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Docs/Blender manual/User Interface/Window System

Window System Introduction

From the Blender 5.2 LTS Manual by the Blender Documentation Team, adapted for Angelo · CC BY-SA 4.0

Added by Angelo Notes marked like this are ours: they say where Angelo differs from stock Blender.

Angelo guideBlender manual

  1. User Interface
    1. Window System
      1. Window System Introduction
      2. Splash Screen
      3. Topbar
      4. Workspaces
      5. Status Bar
      6. Areas
      7. Regions
      8. Tabs & Panels
    2. Keymap
    3. UI Elements
    4. Tools & Operators
    5. Nodes
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  1. Customization

Added by AngeloDirector and Manual

Angelo opens in Director mode: one 3D view and the chat, with Blender's menus at the top. The full layout this page describes, with the Properties, Outliner and Timeline, is Manual mode, where the chat is docked beside the 3D view.

Switch with the Director / Manual button on the right of the top bar, or ⌃ ⌥ M on a Mac and Ctrl Alt M on Windows. Director works on a copy of your workspace, so Manual gives you your own layout back exactly as it was. The chat and its modes has the details.

After starting Blender and closing the Splash Screen, the Blender window should look similar to the image below.

The default startup Blender window.

Blender’s interface is separated into three main parts:

  • The Topbar at the very top, consists of the main menu, which is used for saving, importing and exporting files, configuring settings, and rendering among other functions.

  • Areas in the middle, which is the main workspace.

  • The Status Bar at the bottom, which displays shortcut suggestions and relevant statistics.

Blender’s default Screen Layout. Topbar (blue), Areas (green) and Status Bar (red).

Customization

Keyboard shortcuts

Blender makes heavy use of keyboard shortcuts to speed up work. These can be customized in the Keymap Editor.

Theme colors

Blender allows for most of its interface colors to be changed to suit the needs of the user. If you find that the colors you see on screen do not match those in the Manual, it could be that your default theme has been altered. Creating a new theme or selecting/altering a preexisting one can be done by opening the Preferences and clicking on the Themes tab.

Accessibility

Blender has several options for visibility customization, including resolution scale, and the ability to load custom fonts. These settings can be configured in the Interface Preferences.

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Adapted from this page of the Blender 5.2 LTS Manual by the Blender Documentation Team, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is shared under the same licence.

Changed for Angelo: A note on Angelo's two modes: Angelo opens in Director, with the full layout this page describes in Manual. Restyled for this site, with links and images adapted (every change). No endorsement by the Blender Foundation is implied.