123 Blender Hotkeys for the VFX & 3D Artists [version 4.3]
Published on 5 March 2025
Table of Contents
Introduction
Blender hotkeys are essential for a faster operation of the VFX and 3D artists.
Although it has a paid suite, the free version is more than enough for the beginners who want to master the program. And it’s a no-brainer that one must have a thorough muscle memories of the keyboard shortcuts that will pace up your workflow many times.
Blender has a wide userbase. It’s relatively new in terms of 3Ds Max and Maya. But for its free suite with features availbale for professional production pipeline, Blender, of late, has become extremely popular.
In the VFX industry, Blender is widely used for creating complex visual effects, simulations, and motion graphics. Its robust physics engine allows artists to simulate realistic fluid dynamics, smoke, fire, and cloth, which are essential for high-quality VFX. The integration of the Cycles and Eevee rendering engines enables real-time rendering and photorealistic outputs, reducing production time while maintaining exceptional quality.
Additionally, Blender’s node-based compositing system allows seamless integration of CGI elements with live-action footage, a critical aspect of VFX workflows.
In the broader 3D industry, Blender is celebrated for its flexibility and accessibility. It supports the entire pipeline, from concept design to final output, including character modeling, rigging, texturing, and animation.
Its sculpting tools rival those of premium software, making it ideal for creating intricate 3D assets. Blender’s active community and extensive library of add-ons further enhance its capabilities, enabling users to customize the software to suit specific project needs.
1. Blender Hotkeys for General Walk around & operation
| Sl No | Commands | Functions |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | A | Select/Deselect All |
| 2. | B | Box Select |
| 3. | C | Circle Select |
| 4. | G | Grab/ Move |
| 5. | S | Scale |
| 6. | R | Rotate |
| 7. | E | Extrude |
| 8. | X | Delete |
| 9. | Shift + D | Duplicate |
| 10. | Ctrl + J | Join Objects |
| 11. | Ctrl + P | Parent Objects |
| 12. | Alt + P | Clear Parent |
| 13. | Ctrl + A | Apply Transformations |
| 14. | Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| 15. | Shift + Ctrl + Z | Redo |
| 16. | Tab | Toggle Edit Mode/Object Mode |
| 17. | Ctrl + Tab | Pie Menu for Mode Selection |
| 18. | Shift + Spacebar | Toggle Maximize Area |
| 19. | Ctrl + Spacebar | Toggle Fullscreen Area |
| 20. | N | Toggle Sidebar |
| 21. | T | Toggle Tool Shelf |
| 22. | F3 | Search Menu |
| 23. | Ctrl + Alt + Q | Qaud View |
| 24. | Ctrl + S | Save |
| 25. | Ctrl + Shift + S | Save As |
| 26. | Ctrl + O | Open File |
| 27. | Ctrl + N | New File |
| 28. | Ctrl + Q | Quit Blender |
2. Blender Shortcuts for View port Navigation
| Sl No | Commands | Functions |
|---|---|---|
| 29. | Middle Mouse Button (MMB) | Orbit |
| 30. | Shift + MMB | Pan |
| 31. | Ctrl + MMB Or Scroll Wheel | Zoom |
| 32. | Numpad 0 | Camera View |
| 33. | Numpad 1 | Front View |
| 34. | Numpad 3 | Right View |
| 35. | Numpad 7 | Extrude |
| 36. | Numpad 5 | Toggle Perspective/Orthographic View |
| 37. | Numpad 2/4/6/8 | Rotate View |
| 38. | Numpad 9 | Opposite View |
| 39. | Home | Frame All |
| 40. | Period (.) | Frame Selected |
| 41. | Slash (/) or Numpad / | Isolate Selection (Local View) |
| 42. | Z | Toggle Wireframe/Solid View |
| 43. | Shift + Z | Toggle Render Preview |
3. Blender Hotkeys for the Edit Mode
| Sl No | Commands | Functions |
|---|---|---|
| 44. | Ctrl + R | Loop Cut |
| 45. | K | Knife Tool |
| 46. | Ctrl + B | Bevel |
| 47. | Ctrl + E | Edge Menu |
| 48. | Ctrl + F | Face Menu |
| 49. | Ctrl + V | Vertex Menu |
| 50. | M | Merge |
| 51. | P | Separate |
| 52. | Ctrl + Shift + B | Bevel Vertices |
| 53. | I | Inset Faces |
| 54. | Alt + M | Merge at Center/First/Last |
| 55. | Alt + S | Shrink/Fatten |
| 56. | U | UV Mapping Menu |
| 57. | L | Select Linked |
| 58. | Ctrl + L | Select Linked All |
| 59. | H | Hide Selected |
| 60. | Alt + H | Unhide All |
| 61. | Shift + H | Hide Unselected |
| 62. | Ctrl + I | Invert Selection |
| 63. | Alt + J | Tris to Quads |
| 64. | Ctrl + T | Tris to Quads (Alternative) |
| 65. | Shift + N | Recalculate Normals |
| 66. | Ctrl + N | Recalculate Normals Outside |
| 67. | Ctrl + Shift + Alt + S | Shear |
4. Blender Hotkeys for Sculpt Mode
| Sl No | Command | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 68. | F | Adjust Brush Size |
| 69. | Shift + F | Adjust Brush Strength |
| 70. | D | Dynamic Topology Detail Size |
| 71. | Shift + R | Recalculate Sculpt Detail |
| 72. | Ctrl | Smooth Brush (Hold) |
| 73. | Shift | Invert Brush Action (Hold) |
5. Blender Hotkeys for Animation
| Sl No | Command | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 74. | I | Insert Keyframe |
| 75. | Alt + I | Delete Keyframe |
| 76. | Shift + Ctrl + Alt + C | Clear Keyframes |
| 77. | Spacebar | Play/Pause Animation |
| 78. | Right Arrow | Next Frame |
| 79. | Left Arrow | Previous Frame |
| 80. | Up Arrow | Jump to Keyframe |
| 81. | Down Arrow | Jump to Keyframe (Backward) |
6. Grease Pencil Hotkeys for VFX and 3D Artists in Blender
| Sl No | Command | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 82. | D + LMB | Draw |
| 83. | D + RMB | Erase |
| 84. | Shift + D | Duplicate Stroke |
| 85. | Ctrl + D | Annotate |
| 86. | Ctrl + LMB | Straight Line |
| 87. | Shift + LMB | Fill Area |
7. Blender Shortcuts for Node Editor
| Sl No | Command | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 88. | Ctrl + Shift + LMB | Add Node |
| 89. | Ctrl + X | Cut Node |
| 90. | Ctrl + C | Copy Node |
| 91. | Ctrl + V | Paste Node |
| 92. | Ctrl + Shift + D | Duplicate Node |
| 93. | Ctrl + G | Group Nodes |
| 94. | Ctrl + Alt + G | Ungroup Nodes |
| 95. | Ctrl + A | Select All Nodes |
| 96. | Ctrl + I | Invert Node Selection |
| 97. | H | Hide/Unhide Node |
| 98. | M | Mute Node |
| 99. | F2 | Rename Node |
8. Blender Hotkeys for UV Editor
| Sl No | Command | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 100. | U | UV Mapping Menu |
| 101. | L | Select Linked UVs |
| 102. | Ctrl + L | Select Linked UVs (All) |
| 103. | P | Pin UVs |
| 104. | Alt + P | Unpin UVs |
| 105. | W | Weld UVs |
| 106. | S | Scale UVs |
| 107. | G | Move UVs |
| 108. | R | Rotate UVs |
9. The Hotkeys for Text Editor
| Sl No | Command | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 109. | Ctrl + F | Find |
| 110. | Ctrl + H | Find & Replace |
| 111. | Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| 112. | Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo |
| 113. | Ctrl + C | Copy |
| 114. | Ctrl + X | Cut |
| 115. | Ctrl + V | Paste |
| 116. | Ctrl + A | Select All |
| 117. | Tab | Indent |
| 118. | Shift + Tab | Unindent |
10. Blender Hotkeys for Console
| Sl No | Command | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 119. | Enter | Execute Command |
| 120. | Ctrl + Spacebar | Auto Complete |
| 121. | Up/Down Arrow | Command History |
11. Customization Shortcuts for Blender
| Sl No | Command | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 122. | Ctrl + Alt + U | Open Preference |
| 123. | Ctrl + Left Click | Assign Shortcut |
Conclusion
The above tables cover most of the default hotkeys in Blender 4.3. For a complete and up-to-date list of the Blender hotkeys, refer to its official documentation or the Keymap section in the Preferences menu.
You can also customize hotkeys to suit your workflow.
Blender’s open-source nature fosters collaboration and innovation, with continuous updates driven by a global community of developers.
This has made it a cost-effective alternative to proprietary software, democratizing access to high-end 3D tools. As a result, Blender has become an indispensable tool in the VFX and 3D industry, empowering creators to push the boundaries of visual storytelling.
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