3D software basics
The words you meet the moment you open a 3D app: what is on screen, how you select and move things, and the small settings that trip up every beginner. Examples use Blender, the free app most people start with.
Beginner 3D software basics
- 3D cursorBlender’s movable marker that sets where new objects appear
- 3D softwarePrograms for building, editing and rendering 3D models and scenes
- Active objectThe one selected object that tools treat as the main target, usually the last clicked
- Add-onAn optional extra you install to give a 3D app new tools
- Apply transformsMaking an object’s current size and rotation its clean starting point
- Backface cullingSkipping the back side of faces to draw a scene faster
- BlockingPlacing actors and camera to plan a shot
- Clipping planesThe near and far limits of what a camera or viewport can see
- CollectionsFolders in Blender’s outliner that group objects so you can hide or reuse them together
- Coordinate spaceThe set of axes that positions and directions are measured against
- Duplicate verticesStacked points that look joined but secretly split a mesh apart
- Edit mode vs object modeChanging a model’s shape versus handling the model as a whole
- Flipped normalsFaces pointing inward, which make a model look dark, see-through or broken
- Image planeA flat plane in a 3D scene that shows a picture or video, for references and backdrops
- Node editorA workspace where you wire boxes together to build materials and effects
- Object (3D)One thing in a 3D scene, such as a mesh, light or camera, with its own transform
- Operator search (F3)Press F3 in Blender, type a command’s name and run it without hunting through menus
- OutlinerThe panel that lists every object in a scene as a searchable tree
- PrevisRough 3D versions of shots, planned before filming or generating
- Properties editorThe tabbed panel that holds render, scene, object, modifier and material settings
- Proportional editingMoving a few points so nearby ones follow along, fading with distance
- Selection modesThe three ways to pick parts of a mesh while editing: vertices, edges or faces
- Sidebar (N panel)The strip on the right of Blender’s viewport with exact values, view settings and add-ons
- Smooth shadingMaking faceted models look rounded by blending light across faces
- SnappingMaking objects and points jump to exact spots as you move them
- TransformAn object’s location, rotation and scale: where it is, which way it faces, how big
- Transform gizmoThe colored on-screen handles for moving, rotating and scaling objects
- Undo historyThe list of recent steps a 3D app remembers, so you can undo, redo or jump back
- Unit scaleHow big one unit in a 3D app is in the real world
- ViewportThe live window where you see, move around and edit a 3D scene
- Viewport renderA quick image or video of exactly what the viewport shows, without a full render
- Viewport shadingHow the viewport draws your scene: wireframe, solid, material preview or rendered
- Z-fightingFlickering stripes where two surfaces sit in exactly the same place
Intermediate 3D software basics
More 3D glossary topics
3D software basics FAQ
What should I learn first in 3D software?
Learn to move around the viewport, select objects, and move, rotate and scale them. Then learn the difference between object mode and edit mode. Those skills cover most of what a first project needs.
Which 3D software is best for beginners?
Blender is the usual starting point because it is free, open source and covers modeling, texturing, animation and rendering in one app. The ideas transfer to paid apps such as Maya and 3ds Max if you move on later.
Why does my model behave strangely after I scale it?
Scaling in object mode changes the object, not its mesh, so tools that measure the mesh see the wrong size. Apply the scale so the object returns to a scale of 1 and the mesh carries the real size.