Modeling Shortcuts in Blender

In this post, I will share a quick overview of 3D modeling in Blender. We will have a look at the key tools you should learn and master, and – because you know I’m a fan of these – i will share some awesome shortcuts to help speed up your workflow and enable you to focus on the good stuff: creating incredible 3D models!

This post is based on our new and exclusive Blender 3D Essentials course, with instructor Robin Ruud. When you become a BYOL member, you gain access to this course as well as my 30+ additional courses on Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Figma, and more. As a BYOL member you will also enjoy personalized support, earn certificates, and tackle exciting community challenges. Head here to sign-up!

Are you ready? Fire up your laptops, let’s go 3D!

3D Modeling in Blender

Once you start learning Blender, you will notice that things aren’t as complex as you may have imagined, at least at the beginner’s level. 3D modeling is all about creating 3D shapes and objects, using points (vertices), lines (edges), and faces, the same way an artist crafts a piece of art from a handful of clay, or a sculpture from a huge slab of marble.

The differences lie in the materials and the tools: instead of clay, wood, or marble we use geometry for 3D design – and instead of chisels and mallets, we use 3D Blender tools, like Extrude, Inset, Loop Cut, and Bevel.

Whether we are designing a logo, a character or a spaceship, 3D modeling is all about building and shaping the object (mesh) step by step.

3D modeling is used for all media and projects in graphic design, game development, movie industry and digital art.

Modeling Tools and Shortcuts in Blender

Let’s push on and take a quick look at Blender’s top beginner tools and the shortcuts that should be at the tip of your fingers all the time.

Selection Modes

As you work on 3D modeling, Selection Modes help you define which part of the mesh you are going to select and edit. There are three available modes, the same number of parts to consider:

Vertex – Shortcut key 1 – Select and edit individual points in the mesh.

Edge – Shortcut key 2 – Work with the lines that connect vertices.

Face – Shortcut key 3 – Select entire surface areas (built from vertices and edges).   

If you are completely new to Blender, I’ve added the image below for you to have a clearer view of vertices (highlighted points), edges (highlighted lines), and faces (highlighted surface).

Tool #1- Extrude

Extrusion is one of the most common edits in modeling and is great for fast shape building.

Extrude is like modeling clay or playdough, it adds new geometry to a surface. I’ll give you a quick example that is easy to understand. If you start with a flat 2D square object and extrude it, pulling a new block from it, it turns into a cube. We give a 3D shape to an object, keeping the original form.

Shortcut: Select a face, press the E key on both Mac and PC, and drag your mouse to pull the extrusion from it.

As you can see in the image below, I have used Extrude to create a new shape from one of the model’s faces, keeping the initial form and proportions.

Tool #2 – Inset

Inset creates a smaller shape inside a face, following the same shape as the original. If you apply Extrude to the new shape, you will be creating something similar to a raised panel or a 3D button.

Shortcut: Select a face, press the I key on both Mac and PC, and drag your mouse to create a smaller version inside it.

If you have a look at the following image, the inset effect is easy to understand, especially how shape and proportions are kept.

Tool #3 - Bevel

Bevelling makes 3D models look more natural. Bevel softens sharp corners and adds detail to basic shapes by cutting them into small angles or simulating curves. Look at your mobile phone or tablet. If you create a model of it in 3D, Bevel will help you create those rounded corners and curved edge details.

Shortcut: Select an edge, press Command + B on a Mac or Control + B on a PC, and drag your mouse to round it.

In the image below, we have bevelled the chimney’s blocky 90-degree angled edges and made them look more organic and styled.

Tool #4 – Loop Cut

Loop Cuts are like samurai swords! The Loop Cut tool lets you slice clean and evenly through a 3D shape in one move. This tool is perfect for adding details like folds, grooves, or sharpening up edges without having to redraw the whole shape.

Shortcut: Press the Command + R on a Mac or Control + R on a PC, and hover over a shape to see the cut line, click the left mouse button to place it, and slide it to the position you want to cut to take place.

In the image below, the ring around the shape is easy to identify.

Loop Cuts sometimes won’t draw an even cut like this and hit an unexpected roadblock.

Why? Because of n-gons.

If you are asking “because of who?” right now, a word about corners and faces in Blender.

Faces with three corners are calledTriangles. These are the simplest possible polygons and video game developers love them, because they are fast and easy to process in complex designs like game assets (a character) and real-time rendering (the game’s environment shifting as the character moves on screen).

Faces with four corners are called polygons or quads. Quads are the best type of face for 3D modeling in Blender because of math, really. They can be easily divided into subdivisions or bevelled to make smoother angles, and they bend in a more predictable way when animating.

Faces with more than four corners are tragically known as n-gons (this name comes from algebra, where n is the substitute of any number).

N-gons are great because they speed up and simplify a lot of the work, but they are not the best choice for 3D modelling because they can cause some problems with animation, subdivision, and when we are exporting our models.

The n-gon displayed in the image below has 21 corners! That’s a lot for 3D design!

In conclusion, Loop Cut can’t slice evenly through n-gons because it can’t figure out a clear path. That’s why the cut stops at the edges of the n-gon or ends up somehow uneven. Not the way of the samurai sword.

And there we have it!

Alright, this was a quick and fun tour into Blender’s top 3D modelling tools. Now you know Selection Modes, Extrude, Inset, Bevel, and Loop Cuts (and why n-gons are bad for you), get ready to find the digital Michaelangelo inside of you and start creating awesome 3D objects! Don’t forget those awesome shortcuts! They are lifesavers!

What 's Next?

To have a full Essentials approach to Blender, join BYOL and you will gain access to the Blender 3D Essentials course with awesome designer Robin Ruud, as well as my 30+ additional courses on  Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Figma, and more.  As a BYOL member you will also enjoy personalized support, earn certificates, and tackle exciting community challenges. Get started here. 

See you in class! – Dan