Understanding Blender’s Interface - Blender Foundations: The Essential Guide to Learning Blender 2.6 - page 19

These different screens can be ac-
cessed from the Screens browser,
located immediately to the right of
the Help menu item on the Info
header at the very top of the display.
Figure 2.6 shows this browser in
action. Each of these screens is a
good general beginning for working
on that aspect of a project, and you
are advised to give each one a try.
There is no need, however, to stick
with what's been given just because
it's “official.” If you don't like
something, change it. Also, don't
feel that you can't, for example,
assign materials in the animation
screen. You can. You can do any-
thing from anywhere in Blender. The screen names are just configurations that others have found useful and
are provided for your convenience as a starting point.

Figure 2.6 The Screens browser.

Here's the first occasion where I'm going to recommend that you memorize a hotkey. The fastest way to
switch between screens is to use Ctrl-Left Arrow , which changes to the previous screen on the list, and
Ctrl-Right Arrow , which changes to the next screen. The change is rapid, even with more complex
scenes and datasets. Usually, it is instant.

As you work, you may find that there are certain screens you never use. Removing them is simple. LMB
click the “ X ” button on the Screens browser on the header. It's gone, never to bother you again.

Adding a new screen is just as easy. The + symbol on the same control duplicates the current screen,
adding it as a new line item to the browser. This new screen can be changed in any way you like.

If you find yourself constantly reconfiguring a single working screen in Blender, even for minor things,
you're doing it wrong. Let's say that you're playing with some objects, changing their properties in the
appropriate window, and you want to examine their animation data. You change the properties window
to an animation window with the Window Type menu. Then, you change it back to continue tweaking
properties. You do this several times. Instead of constantly switching window types, why not duplicate the
entire screen itself? On the one version of the screen, set the window to animation data. On the other,
set it to properties. When you want to switch, use the appropriate hotkey (Ctrl-Left or Ctrl-Right Arrow)
to instantly switch screens. It is much more efficient.

Maximizing a View
The last way of changing the size and configuration of your screen is the Maximize command. With the
mouse hovering over any window in the screen, pressing Ctrl-Space causes that window to temporarily