The fastest way to get comfortable in 3D software

Render of a game controller — (Image credit: Future)

If you are used to using 2D software or traditional pen and paper to create artwork and want to learn 3D, the kicker is learning to navigate in an extra dimension. If you’ve ever opened a 3D modelling software and felt lost, you’re not alone. Unlike a 2D canvas, where up is up and left is left, a 3D viewport is a window into an empty, infinite space that you can view from any angle.

Once you’ve learned the three core moves – orbit, pan, and zoom – you’ll find that they work almost identically across every 3D application. Orbit rotates your view around a central point. Pan slides your view without changing the angle. Zoom moves you closer to or further from what you’re looking at, narrowing or widening your field of view.

1. Orbit, pan and zoom

Every 3D app shares three navigation fundamentals: middle-mouse orbiting, Shift+middle-mouse panning, and scroll-wheel zooming. Cinema 4D or Maya uses Alt plus mouse buttons instead. The key is learning your app’s shortcuts until they become muscle memory – it’s usually swapping a position in a different app.

2. Switching views

Most 3D apps offer preset viewpoints: top, front, left, right, which in Blender are accessed via the multicoloured gimbal at the top, number keys, or the View menu. Switching between perspective (realistic depth) and orthographic (no depth distortion) is important – the latter is essential when lining up objects.

3. Frame your selection

Sooner or later, you’ll zoom too far or orbit into oblivion and lose sight of your object. Every 3D app has a ‘frame selection’ command that centres and zooms in on whatever’s selected – learn this early. Also worth noting is that most apps let you frame the entire scene or jump back to the origin point (0, 0, 0) with a single command.

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Mike Griggs is a veteran digital content creator and technical writer. For nearly 30 years, Mike has been creating digital artwork, animations and VR elements for multi-national companies and world-class museums. Mike has been a writer for 3D World Magazine and Creative Bloq for over 10 years, where he has shared his passion for demystifying the process of digital content creation.

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