Shortcuts — Keymaps¶
Each menu needs a shortcut — a keyboard combination that opens it.
Setting a Shortcut¶
In the Shortcut tab of the menu editor:
- Click the Key field.
- Press the key you want to use.
- Check Ctrl, Shift, Alt, or OS (Windows/Command key) if needed.
- Set the Context (see below).
- Click Save Keymaps.
Don't forget to save
Blender manages shortcuts separately. After changing a shortcut, always click Save Keymaps or your shortcut won't register after restarting Blender.
Contexts¶
The Context controls which Blender editor the shortcut works in.
| Context | Where it works |
|---|---|
3D View |
In the 3D Viewport |
Image |
In the Image Editor |
UV Editor |
In the UV Editor |
Node Editor |
In Shader, Geometry, or Compositor Node editors |
Sequencer |
In the Video Sequencer |
Dopesheet |
In the Dope Sheet |
Graph Editor |
In the Graph Editor |
NLA Editor |
In the NLA Editor |
Sculpt |
Only while in Sculpt Mode |
Window |
Everywhere in Blender (global shortcut) |
Tip
Use Window sparingly — global shortcuts conflict easily. Prefer specific contexts.
Gestures — several menus on one shortcut¶
A shortcut can ask for a gesture: a shape drawn with the mouse while the combination is held, on a 3x3 grid of dots numbered like the numpad.
The cursor starts on the center dot, so every gesture starts with 5. A gesture is written as the dots it goes over — 5123 — and PieMaster completes it for you: separators are ignored, a straight run fills in the dots it crosses (513 is 5123), and a missing leading 5 is added.
Every gesture on the same key combination shares one keymap entry. The shape decides which menu opens, so ten menus on Ctrl+drag cost one shortcut instead of ten — which is the point of the feature.
Setting one¶
In the Keymap tab of the menu, switch Trigger from Shortcut to Gesture, then fill in the key, the modifiers, the held key and the gesture. The shape is drawn next to the fields as a preview.
A gesture binding is always a Click Drag — the drawing is the drag — so there is no Event or Direction to pick. A mouse button set to Press is switched over for you, since on Press it would fire before the drawing began.
Clear Gesture removes the shape and leaves the shortcut alone. It is available in the Keymap tab, in the Global Shortcut box and in the Preview-Edit popup.
Toggle¶
Toggle works on a gesture: draw the same gesture again to close the menu. The bare key combination is left alone, since it is shared with every other gesture on those keys.
Options¶
Under Options > Keymap > Gestures:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gesture Grid Size | distance between two dots, in pixels (100 by default). A dot is taken once the mouse has covered about 70% of it, so a smaller value is quicker to draw and easier to overshoot |
| Block the Click Under the Cursor | takes the mouse button the instant it goes down, so drawing over an object or a node no longer selects it |
| Show Grid Dots | draws the nine dots while a gesture is being drawn |
| Gesture Colors | line, dot, dot border and grid dot styling |
Conflicts
Two menus sharing a shortcut with different gestures are not reported as duplicates — telling them apart is what the gesture is for. Run Checks does report the real traps: two gestures on one key under different events, and a combination that is also bound without any gesture.
Disabling a Shortcut¶
Set Key to NONE to disable the shortcut.
The menu still exists and can be opened via PIE_CALL or MENU_CALL from another menu.
Avoiding Conflicts¶
Some keys are already used by Blender:
| Key | Used by Blender in |
|---|---|
G |
Grab (3D View, Edit Mode) |
R |
Rotate |
S |
Scale |
E |
Extrude (Edit Mode) |
Tab |
Toggle Edit Mode / Pie Menu (if set) |
A |
Select All |
X |
Delete |
F |
Fill (Edit Mode) |
Check conflicts
Go to Edit > Preferences > Input and search for your key to see if it's already assigned.
Editing Shortcuts in Blender's Input Preferences¶
PieMaster shortcuts appear in Edit > Preferences > Input under the pmc.open_pie operator. You can edit them there too — PieMaster reads changes back automatically via the Sync button.
Button-Level Shortcuts¶
Individual buttons inside a menu can also have shortcuts. While the menu is open, press the assigned key to activate that button directly — without hovering and clicking.
Set a button's shortcut in the Shortcut field inside the button editor.
A button can also carry a Global Shortcut, which fires it from anywhere without its menu being open — and that binding takes a gesture too, exactly like a menu's.