Training Videos

The 11 Ways To Move Around in Blender

Michael Bridges ·

You can achieve most things in Blender in different ways – often you can use either your mouse or a keyboard shortcut, but some actions have more options. As navigation in 3D space is a key feature, Blender offers many more! Michael Bridges explores them in this video.

Navigating your scene in Blender is an essential skill, and I walk you through 11 different ways to do just that. I start with the basics, demonstrating how to orbit, pan, and zoom around a game asset using both mouse and keyboard shortcuts. Whether you’re using a mouse, keyboard, or graphics tablet, I cover multiple methods to ensure you can navigate smoothly regardless of your setup.

I dive into the details of how to pan and zoom effectively, emphasizing the utility of combining these techniques with orbiting to position your view precisely. I also show how to adjust preferences for more intuitive navigation, like orbiting around selected objects instead of arbitrary points.

Aligning views using the number pad shortcuts is another key aspect I cover, along with toggling between orthographic and perspective modes. I then explain how to use the camera view for rendering setups and demonstrate how to frame selected objects or entire scenes, making it easier to focus on specific parts of your model.

For more complex scenes, I introduce the outliner for selecting hidden objects and the incredibly useful local view for isolating specific parts of your model. I also showcase the flying and walking navigation modes, allowing you to explore large scenes as if you were in a first-person game, complete with speed adjustments and gravity settings.

Each method enhances your ability to navigate and work within Blender efficiently. Have you tried all these techniques? Which one do you find most useful in your projects?

Author Michael Bridges
I am a self confessed technology geek, and love teaching people new things.I think it is a real shame that so many people carry around such wonderfully capable devices yet do nothing but the basics on them. Computers, laptops tablets and smart phones can do much more than most people know. I would like to guide, reassure and educate people in using their technology to add to their livesI have been playing, yes playing, with technology for as long as I can remember and I still do that today! Admittedly these days with other commitments I do have to watch what I spend as technology can burn a very deep hole and quickly!As my parents will testify, I have always been inquisitive! even if it meant taking something apart to see how it worked. Of course not knowing how to put it back together again! To this day I love learning new things and developing myself as a person.Despite my techy background I remain firmly grounded and talk to people using every day language, unnecessary techno-babble drives me bonkers. This allows me to chat with people with limited knowledge on a subject and help them understand more.By day (and sometimes night) I run a successful local technology support company in Nottingham (UK).
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