Software basics · Beginner

Clipping planes

The near and far limits of what a camera or viewport can see

Also called Clip start and end, Near and far planes

What are clipping planes?

Clipping planes are the near and far limits of what a camera or viewport can see. Anything closer than the near plane or farther than the far plane is cut away and not drawn. They keep depth calculations precise, but set wrong, they slice through models or hide distant objects.

Think of it like this

It is like a stage seen through a window with a curtain at the back: nothing in front of the glass or behind the curtain reaches the audience.

Where it fits in a 3D project

  1. Create
  2. Surface
  3. Rig
  4. Animate
  5. Render
  6. Export

Render: Lighting the scene and turning it into images or video.

How clipping planes work

  1. 01Each camera and viewport has a near distance and a far distance.
  2. 02Only geometry between the two planes gets drawn.
  3. 03Depth precision is spread across that range, so a huge range loses accuracy.
  4. 04You set both values per camera, and separately for the viewport.

Where clipping planes are used

  • Fixing models that vanish or get sliced when you zoom in
  • Showing very large scenes like landscapes or cities
  • Cutting away walls to look inside a building

Beginner tip

Keep the near value as large as you can and the far value as small as the scene allows. A tight range gives fewer depth glitches, such as z-fighting, than a huge one.

Terms related to clipping planes

Clipping planes FAQ

Why does my model disappear when I zoom in?
Your view has moved closer than the near clipping plane, so the front of the model is cut off. Lower the near value, called Clip Start in Blender, or check that the model is not tiny for the scene’s units.
How do I change clip start in Blender?
For the viewport, press N to open the sidebar, go to the View tab and change Clip Start and End. For a render camera, select it and set Clip Start and End in its Camera properties.
What are near and far clipping planes?
The near plane is the closest distance a camera draws, and the far plane is the farthest. Everything between them is visible; everything outside is clipped away.
Do clipping planes affect the final render?
Yes. The render camera’s clip values decide what appears in the image. The viewport has its own values, so a model can look whole while you work and still be cut off in the render.

Updated October 29, 2026 · Browse all 3D terms