seams are.

Mark seam marks the currently selected edge(s) as a seam. Seam edges will be displayed as red in the 3D viewport.

Triangulate Faces

Triangulate Faces triangulates the faces of the selected geometry.

Last Operator Triangulate Faces

Quad Method

Choose how quads should be triangulated.

Shortest diagonal

Splits the quads based on their distance between vertices.

Fixed Alternate

Splits the quads on the second and fourth vertice.

Polygon Method

Choose how N-Gons should be triangulated.

Triangles to Quads

Tris to quads tries to convert triangulated geometry back to a quad geometry by removing the edges inside of the quads.

Last Operator Tris to Quads

Max Face Angle

Adjust the threshold to adjacent triangles.

Shade Smooth

Sets the shading for the object to smooth. Flat means that every face of the object shows facettet, with a sharp edge. Smooth means that the edges are not longer to see.

Shade Flat

Sets the shading for the object to flat. Flat means that every face of the object shows facettet, with a sharp edge. Smooth means that the edges are not longer to see.

Un-Subdivide

Decimates the geometry by trying to make one quad out of four quads. But can also end in Tris where this is not possible.

Last Operator Un-Subdivide

Iterations

Number of iterations. This means how deep the calculation should go. One level of SDS, two levels, three levels, etc. . Down to the point where you cannot decimate any geometry anymore.

Split

Splits the edges between the selected vertices. It creates two edges out of one. And splits the edge by that.

Separate submenu

Separate separates the selected geometry, and creates a new object. The geometry becomes uneditable, since it is now a new object. You will have to leave the Edit mode, select the new object, and re-enter Edit mode when you want to edit it.

Dissolve Faces

Dissolves the selected faces, which unions the involved faces to one.

Last Operator Dissolve Vertices

Dissolve Vertices

Dissolve remaining vertices.

Delete Faces

Deletes the selected faces.

Show/Hide

Sub-menu with shows or hide selection, unselected or hidden operators.

Show Hidden

Makes all geometry in the scene visible again.

Hide Selected

Hides the selected geometry.

Last Operator Hide Selected

Unselected

Hides the not selected geometry.

Hide Unselected

Hides the not selected geometry. The selected geometry stays visible.

Vertex Context Menu

Vertex Context Menu

Call this menu with double right click in the 3D viewport. You need to be in Edit mode with a Mesh object. And in selection mode Vertice to see all its content.

Select geometry to reveal all content.

Subdivide

Subdivide divides the selected edges. It subdivides the involved faces too, and can create new vertices.

A more unknown functionality is that it can also randomize the result with the Fractal slider in the Last operator panel.

Last Operator Subdivide

Number of Cuts

The number of cuts defines the amount of subdivisions.

Smoothness

This value defines how smooth the subdivision result is. From flat to bent.

Create N-Gons

Create N-Gons if required. Else subdividing N-Gons creates Tris.

Quad Corner Type

Adjust the corner type.

Extrude Vertices

Extrudes out the selected vertices by moving the mouse.

Last Operator Extrude Only Vertices and Move

Move X Y Z

The coordinates for the extruded geometry.

Orientation

Choose the type of orientation, in which coordinate system the action should happen.

Mirror Editing

Enable mirror editing.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Bevel Vertices

Adds a bevel at the selected vertices.

Last Operator Bevel

Affect

Affect vertices or edges.

Width Type

The width type.

Harden Normals

When enabled, the per-vertex face normals of the bevel faces are adjusted to match the surrounding faces, and the normals of the surrounding faces are not affected. This will keep the surrounding faces flat (if they were before), with the bevel faces shading smoothly into them. For this effect to work, custom split normals need to be enabled, which requires Auto Smooth to be enabled (see Normals). As a convenience, that option will be enabled for you if it is not already when you enable Harden Normals here.

Miter Type

Miter Outer

How the outer miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Patch

This replaces the outside vertex of a miter with 3 vertices. And uses a patch pattern there.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Inner Miter

How the inner miter is set. Miter is how the bevel rounding at a corner is done.

Sharp

Creates a sharp miter.

Arc

This replaces the vertex of a miter with 2 vertices, joined by an arc. A separate Spread parameter says how far to move the vertices away from their original position.

Spread

Belongs to inner miter method Arc. Adjust how strong the inner radius is bent.

Intersection type

The method to use to create meshes at intersections. Bevel can create self intersecting geometry.

Face Strength

Set Face Strength on the faces involved in the bevel, according to the specified mode. This can be used in conjunction with a Weight Normals Modifier (with the Face Influence option checked).

Profile Type

The profile type.

Superellipse

Uses a mathematically smooth curve for bevel profiles

Custom

Allows manual control of the bevel profile shape via a curve widget.

Presets

Curve presets.

Navigation elements

Tools menu

Curve view

Adjust the profile curve.

Left click where no point is adds a new point. Left click at a point allows you to move it.

Holding down Shift while moving a node point activates precision movement.

Holding down ctrl while moving activates temporary snapping.

When a point is selected then the curve view reveals a sub menu at the bottom.

Handler and node position

When you select a node, then the handler and node position tools shows below the curve window.

Make Edge/Face

Adds a face when you have edges selected. And Edges when you have Vertices selected. It's a Bridge tool.

You can have either the one method or the other. When you select two adjacent vertices, then you select the edge too. And the tool works in edge mode then. In this case just the possible faces gets created. Not edges between single vertices.

First select the edges or Vertices that you want to bridge. Then click the New Edge/Face from Vertices Button.

Connect Vertex Path

Connect Vertex path connects selected vertices, but takes the vertex order into account in which you selected the vertices. It just creates edges between vertices that are not connected in this order.

Connect Vertex Pair

Connect Vertex pair connects selected vertices and makes a face of the pairs.

Push/Pull

It pushes or pulls the object positions relative to the center of the selection.

In Object mode this tool requires to have more than one object selected.

Last Operator Push/Pull

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Shrink/Fatten

Shrink/Fatten scales the selected geometry along its normals. Transform orientation and Pivot point gets ignored.

A positive value pushes the vertices outwards. A negative value pushes the vertices inwards.

Last Operator Shrink/Fatten

The Last Operator Shrink/Fatten panel gives you tools to adjust the Shrink/Fatten operation. Here you have numeric input for the strength and a few more options.

Proportional editing

Enables proportional editing. Activating proportional editing reveals further settings.

Shear

Shear shears the selection.

Last Operator Shear

The shear tool works along a imaginary 2d plane. The shear axis controls if the items are sheared along the x or the y axes of this plane. This is the plane along which the transformation happens. You can shear along the x or the y axis of this plane.

To make things even more complicated, the orientation of this imaginary plane is defined by the Axis and Axis Ortho items below.

Axis Ortho

Defines the other axis of the imaginary shear axis plane.

Randomize Vertices

This tool allows randomizes the positions of the selected vertices.

Last Operator Randomize

Smooth Laplacian

Laplacian Smooth Vertex smooths out the angles between the selected vertices. It is a tool to reduce noise at the mesh. It works a bit different than the normal Smooth Vertex tool. And gives a different result. The Laplacian method allows you to preserve the volume, and to adjust border smoothing.

Last Operator Laplacian Smooth Vertices

Snap Vertices

Choose several methods to snap one element to another. The menu items should be self explaining.

Last Operator Snap

Some snap operations shows a last operation panel, some not.

Mirror Vertices

Mirror by hotkeys. You activate the tool, type in x for x global for example, or x x for x local. And the selection gets mirrored.

Last Operator Mirror

The Last Operator Mirror panel gives you tools to adjust the mirror action.

Orientation

Orientation is a drop-down box choose the type of orientation for the mirroring action.

Constraint Axis

Constraint Axis gives you again the possibility to define the mirror axis. You can choose more than one axis here.

Vertex Crease

When you use a Subdivision Surface Modifier, then you can define the sharpness of selected vertices with this tool. Crease vertices will be marked colored in edit mode.

You will see a value in the header that indicates the current strength when you activate the tool. Move with the mouse to increase or decrease the value. Or type in a value while you are in this mode. You can also scale into negative range.

A negative crease value will subtract from the current active crease value in case it exists already from a former crease operation. A Crease value of -1 removes the crease from this edge.

Last Operator Vertex Crease

Factor

Adjust the crease factor.

Merge Vertices

Merges the geometry.

At Center, At Cursor, Collapse

Merges the geometry with the given methods.

Last Operator Merge

By Distance

Merge the vertices by their distance to each other. This tool is meant to remove double vertices at the same location.

Last Operator Merge by Distance

Split

Splits the edges between the selected vertices. It creates two edges out of one. And splits the edge by that.

Separate

Separate separates the selected geometry, and creates a new object. The geometry becomes uneditable, since it is now a new object. You will have to leave the Edit mode, select the new object, and re-enter Edit mode when you want to edit it.

Dissolve Vertices

Dissolve Vertices dissolves the selected Vertices.

Note that pressing Del in Vertice select mode calls Dissolve Vertices already. It's the same operator. But you don't get the Last operator that way.

Last Operator Dissolve Vertices

Delete Vertices

Deletes the selected vertices.

The Show/Hide menu is available for all object types and in all modes. It is usually in the object related menu to find. In Object mode it's the Object menu, for a curve object in edit mode it is the Curve menu. It always contains three menu items. Show Hidden, Hide Selected and Hide Unselected.

Hide Unselected

Hides the not selected elements. The selected elements stays visible.

Last Operator Reveal Hidden / Hide Selected

Select

Define if the selected or the unselected elements gets hidden or revealed.