Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Three OpenGL lights can be used to illuminate objects in the Solid Draw mode. By default, two of these
lights are activated. The first is a key light from the left, and the second is a dimmer fill light from the right. A
third light isalso available, which bydefault isset toprovide highlights fromthe lower right. Youcan enable or
disable each of these lights, adjust their colors, or change their angles by clicking and dragging directly on the
preview spheres for the lights.
The color-band widget under Color Range For Weight Paint Range check box enables you to override the
default blue-to-red coloring range for weight painting and to define your own range when the box is checked.
Clicking the check box for International Fonts enables non-English interface options. There has been a sig-
nificant push in internationalization recently.
Other Options
Many other options are available throughout the Blender interface, and it is worthwhile to make a note of the
onesthatyouoftenfindyourselfadjustingandtouseCtrl+Utosetthemasyoupreferthemonceandforall.The
Occlude Background Geometry option in the 3D view header is a common option to activate. This makes un-
seen vertices and faces unselectable when not in Wireframe Draw mode, creating a sharper distinction between
selection behavior in Wireframe and Solid Draw modes. If you usually rotate, grab, and scale using the R, G,
and S keys, you may want to disable the manipulators, also in the 3D view header. Render settings such as the
output format and compression quality are also common places where you might want to customize your de-
faults.
Saving the Changes
After you have set all the options the way you want them, don't forget to set the current setup as your default
setup by using Ctrl+U. Remember, Ctrl+U saves the exact state of Blender at the moment you press it, so be sure
you've put everything in place exactly the way you want to see it when you open Blender. Objects, materials, an-
imations, and any other data in the
.blend
file will also be saved.
The resulting settings are stored in the
.B.blend
file in your
.blender
directory. To use these settings with
another Blender installation, you can simply copy that file into the
.blender
directory of the Blender installa-
tion you want to use.
To save the current theme in the form of a Python script, select the File menu and choose Export > Save Current
Theme. The resulting script can then be executed in another instance of Blender to import the theme.
Improving Your Workflow
Setting and saving your user preferences is the first step in optimizing your workflow. This section presents a
variety of miscellaneous tips and tricks that you may find helpful for increasing your efficiency and improving
your experience working with Blender.
Viewport Hot Keys and Properties
The 3D viewport has a number of hot keys and properties associated with it that enable you to view your work.
