Working with objects in a scene

After placing an object in a scene, you may change many of the object's properties and components.

Position, rotation, and scale

You can edit an object's position, rotation, and scale in three ways:

The click and drag method

The quickest and easiest way to move or rotate an object is to select it with the left mouse button and then click and drag on the colored handles of the gizmo that appears on the object:

  • Use the redgreen, and blue arrows to move the object on the X, Y, and Z axis respectively. This is the default mode when an item is selected in the scene.
  • Use the redgreen, and blue circles to rotate the selected object around the object's X, Y, and Z axes. Hold CTRL while an object is selected or use the button at the top of the screen to expose the rotation knobs. 
  • Click and drag one of the white boxes to scale the object up or down. Hold CTRL + SHIFT while an object is selected or use the button at the top of the screen to expose the scale knobs. 
Gizmo_usage.png
Click an object to select it, then click and drag the colored handles in order to change the object's position, rotation, or scale.

Surface Snap

You can use the Surface Snap feature to drag an object around a scene in such a way that it "snaps" to any surface it touches. To activate Surface Snap, click the Surface Snap button in the Transform menu at the top of the scene editor. Once Surface Snap is active, you can easily click and drag objects around your scene.

Surface_snap.png
With Surface Snap turned on, click and drag objects to move them around the scene. They automatically snap to other objects they touch.

Editing the object's properties

You can more precisely position and scale your objects by entering exact numerical values for position, rotation, and scale. To access an object's properties, find the object's name in the Scene Objects panel, right-click it, and choose Properties to open the object's Properties panel. 

Alternately, you can click the object in the scene to select it, then click the Properties button that appears in the bar next to the selected object.

Properties_button.png
Click the Properties button to quickly open the selected object's Properties panel.

In the Properties panel, you can enter the following values:

  • Position - Enter the precise X, Y, and Z coordinates for your object.
  • Rotation - Enter values (in degrees) for the rotation of your object around each axis.
  • Scale - Move the slider or enter a value between 0.1 and 10 to scale your object up or down by up to a factor of 10.

Selecting multiple objects

You can select more than object at once by holding the Shift key and clicking on multiple objects, either in the scene or in the Scene Objects window. When you have multiple object selected, the gizmo for moving the objects moves to the center of the group and all the selected objects can be moved as a single unit. You may also use the Properties panel the change the group's position, rotation, or scale.

To de-select the group, either hold Shift and click each object again or click the skybox to deselect everything.

Scene_objects_-_multiple_selection.png
Two objects selected at once. Both appear highlighted in the Scene Objects list, and the gizmo (used for moving and rotating an object) has moved between the two objects.

Duplicating objects

You can duplicate a selected object in the scene (or multiple objects, if selected) by either clicking the Duplicate button next to the object, or by right-clicking the object's name in the Scene Objects list and selecting Duplicate.

A duplicated object appears in exactly the same location and orientation as the original object, so there is no immediate visual cue to show you that the duplication has occurred. However, the new copy is immediately selected and can be moved, leaving the original in its starting position.

Locking objects

You can lock one or more object by either clicking the Lock button next to the selected object, or by right-clicking the object in the Scene Objects list and selecting Lock. A locked object's properties (including position) cannot be changed until the object is unlocked again.

If you have selected more than one object and one or more of the objects is locked, the entire group cannot be moved.

To unlock a locked object, simply click the Lock button again (now shown as Unlock) or right-click the object in the Scene Objects list and select Unlock.

Lock.png
Lock an object to prevent accidental changes to properties or position in the scene.

Renaming objects

You can rename an object in the scene by either selecting it and changing its name in the Properties panel, or by right-clicking it in the Scene Objects list and choosing Rename.

renaming_an_object.png
You can rename an object by either editing its name in the Properties panel or by right-clicking and choosing Rename from the Scene Objects list.

Hiding objects

You can toggle an object's visibility in the scene by clicking the Show/Hide icon next to its name in the Scene Objects list. If hidden, the object will be invisible in the scene but may still otherwise be moved, rotated, or otherwise manipulated, but cannot be clicked in order to select it.

This feature may be useful if an object in the scene is obscuring your view and making it difficult to work with other objects.

show-hide_object.png
Click the Show/Hide icon to toggle an object's visibility in the scene.

Disabling object selection

You can disable or enable an object's selectability by clicking the Disable/Enable object selection icon next to its name in the Scene Objects list. If disabled, you will not be able to select the object by clicking on it in the scene.

You may wish to disable an object's selectability if it is obscuring your ability to click on or select another object that is behind or inside it.

enable-disable_object_selectability.png
Click the Enable/Disable object selection icon to toggle an object's selectability.
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