Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts can really streamline the user experience, by mapping specific functions to simple keyboard key presses. Any command in Modo can have a keyboard shortcut assigned to it. These keyboard shortcuts can also be re-assigned, customizing Modo to a users specific needs. By also allowing the Ctrl, Shift and Alt key qualifiers (including combinations thereof), you have a wide array of keys to choose from.
Note: On Mac machines that use a limited keyboard, such as a laptop, replace the Ctrl key with the Cmd key.
To assign a keyboard shortcut to a command, perform the command from the interface, then expand the Command History viewport, located in the lower-right hand corner of the interface. Locate the command in the list (usually visible at the bottom of the history), then right-click and choose Map Command to Key. You can also assign keyboard equivalents using the Input Editor found on the System menu on the menu bar. This is useful if you want to create keyboard shortcuts for scripts or tools that don't actually appear in the default interface.
To create your own custom keyboard shortcuts, watch this video:
List of Keyboard Shortcuts
General/System
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
F1 |
Help (Click on the interface element to open the related help file.) |
Ctrl+N |
New scene |
Ctrl+O |
Open saved scene |
Ctrl+I |
Open saved image |
Ctrl+W |
Close current scene |
Ctrl+Shift+W |
Close all open scenes |
Ctrl+S |
Save current scene |
Ctrl+Shift+S |
Save scene as... |
Ctrl+Q |
Quit Modo |
Alt+F12 |
Config file save |
Shift+F5 |
Run script |
Ctrl+Z |
Undo |
Ctrl+Shift+Z |
Redo |
Ctrl+X |
Cut |
Ctrl+C |
Copy |
Ctrl+V |
Paste |
Delete |
Delete (not available in Items mode) |
Ctrl+R |
Brings up the last tool used |
Alt+R |
Brings up the last tool used, ignoring UI interactions and selections |
Shift + Ctrl+Tab |
Layout switcher, organized by most recent |
Viewports
Navigation
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Alt+click |
Rotate view |
Alt+middle-click |
Rotate viewport Z axis (bank) view |
Alt+right-click |
'Flick' rotate |
Shift+Alt+left-click |
Pan view |
Shift+Alt+right-click |
Pan up/down only |
Ctrl+Alt+left-click |
Zoom to mouse position |
Ctrl+Alt+right-click |
Box zoom |
. (period) |
Zoom in (only in component modes) |
Shift+. (period) |
Zoom in x2 |
, (comma) |
Zoom out (only in component modes) |
Shift+, (comma) |
Zoom out x2 |
G |
Center the view on the cursor's position |
/ |
Turntable (only in component modes) |
Shift+/ |
When turntable is running, displays upright turntable |
Mouse Wheel Scroll |
Zoom view in and out to mouse pointer |
A |
Fit (zoom to scene extents/all items) |
Shift+A |
Fit selected (zooms to selected elements) |
Ctrl+A |
Align selected (aligns view to the current selection) |
Ctrl+Shift+A |
Fit and align selected (zooms and aligns the view to the current selection) |
3D viewport Options
Enter values on the numeric keypad and move the pointer over the target viewport to select.
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
O |
Open the viewport options pop-over |
Alt |
Modifies the Viewport Settings button in the top left of the viewport to show shading styles for inactive meshes |
0 (zero) |
Maximize/minimize the viewport within the group |
. (decimal) |
Perspective |
1 |
Top (press again to toggle top/bottom view) |
(Mac): Shift+1 (Windows): Windows +1 (Linux): Shift+1 |
Bottom |
2 |
Front (press again to toggle front/back view) |
(Mac): Shift+2 (Windows): Windows +2 (Linux): Shift+2 |
Back |
3 |
Right (press again to toggle right /left view) |
(Mac): Shift+3 (Windows): Windows +3 (Linux): Shift+3 |
Left |
4 |
Shaded |
5 |
Texture |
6 |
Reflection |
7 |
Wireframe |
8 |
Solid |
9 |
Vertex Map |
/ |
Wireframe None |
Shift+/ |
Wireframe Light |
Ctrl+/ |
Wireframe Dark |
= (equals) |
Toggle viewport smoothing |
Tabbed Viewport
Note: The following keyboard shortcuts only work on Mac.
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+Home |
Open first tab |
Ctrl+Shift+End |
Open last tab |
Ctrl+Shift+Page Up |
Open next tab |
Ctrl+Shift+Page Down |
Open last tab |
Item List
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
F |
In Items selection mode, locate selected item (layer). In other modes flip polygons |
Shift+click |
Expand/close all (also in Shader Tree) |
' (apostrophe) |
Swap foreground/background layers |
Ctrl+D |
Duplicate selected layer(s) (only in Items mode). If you have a procedural mesh or procedural operation selected, this command activates Duplicate Procedural Stack. |
Shift+D |
Instance selected layer(s) (only in Items mode) |
N |
New Mesh Item |
L |
New locator item (only in Items mode) |
Channel List
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
I |
Select modifier input |
O |
Select modifier output |
C |
Channel haul on (only in Items mode) |
Floating Windows
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
F2 |
Modeling toolbox |
F3 |
Sculpt/paint toolbox |
F4 |
Setup toolbox |
F5 |
Command History viewport |
F6 |
Presets viewport |
F7 |
Graph Editor |
F8 |
Render preview |
F11 |
Snapping pop-over |
` (backtick) |
Toggle window visibility |
Pie Menus
Pie menus are quick contextual pop-up menus that appear using keystroke combinations. Menu items are laid out in a wheel so you can access them gesturally for speedier workflow. To open, press the keyboard shortcut, then click in the 3D viewport to open. If you want the pie menu to appear immediately, go to System > Preferences > Input Remapping and enable Open Pies Immediately.
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Ctrl+` (backtick) |
Layout switch favorites |
Ctrl+1 |
GL viewport toggles |
Ctrl+2 |
GL viewport style |
Ctrl+Spacebar |
GL viewport view type |
Ctrl+3 |
Open pop-over |
Alt+Q |
Selection mode/Transform tools |
Alt+` (backtick) |
Open palette |
Shift+` (backtick) |
Properties and options |
B |
Brushes pie menu (only when a Brush tool is active) |
Alt+Spacebar |
Animation shortcuts (only in the Animation layout) |
Modeling
General Modeling
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Q |
Drop active tool |
Ctrl/Cmd+Tab |
Toggle the Tool HUD |
K |
Tool properties pop-over Note: The tool needs to be active for this shortcut to work. |
Esc |
Escape current operation/drop active selection |
Spacebar |
Cycle-through Component modes |
Shift+Spacebar |
Toggle Component mode to Item mode (or last mode) |
= (Equals) |
Tool handles larger |
- (Minus) |
Tool handle smaller |
0 (zero) |
Toggle tool handle visibility (not on the numeric keypad; only on Mac) |
Ctrl+D |
Reset tool attributes |
Shift+0-9 |
Select layer 1-10 |
Alt+Spacebar |
Quick access pop-over |
M |
Assign material tag. This applies when working in both direct and procedural modeling. |
S |
Enables the Slide / Edge Slide tool when in a component mode (Polygons, Edges, or Vertices). Note: This shortcut only activates the Slide tool when in component mode. Pressing S in item mode keys a selected channel. For more information, see Using Channels. |
Tab |
Toggle subdivision surfaces |
Shift+Tab |
Toggle Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces |
Numeric Keypad +/- |
Increase/decrease subdivision level |
Action Center/Axis
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Alt+W |
Origin |
Alt+E |
Pivot |
Alt+A |
Automatic |
Alt+S |
Selection |
Alt+D |
Selection center, auto axis |
Alt+Q |
Displays pie menu |
Alt+F |
Screen |
Alt+Z |
Element |
Alt+X |
Local |
Alt+G |
Pivot center, parent axis |
Selection
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Alt+Shift+A |
Select all |
Up arrow |
More (select next plausible element in loop) |
Shift+Up arrow |
Select expand |
Down arrow |
Less (de-select last element) |
Shift+Down arrow |
Shrink |
Left arrow |
Select previous loop |
Shift+Left arrow |
Select previous loop add |
Right arrow |
Select next loop |
Shift+Right arrow |
Select next loop add |
L |
Select loop |
Alt+L |
Select ring |
] |
Connected |
[ |
Invert selection |
Shift+] |
Close loop |
Shift+G |
Select between |
Alt+1 |
Convert selection to vertices |
Alt+2 |
Convert selection to edges |
Alt+3 |
Convert selection to polygons |
; (semicolon) |
Select through toggle |
Hide/Lock Geometry
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
H |
Hide selected |
Shift+H |
Hide unselected |
Ctrl+H |
Hide invert (toggle state) |
Shift+Q |
Hide Fusion Source Mesh |
U |
Show |
J |
Lock selected |
Shift+J |
Lock unselected |
Ctrl+J |
Lock invert (toggle state) |
I |
Unlock |
Work Plane
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Home |
Align to geometry under cursor |
Shift+Home |
Align to selection (average of all selected) |
Ctrl+Home |
Align to viewport |
End |
Reset the Work Plane |
Shift+End |
Open Work Plane pop-over |
Page Up |
Walk + |
Page Down |
Walk - |
Numeric Keypad * (asterisk) |
Toggle visibility |
Alt+O |
Offset Work Plane to geometry position under cursor |
Snapping
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
X |
Toggle snap state (hold with tool active for temporary snap) |
F11 |
Open snapping pop-over |
Ctrl+Shift+T |
Element snap |
Tools
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Transform |
|
W |
Move |
E |
Rotate |
Alt+Shift+E |
Planar rotate |
R |
Scale |
Shift+R |
Uniform scale |
Y |
Transform |
Deform |
|
Ctrl+E |
Bend |
T |
Element move (Tweak) |
Ctrl+T |
Soft drag |
Shift+Y |
Flex tool |
Shift+S |
Smooth tool |
Duplicate |
|
Shift+X |
Extrude |
Shift+L |
Radial sweep |
Shift+Q |
Grow quad row from edge |
Z |
Extend edge |
Shift+V |
Mirror tool |
Mesh Edit |
|
Backspace |
Delete |
Shift+Backspace |
Remove |
Ctrl+Backspace |
Collapse |
B |
Bevel |
Shift+B |
Polygon bevel |
Alt+B |
Sketch extrude |
Ctrl+B |
Create polygon of given type from vertex selection |
G |
Edge slice |
Shift+C |
Polygon slice |
Alt+C |
Loop slice |
D |
Subdivide selected geometry |
Shift+D |
Open subdivide options |
F |
Flip polygon normal |
Ctrl+L |
Split face by selected vertices |
P |
Make polygon |
Shift+T |
Triple polygons (convert to triangles) |
V |
Spin edge |
Alt+V |
Spin quads |
Curves |
|
Shift+O |
Make open curve |
Ctrl+P |
Make closed curve |
Vertex Tools |
|
Shift+W |
Weight tool |
Shift+M |
Morph tool |
Paint & Sculpt
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
B |
Open brush tips pie menu (only when tool is active) |
O |
Open large color picker pop-over (hover over UI color picker) |
S |
Swap foreground/background colors |
Shift + click and drag | Reposition the node and any child nodes further down the chain. |
Ctrl + click |
Create a new node between an existing one. |
Middle mouse button + click | Remove individual nodes. |
E/R |
Image ink rotate left/right |
D/F |
Image ink scale up/down |
Shift+Z |
Adjust offset amount (sticky key, only while Brush tool is active) |
Multi-Res Sculpting |
|
Alt+(numeric pad) + |
Subdivision level up |
Alt+(numeric pad) - |
Subdivision level down |
Ctrl+(numeric pad) + |
Current level up |
Ctrl+(numeric pad) - |
Current level down |
Camera
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Shift+Alt+click+drag |
Move camera item |
Shift+Alt+right-click+drag |
Move up/down direction only |
Alt+click+drag |
Rotate around target distance |
Alt+right-click+drag |
Rotate around Z axis |
Ctrl+middle-click+drag |
Image ink scale up/down |
Ctrl+Alt+click+drag |
Move forward/backward only |
Ctrl+Alt+right-click+drag |
Adjust focal length |
Roll Mouse Wheel |
Zooms to cursor |
Ctrl+A |
Auto focus camera (only in a viewport defined as Camera and with auto-focus enabled) |
Ctrl+F |
Restart preview (only in the Preview viewport) |
Animation
Selection
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Shift+Z |
Select all animated items |
Z |
Select all animated channels |
Hierarchy
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Ctrl+G |
Group selected items (under group locator) |
P |
Parent in place |
Ctrl+P |
Parent |
Shift+P |
Unparent in place |
Ctrl+Shift+P |
Unparent |
Timeline
Users must be in Items selection mode for these to work.
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Shift+Up arrow |
Go to first frame |
Ctrl+Up arrow |
Go to first keyframe |
Ctrl+Left arrow |
Go to previous keyframe |
Shift+Left arrow |
Go back one frame |
/ |
Start/stop animation playback |
Shift+Right arrow |
Go forward one frame |
Ctrl+Right arrow |
Go to next keyframe |
Ctrl+Down arrow |
Go to last keyframe |
Setting Keyframes
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Shift+Y |
Key transforms |
Shift+E |
Key rotations |
Shift+W |
Key positions |
Shift+R |
Key scale |
S |
Key selected channels |
Shift+S |
Key selected items |
Graph Editor
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
A |
Fit selected |
Ctrl+F |
Fit visible |
Shift+F |
Fit visible width |
Alt+click |
Pan view |
Ctrl+Alt+click |
Scale view |
Alt+right-click |
Scale graph size |
Ctrl+Alt+right-click |
Box zoom (drag box to zoom) |
Ctrl+Shift+V |
Paste insert keyframes to selected channels |
Ctrl+Alt+V |
Paste replace keyframes to selected channels |
Render
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
F9 |
Render |
Ctrl+F9 |
Render visible |
Shift+F9 |
Render selected |
F10 |
Render current view |
Alt+Shift+F9 |
Open render display window |
P |
Pauses mPath renders while the render window is open |
Preview Viewport
(F8 to open)
Keystroke(s) |
Action |
---|---|
Ctrl+F |
Focus under cursor |
mouse wheel |
Preview zoom |
middle-click+drag |
Jump the preview out to the original focal length (only when zoomed in) |