Mouse Controls

Everything the mouse does in the 3D view. On a Mac, press ⌘ (Command) wherever this page says Ctrl, and ⌥ (Option) for Alt.

Moving Around the View

To Do this
Turn the view Right drag, or Ctrl + left drag
Move the view Middle drag, Ctrl + Shift + left drag, or Shift + right drag
Zoom Scroll the wheel, Ctrl + Alt + left drag, or Alt + right drag
  • The wheel zooms toward the point under the mouse.
  • Let go of a turning drag while the mouse is still moving and the view keeps turning for a moment. Hold Shift as you let go to stop it at once.
  • On a Mac trackpad, a two-finger click and drag turns the view, and a two-finger scroll zooms.
  • Ctrl + left drag is useful when you have no right or middle button.

What a Left Drag Does

The round buttons around the cube in the top-right corner of the 3D view choose what a left drag does:

  • Select Parts (the usual mode) - A left drag on a part moves it; on empty space it draws a selection rectangle.
  • Rotate View, Move View, Zoom View - A left drag turns, moves or zooms the view.

Holding Ctrl, or pressing the right or middle button, changes the mode just for that drag. The buttons show the mode while you drag.

Selecting and Moving Parts

These work in Select Parts mode.

Action Mouse
Select a part Click it
Add a part to the selection Shift + click it
Add or remove a part Ctrl + click it (without dragging)
Clear the selection Click empty space
Select parts in an area Drag a rectangle on empty space
Move parts Drag a part
Move along one direction Shift + drag a part
Edit the parts inside a group or operation Double-click it
Open a part’s menu Right click it
Open the bed menu Right click empty space

See Selection for the details.

Handles on the Selected Part

Action Handle
Lift or lower Drag the arrow above the part. Double-click it to drop the part onto what is under it
Turn Drag a curved-arrow handle at a corner. Hold Shift to snap to 45 degrees
Resize Drag a small cube handle at a bottom corner. Hold Shift to keep the proportions

Press Escape during a drag to put the part back. See Editing Objects.

Touch Screen

  • One finger - Tap to select. Drag to do what the selected mode says: move a part in Select Parts, or turn, move or zoom the view in the other modes.
  • Two fingers - Spread or pinch to zoom, and move both fingers together to move the view, in any mode.