Move, rotate & scale
The three transform tools, world vs local space, where the pivot sits, snapping to a grid, and typing exact numbers.
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Every object is positioned with three tools (Move, Rotate, and Scale) that you drive with an on-screen gizmo (the colored handles on the selected object).
Switching tools
| Tool | Key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Move | W | Drag an arrow to slide along that axis. |
| Rotate | E | Drag a ring to spin around that axis. |
| Scale | R | Drag a handle to resize. |
You can also switch in the Transform menu or the Tools rail. The active tool shows in the menu title, and in the status bar if you have turned that on (Settings ▸ Editor UI ▸ Show status bar).
World vs local space
In the Transform menu, toggle Space ▸ Local / World. Local aligns the gizmo to the object's own orientation (handy after you've rotated something); World aligns it to the world axes. If a move ever seems to go "the wrong way," check which space you're in.
You don't have to reach for the menu, either: a small Local / World pill floats at the bottom-right of the gizmo whenever something's selected. One click flips the space right where your eyes already are. (It's the same setting as the menu: they always agree.) The pill steps aside while Scale is the active tool: scaling always works in the object's own local space, so there is nothing to flip.
The pivot
The pivot is the point an object rotates and scales around. Two ways to set it:
- Center pivot: Transform menu ▸ Center pivot recenters it on the object.
- Manual pivot: the Properties panel has a Pivot X/Y/Z field for offsetting the center deliberately, perfect for off-center spins and hinges (think a door swinging on its edge).
Snapping
Snapping is off by default. Toggle it with the S key (or the Snap button in the status bar, if you have that bar switched on). When it's on, transforms jump in fixed increments:
All three increments are adjustable in Settings ▸ Transform Snap, which also has quick presets (0.1 / 0.25 / 0.5 / 1 m and 5 / 15 / 45 / 90°). The increments are remembered across sessions, so once you set them the way you like they stay put. Snapping itself starts off every time you open the editor: a snap switched on last week, or a degree preset tapped once on a phone, no longer makes every drag crawl in 0.5 m steps with nothing on screen to say why.
Typing exact values
For precision, type straight into the Position, Rotation, Scale, and Pivot fields in Properties. In any number field:
- ↑ / ↓ nudge the value.
- Shift+↑/↓ step ×10; Alt+↑/↓ step ×0.1.
- Each field has a ↺ reset button, and Rotation has a degrees / radians toggle.
- A length can carry its unit: type or paste
2.5cm,40mm,6ft,12inor1kmand it is converted to metres (the scene unit), so a dimension lifted from a spec sheet lands at the right size. A unit the editor doesn't know is refused and the field reverts rather than guessing. - A decimal comma works: on a keyboard that types
1,5for one and a half, that is what you get, and0,125is an eighth. A comma is only read as a thousands separator in the shape a thousand actually has (1,000,12,500). With both separators present the last one is the decimal point, so1.000,5and1,000.5both mean 1000.5. - Escape puts back the value the field had when you clicked into it and leaves the field; Enter or Tab keeps what you typed.
A burst of typing in one field collapses into a single Undo step.