Blender 2.5 Feartures & Keyboard Shortcuts

Blender 2.5 is really starting to come together, Ton has been cracking the whip and the programmers have been working full tilt. I am sure that it takes a single visionary such as Ton to steer an open source project in the right direction.

Mr fox dog has produced an excellent tour of 2.5, so I have mad a few basic notes from it.

you can chect it out at: http://blenderlabrat.blogspot.com/20...25-tour-8.html

Also heck out: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/User:Mikahl for some NLA editor documentation

The shortcuts will continue to evolve as the software grows but here is a current list of them:

• Tools Panel - T
• In 2.5 the buttons window only contains settings not tools
• There are new tool tips that also show the python operator under them
• Console has its own window, you can select actions and hit replay to repeat
• User Prefs are now available under file>user prefs
• The new file browser is full screen with favourites and file filters
• Keymaps > change outliner to keymaps to view & edit.
• Particles the video shows a cool combo of particles and explode modifier
• NLA editor click on snowflake to create an action
• Bump maps now work really well!
• The new render integration looks great!

Here is a good list of 2.5 key commands from:
http://blender-dev.blogspot.com/

Key board short-cuts for blender 2.5 dev
universal:

* "F1" open blender file
* "F2" save as
* "F3" repeat history menu
* "F4" scroll assistance / switch panel sides
* "F5" switch panel sides
* "F6" previous operation properties (nicer than "t")
* "F7" run script
* "F11" full screen
* "F12" render
* "ctrl+q" Quit
* "ctrl+w" quick save
* "ctrl+alt+w" duplicate window
* "ctrl+u" save user settings
* "ctrl+o" open resent
* "ctrl+alt+s" split region menu
* "ctrl+alt+shift+s" split region into 4 parts
* "ctrl+alt+f" search
* "ctlr+shift" redo
* "ctrl+z" undo
* "alt+a" play back animation (in all windows)
* "ctrl+x" reload startup file



(3D view port):

* "v" switch to vertex paint
* "tab" toggle into and out of exit mode
* "r" rotate, (add x,y,z to rotate only about these axis )
* "alt+r" clear object rotation
* "t" toggle last operation properties panel
* "I" Insert Key-frame
* "alt+I" Delete Key-frame
* "ctrl+I" Invert selection (selects all unselected items)
* "a" toggle deselect, select all
* "shift+a" add object menu
* "s" scale
* "shift+s" snap menu
* "b" box select tool
* "shift+b" zoom to box selection
* "n" properties panel
* "ctrl+space" maximize sub window
* number keys, vie that layer,
* shift+number-key add layer to view
* alt+num-key is for second Row of layers
* "ctrl+alt+t " ten timer menu, animation playback control


Object mode:

* "ctrl+t" track menu
* "alt+o" clear object origin
* "ctrl+p" parent menu
* "alt+p" clear parent
* "alt+s" clear object scale
* "ctrl+g" group
* "ctrl+shift+g" add to group
* "ctrl+alt+g" ungroup
* "alt+g" clear location
* "shift+l" select linked menu

shared between object and edit mode

* "ctrl+alt+c" set centre menu
* "c" add to selection tool
* "x" delete selection
* "alt+z" toggle texture view
* "z" toggle wire frame view
* "alt+h" undo all hide
* "h" hide menu
* "g" grab move
* "shift+d" duplicate selection
* "shift+a" add object menu
* "shift+w" Warp

Edit mode

* "ctrl+tab" select mode (eg switch between vertex edge and face modes)
* "w" subdivide menu
* "shift+w" warp
* "e" extrude
* "alt+r" spin (use "t" or "F6" to change properties)
* "shift+t" triangulate
* "u" unwrap menu
* "shift+p" mesh separate
* "alt+s" shrink/flatten
* "ctrl+shift+s" to sphere
* "shift+f" fill mesh (faces)
* "ctrl+f" faces menu
* "alt+f" beauty fill faces
* "shift+g" similar vertex select
* "alt+j" triangulated mesh to quad
* "l" select linked
* "shift+l" deselect linked
* "ctrl+n" make normals ...
* "ctrl+alt+shift+m" select non manifold

Button Window

* Right click on any value impute to control variable with a key frame, or driver.
* "I" to insert a key frame will hovering mouse over any value input
* "d" to add driver
* "ctrl+centre-mouse-button" will reseize the content, try it!

Background Image

Load your image in the uv image editor,
in the 3D view properties window (N key) you can enable the Background Image
dont forget to toggle orthographic view (numlock 5 or keypad 5)