Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Note

This document covers Rex’s community-standard keymap (REX_keymap_rev1.py). Fred also maintains a personal alternative (Blender5_keys.txt), but Rex’s version is the recommended default.

Both keymaps are works in progress. Some bindings may change in future releases.

Tip

All keybinds here assume the Violence Tool addon is enabled and the keymap is properly imported. If keys don’t respond, see Installation & Setup for re-import instructions.

The Violence Tool consists of two components intended to be used together:

• Fred’s Layer Manager script (FRED LAYER MANAGER.py) — defines the operators and their behavior. Installed as a Blender addon.

• (optional) CLEAN_512_11_REX.py — binds keys to Fred’s Operators and to native Blender Operators. A couple are available tailored to slightly different preferences. The vast majority of the keys are the same though.

These operators listed here are for reference if you’re building your own keymap from scratch. Rex’s keymap (CLEAN_512_11_REX.py) binds all of them. If you’re using Rex’s keymap, you can ignore those — it’s here for reference and for users who want to assign different keys.

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Keybind Context & Blender Modes

In Blender, a keybind is only active when two conditions are met:

1. Cursor Location: The mouse cursor must be inside the 3D Viewport (or specific Editor for non-3D commands).

2. Active Mode: The Grease Pencil object must be in the required Mode (Draw, Edit, Sculpt, or Object).

Most of Fred’s workflow assumes you are working in 3D Viewport > Draw Mode. However, certain editing tools require Edit Mode, and nudge tools require Sculpt Mode. But! Some operators in the Violence Tool are designed to automatically switch modes for you (see the tables below).

Grease Pencil-related Modes

UI Name	Common Workflow	Internal ID
Draw Mode	Drawing strokes, filling, layer switc.	PAINT_GREASE_PENCIL
Edit Mode	Selecting points/strokes, trimming.	EDIT_GREASE_PENCIL
Sculpt Mode	Nudging strokes, shaping.	SCULPT_GREASE_PENCIL
Object Mode	Transforming whole objects.	OBJECT

• “Control-Tab” brings up the mode pie menu.

• “Tab” toggles between Draw and Edit Mode.

• “Alt” (hold) temporarily enters Sculpt Mode while drawing.

• “S” (press) permanently enters Sculpt Mode.

Already-existing Hotkeys (Blender native)

These keys are set by default in Blender natively and are useful to the workflow.

Shortcut	Action	Context	Blender Operator ID	Keymap Section Path
F3	Search Operators	Any Mode	wm.search_menu	Window
Ctrl + Tab	Open Mode Menu (Draw/Edit/Sculpt/etc.)	Any Mode	wm.call_menu_pie	Window
Tab	Toggle Edit Mode	Any Mode	object.mode_set	Window
Ctrl + MMB	Zoom 2D View (i.e. menus and Areas)	Any Mode	view2d.zoom	2D View
Z	Toggle Viewport Shading	3D Viewport	view3d.shading_pie	3D View → 3D Viewport
Alt + Z	Toggle X-Ray Mode	3D Viewport	view3d.toggle_xray	3D View → 3D Viewport
Ctrl-~	Reset Camera View	3D Viewport	view3d.view_camera	3D View → 3D Viewport
I	Insert Keyframe	Timeline / Dope Sheet	anim.keyframe_insert_menu	Timeline / Dope Sheet
~	Hide Gizmos	3D Viewport

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Hotkeys that you may want to know

Efficient animation with The Violence Tool relies on a combination of tool-specific shortcuts and standard Blender navigation. Most animators will only need to set up the keys listed in this section — Fred provides a keymap file so you don’t have to bind each one manually.

About Rex’s Keymap vs. Fred’s Personal Keymap

Two keymap files are available from the community. Check out the pins in the Discord #GreasePencil channel. The main difference is the use of the MMB:

Variant	Maintainer	Notes
Rex’s Keymap (recommended)	Rex	The community standard. Retains standard Blender middle mouse navigation (pan/zoom). This is what most users should start with.
Fred’s Personal Keymap	Fred	Fred’s own setup, refined over 3-4 years of daily production use. Removes middle mouse from all shortcuts. Best for those who wear out their mouses. Available but not the recommended starting point.

Fred’s Tip

“I would rather people use [a] keymap and change them from there. Even if people don’t like [the] setup, it would be easier to change what they don’t like about [it], than starting vanilla and having to enter all the script keymaps [in] use.”

Dan’s Tip

Definitely recommended. Initially, I set them up one by one - it takes a very long time. Instead, I’ve listed below what the keymapping entails and note any other differences. I’ll make an editable .md version you can use if you make changes and want that as a reference on-hand. That’ll be pinned in the GP channel too. Feel free to share your own differences with the community if you find a change feels good - could be useful!

Note

Since the tool requires a lot of unique keybinds, it can be helpful to have a separate installation of Blender for different projects, particularly if you have a lot of addons - or, have different keybind files you can switch between.

Different blender versions are easily installed in parallel (either by Portable exes or .tar.xz), so one won’t interfere with your other potential Blender projects or experiments as long as they’re different versions. Handy if you have the space!

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Binding Operators to Keys

The Keymap Section Path column tells you exactly where to navigate in Edit > Preferences > Keymap to add a new binding.

Step-by-Step Binding

1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Keymap.

2. On the left tree, expand the section listed in the Keymap Section Path column. * Example: For 3D View → 3D View (Global), expand 3D View, then 3D View (Global).

3. Scroll to the bottom of that section.

4. Click the “+ Add New” button.

5. In the new row: * Left field (Operator): Type the Operator ID (e.g., gpencil.draw_mode). * Right field (Event): Click and press your desired key (e.g., D).

6. For Hold-to-Activate keys (marked with “(Press)” and “(Release)”): * Add two bindings for the same key. * First binding: Set Event Type to ``Press``. * Second binding: Set Event Type to ``Release``.

7. Click Save Preferences at the bottom.

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I’ve included screenshots of the UI so that you can make sure your settings match visually as well. This might be a bit tough to navigate the first time, but you’ll get a sense for how keybinding works in Blender, and that can be really powerful knowledge to take to other projects as well!

Warning

The tool needs to be fully installed as an addon, not just ‘run’ from the console, though that will work temporarily. Make sure you’ve gone to Edit > Preferences > Addons and imported it.

Save your preferences after setting keybinds. If you close Blender without saving, all keymap changes are lost.

Setting Up Hold-to-Activate Keys (Modal)

Some tools (like Automerge, Draw Behind, or Sculpt Mode) are designed to work only while you hold a key down. To set this up in Blender:

1. Open Keymap Preferences Go to Edit > Preferences > Keymap.

2. Locate the Operator In the search bar at the top, type the operator name (e.g., gp.auto_merge_on). * Tip: If you don’t see it, ensure the addon is enabled and you are searching in the correct category (usually 3D Viewport or Grease Pencil Paint Mode).

3. Add a New Binding Click the + (plus) icon next to the operator name to add a new keybinding.

4. Configure the “Press” Event * Key: Click the key field and press the key you want to use (e.g., A). * Event Type: Change this from Any to ``Press``. * This ensures the action starts when you push the key down.

5. Add the “Release” Binding * Click the + icon again to add a second binding for the same operator. * Key: Press the same key (e.g., A). * Event Type: Change this to ``Release``. * This ensures the action stops when you let go of the key.

6. Verify Context * Ensure the Context column matches your workflow (e.g., 3D Viewport or Grease Pencil Paint Mode).

Fred’s Tip

If you forget a shortcut, hit F3 and type the function name. It shows you the shortcut and lets you search for it.

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Core Workflow Keybinds

These are the primary keybinds you’ll use constantly during animation work.

Layer Switching

These are the core of The Violence Tool. Each key combination calls the same parameterized operator with different layer_filter and material_filter values, allowing instant switching between drawing contexts without navigating or clicking through menus.

Important: Many of these operators automatically force the object into Draw Mode regardless of the current mode. That’s the point!

Shortcut	Action	Context	Operator ID	Keymap Section Path
Shift 0-9	Switch to Line layer + Draw Tool	3D View → 3D View (Global)	fred.grease_layer_switch	3D View → 3D View (Global)
Alt-Shift 0-9	Switch to Fill layer + Fill Tool	3D View → 3D View (Global)	fred.grease_layer_fill_switch	3D View → 3D View (Global)
Alt 0-9	Switch to Sculpt context (unlocks layers)	3D View → 3D View (Global)	fred.grease_layer_sculpt_switch	3D View → 3D View (Global)
Ctrl 1	Switch to Mouth Lines layer	3D View → 3D View (Global)	fred.grease_layer_switch	3D View → 3D View (Global)
Ctrl 2	Switch to Mouth Mask layer (Fill Tool)	3D View → 3D View (Global)	fred.grease_layer_fill_switch	3D View → 3D View (Global)
Ctrl 3	Switch to Upper Teeth layer	3D View → 3D View (Global)	fred.grease_layer_switch	3D View → 3D View (Global)
Ctrl 4	Switch to Lower Teeth/Tongue layer	3D View → 3D View (Global)	fred.grease_layer_switch	3D View → 3D View (Global)
Shift+Ctrl 1	Switch to Shadows layer	3D View → 3D View (Global)	fred.grease_layer_switch	Grease Pencil → Edit Mode
Shift+Ctrl 2	Switch to Highlights layer	3D View → 3D View (Global)	fred.grease_layer_switch	Grease Pencil → Edit Mode
Ctrl-F (Rex) W (Fred)	Toggle Fade Inactive Layers Overlay	3D Viewport > Any Mode	gp.toggle_fade	Window
S	Switch to Sculpt Mode	Any Mode	object.mode_set	Window
W	Isolate Visibility	3D Viewport > Draw/Edit Mode

About the S Key

The S key provides an alternative to Alt-hold for entering Sculpt Mode:

• S (press) → Enters Sculpt Mode and stays there (no automatic return)

• Use this when you want to do extended sculpting work without holding a modifier

• To exit, press Tab (return to Edit Mode) or use the mode pie menu (Ctrl+Tab)

Note

Although the Context is listed as “Any Mode,” Fred’s script executes bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='PAINT_GREASE_PENCIL') before running these operators. Therefore, they are safe to press even if you are stuck in Object or Edit Mode—they will return you to Draw Mode automatically.

Dan’s Tip

This is also handy to ‘reset’ things if you’re lost! Just hit Ctrl-1 and you know exactly what layers are on and locked, no matter how much you fiddled with things.

A technical note

In v2.0, the old individually-named operators (fred.body_lines, fred.sculpt1, etc.) have been consolidated into a single ‘parameterized operator’ that accepts layer_filter and material_filter properties. Each keybind (e.g., Shift+1) calls the same ‘operator (OP)’ with different filter values. See Operator Inventory for technical details.

Fred’s Tip

The layer_filter is a ‘substring’ match, not an exact match. As long as your layer name contains the filter string somewhere, the operator will find it. For example, a filter of 01L will match 01L Body Lines, Layer 01L, or anything containing 01L. Same goes for material_filter. This means you can rename your layers descriptively without breaking your keybinds.

Mouth Layer Numbering

The mouth uses four dedicated layers (Ctrl 1-4), always kept together in the timeline:

• Ctrl 1 — Mouth Lines: Intended for the main mouth shape/muzzle, and nose.

• Ctrl 2 — Mouth Mask: An invisible fill layer (alpha set to 0) that acts as a clipping mask for teeth, tongue, and throat. Anything drawn on Ctrl 3 or 4 (lower jaw layers) only shows where this mask exists.

• Ctrl 3 — Upper Teeth: Upper teeth only (these don’t move with the jaw, and should be considered part of the skull/head).

• Ctrl 4 — Lower Teeth / Tongue / Throat: Everything in the mouth that moves — lower teeth (the default material), tongue, and throat.

About Ctrl+2 (Mouth Mask)

Unlike other fill layers (Alt+Shift) that call fill_switch (opens material menu), Ctrl+2 uses fill_specific_switch, which sets a predetermined material slot without opening the popup. This is optimized for the mouth mask workflow.

See AFIS Workflow Guide for the full mouth drawing workflow.

Modal Toggles (Hold-to-Activate)

These keys use press/release bindings. See Setting Up Hold-to-Activate Keys above for setup instructions.

Fred’s Tip

“You MUST hold the toggle key down BEFORE you start drawing, and you MUST wait until you lift your pen up from drawing before you let go of the key. If you let go of the press/release toggle for anything while you’re still drawing or erasing a stroke, the toggle will ‘hang’ because Blender doesn’t register press/releases in the middle of drawing a stroke.”

If a toggle gets stuck enabled, just lift your pen and tap the toggle key once. See Modal Toggles Getting Stuck in Troubleshooting.

This applies to all three hold-to-activate keys: A (automerge), B (draw behind), and Alt (sculpt mode).

Shortcut	Action	Context	Operator ID	Keymap Section Path
A (Press/Hold)	Enable Automerge	3D Viewport > Draw Mode	gp.auto_merge_on	Grease Pencil → Paint Mode
A (Release)	Disable Automerge	3D Viewport > Draw Mode	gp.auto_merge_off	Grease Pencil → Paint Mode
B (Press/Hold)	Enable Draw Behind	3D Viewport > Draw Mode	gp.draw_behind_on	Grease Pencil → Paint Mode
B (Release)	Disable Draw Behind	3D Viewport > Draw Mode	gp.draw_behind_off	Grease Pencil → Paint Mode
Alt (Press/Hold)	Enter Sculpt Mode temporarily	3D Viewport > Draw Mode	gp.sculpt_mode_on	Grease Pencil → Paint Mode
Alt (Release)	Return to Draw Mode	3D Viewport > Sculpt Mode	gp.sculpt_mode_off	Grease Pencil → Paint Mode

While in sculpt mode via Alt, press F to change brush size.

If you see gray edit lines while nudging → “selected only” is ON.

Note

The Alt sculpt toggle may look jarring when switching back and forth, but this is a Blender limitation — there is no smoother way to handle modal mode switching. Holding Alt literally switches to sculpt mode while you hold it.

Drawing & Erasing

Shortcut	Action	Context	Operator ID	Keymap Section Path
D	Switch to Draw Mode + “MY STROKE” brush	3D Viewport > Any Mode	gpencil.draw_mode	3D View → 3D View (Global)
E (tap)	Switch to Erase Point brush	3D Viewport > Draw Mode	gpencil.erase_point	Grease Pencil → Paint Mode
E (hold)	Switch to Erase Stroke brush (full stroke erase)	3D Viewport > Draw Mode	gpencil.erase_stroke	Grease Pencil → Paint Mode
Ctrl-X	Delete all connected strokes/fills of selection	3D Viewport > Edit Mode	gpencil.erase_all_of_selected	Grease Pencil → Edit Mode
1	Brush strength 100%	Grease Pencil > Paint Mode	gp.draw_brush_strength_full	Grease Pencil → Edit Mode
2	Brush strength 0%	Grease Pencil > Paint Mode	gp.draw_brush_strength_none	Grease Pencil → Edit Mode

Warning

Context Matters for Erasure: Ctrl-X requires Edit Mode. If you press it in Draw Mode, it may do nothing. Fred’s script gpencil.erase_all_of_selected includes a poll check: if bpy.ops.grease_pencil.select_linked.poll():.

E Key Mechanics: Unlike typical hold-to-activate keys, E uses press/release bindings:

• Press E down → activates full-stroke eraser

• Release E → switches to point eraser

Pressing E once switches to the eraser tool. Holding E down switches to the full-stroke eraser — touching any part of a stroke deletes the entire connected stroke. This makes use of two different Blender GP brushes (with eraser properties) set up in a specific way:

So holding E keeps you in full-stroke erase mode. When you let go, you’re left on point eraser. If you want to stay on full-stroke erase after releasing, tap E twice quickly (press-release, press-release).

Note

In Blender 5.2 LTS, the “Default Eraser” setting was removed. The last activated eraser brush is now used automatically. The tool’s two eraser operators gpencil.erase_stroke and gpencil.erase_point set the specific eraser brush before switching to erase mode. It’s a strictly technical change.

Quick Menus

These bare number keys (no modifier) open popup menus at your cursor for quick access without reaching for the N-panel or other Blender panels/tools.

Shortcut	Action	Context	Operator ID	Keymap Section Path
3	Open Change Active Layer (popup)	3D Viewport > Draw Mode	grease_pencil.layer_set_active (native)	Grease Pencil → Stroke Paint Mode
4	Open Material Menu (popup)	3D Viewport > Any Mode	wm.call_menu (native)	3D View → 3D View (Global)

The (Change Active) Layer Menu shows available layer-switch operators.

Opens a popup listing all layers in the active Grease Pencil object. Select one to make it the active drawing layer. This is a native Blender operator (grease_pencil.layer_set_active) that has no default keybind — Rex’s keymap assigns it to 3. It makes the most sense in Draw Mode but is available in other contexts.

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The Material Menu shows the active Grease Pencil object’s material slots.

Opens the material slot popup (native VIEW3D_MT_greasepencil_material_active) so you can quickly switch which material you’re drawing with. It is available in the 3D Viewport regardless of mode, but is most relevant when drawing.

You may have to bind “3” yourself:

If you want the “3” key to open the Change Active Layer popup:

1. Open Edit → Preferences → Keymap

2. Search for gpencil.layer_set_active

3. Click + Add New

4. Set key to 3

5. Save preferences

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Secondary Keybinds

These keybinds are used less frequently but are important for specific tasks.

Editing & Utility Keys

About the C Key (Blender’s Trimmer)

C is bound to Blender’s native Trim operator (grease_pencil.trim). It requires Draw Mode (Tab). In Draw Mode, select two overlapping strokes and press C. Trim cuts each stroke at their first intersection point, removing the excess portions. This will appear to ‘connect’ them there, and, at least for the purposes of fills, does. Just not _actually_ as a stroke. Strokes only have two ends.

C was remapped from Ctrl because Ctrl conflicts with other tool shortcuts. If Ctrl is set to toggle trim mode, any Ctrl-based shortcut would put you in trim mode before registering the rest of the keys. Setting C as a dedicated trim key avoids this.

Fred’s Tip

“I just couldn’t find a way to use Ctrl-Left Mouse while holding it down. You have to set Ctrl to just toggle to trim mode, so if you try to do any other ctrl-based shortcuts, it puts in trim mode before hitting the rest of the keys, really annoying.”

In Blender 4.1.1 this auto-smoothed the join; in 5.x it does not (see Alt+F below).

About Alt+F (Join & Smooth)

In GP3, connecting strokes with C no longer auto-smooths the join. Additionally, the joined strokes don’t stay selected after connecting (unlike Blender 4.1.1). The workflow is now:

1. Select two unconnected strokes in Edit Mode.

2. Press C to connect them.

3. Re-select the joined area (5.x deselects after connecting).

4. Press Alt+F repeatedly (a few times) to smooth the join.

See Alt+F Doesn’t Auto-Smooth in Troubleshooting.

Technical note about Alt+F Alt+F calls Fred’s gp.join_and_smooth operator, which internally uses Blender’s native Join operator (grease_pencil.join_selection with JOINSTROKES type) followed by stroke_smooth. This is distinct from Trim (C key), which cuts strokes at intersection points.

• C (Trim): Cuts strokes at where they cross — native Blender tool

• Alt+F (Join & Smooth): Connects stroke endpoints + smooths — Fred’s custom operator

Workflow for connecting strokes:

1. Select two unconnected strokes in Edit Mode.

2. Press Alt+F to join and smooth them in one step.

3. Press Alt+F repeatedly for additional smoothing.

Unlike Trim, Join does NOT require strokes to overlap — it connects the nearest endpoints.

About Ctrl+Shift+R (Selection Mode Toggle)

While in Sculpt Mode (held via Alt), this toggles whether the sculpt brush affects all strokes or only selected strokes:

• Selected Only (default): You will see gray edit lines while nudging. Only strokes you’ve explicitly selected will be affected.

• All Strokes: No edit lines appear while nudging. Everything is affected.

You must be in Sculpt Mode for this toggle to work. If nudging seems “locked” and nothing happens, you’re likely in Selected Only mode but haven’t selected anything — either select strokes first, or toggle to All Strokes mode with Ctrl+Shift+R.

Timeline Navigation

Shortcut	Action	Context	Operator ID	Keymap Section Path
Shift-Z (repeat)	Previous keyframe (undo-supported)	Timeline / Dope Sheet	gp.prev_keyframe	Dope Sheet
Shift-X (repeat)	Next keyframe (undo-supported)	Timeline / Dope Sheet	gp.next_keyframe	Dope Sheet
Ctrl+Alt-Z (repeat)	Previous marker (undo-supported)	Timeline / Dope Sheet	gp.prev_marker	Dope Sheet
Ctrl+Alt-X (repeat)	Next marker (undo-supported)	Timeline / Dope Sheet	gp.next_marker	Dope Sheet
~ (Accent Grave/tilde)	Center timeline on selected	Timeline / Dope Sheet	gp.center_timeline	Dope Sheet

Why use these instead of Arrow Keys?

You might wonder why we have gp.next_keyframe when Blender uses the arrow keys natively.

• Native Arrow Keys: Jump to the next keyframe but do not save this jump to the Undo history.

• The Tool’s Operators: Jump to the next keyframe AND push an Undo step.

The Workflow:

1. Bind gp.next_keyframe to your preferred key.

2. Jump forward through your animation.

3. If you jump too far, press Ctrl+Z.

4. The timeline snaps back to the previous keyframe instantly.

gp.prev_keyframe, gp.next_marker, and gp.prev_marker all work the same way.

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Advanced Configuration

These sections cover unbound operators, v1.0 substitutions, and platform-specific considerations.

Unbound Operators (Available but Not Yet Assigned)

These operators exist in the v2.0 code but may not have keybinds in the default keymap file. You can bind these yourself if you find them useful:

Note

gp.apply_material_and_stroke is the only operator in v2.0 with Blender undo support (bl_options = {'REGISTER', 'UNDO'}). Other operators use manual undo_push() calls. This can potentially affect the exact moment Blender ‘undo’s to, so let us know if that aspect could be improved as you encounter things with it.

Native Blender Substitutes (v1.0 Features Now Handled by Blender)

Old v1.0 Operator	Replacement	How to Access
fred.op8 / fred.op23 (Randomize/Noise)	Noise Modifier	Modifiers tab → Add Modifier → Effect → Noise. Adjust Strength, Scale, Jitter, Seed. Non-destructive, keyframable.
fred.op19 (Toggle Onion Skins)	Viewport Overlays	Click Overlays button (top-right of 3D View) → check/uncheck Onion Skinning. Per-layer control via eye icon in layer list. Advanced settings in N-panel Onion Skinning panel.
fred.op20 (Clear Vertex Paints)	Vertex Colors deletion	Object Data Properties (green triangle) → Vertex Colors panel → click X on color layer. Or Vertex Paint mode → Clear brush.
fred.op24 (Smooth Stroke standalone)	Native smooth or gp.join_and_smooth	Edit Mode → select stroke → F3 → search “stroke smooth”. Or use Alt+F (Join & Smooth).
fred.op29 (Pen Pressure Toggle)	Brush Strength operators	Use gp.draw_brush_strength_full (100%) and gp.draw_brush_strength_none (0%), or adjust pressure sensitivity manually in the Tool tab.

Pen Pressure & Brush Strength

Note

The v1.0 pen pressure toggle operator (fred.op29) is not present in v2.0. There is no dedicated pen pressure toggle operator in the current codebase.

To simulate pressure on/off behavior, use the brush strength operators:

• ``gp.draw_brush_strength_full`` — Sets “MY STROKE” brush strength to 100%

• ``gp.draw_brush_strength_none`` — Sets “MY STROKE” brush strength to 0%

These are currently set to (plain) 2 and 1 respectively.

Fred’s Tip

If you experience pen pressure glitches (lines behaving incorrectly), restart Blender and/or your tablet driver. Drawing with a mouse should work fine [as a test] — if it doesn’t, [then] the issue is in the script or setup, not the tablet driver.

You can artificially grow points with stroke thickness until it looks like there’s pen pressure, but it’s artificial.

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Choosing the Right Keymap Context

When binding any operators to keys, the Keymap Context determines when the shortcut is active. If you’re in the wrong context, the key won’t respond.

• 3D Viewport: Works in the 3D Viewport. Signifies operators

  that switch modes internally (like sculpt isolation) or work across modes (like navigation).

• Paint Mode: Specific to drawing and brush-specific

  tools (Eraser swap, Stroke Strength).

• Edit Mode: Only active while in Edit Mode. Use for tools that

  require selected strokes (Join & Smooth).

Note

The modal toggle operators (gp.auto_merge_on / gp.auto_merge_off, gp.draw_behind_on / gp.draw_behind_off, gp.sculpt_mode_on / gp.sculpt_mode_off) must be bound in Grease Pencil → Stroke Paint Mode, not 3D View (Global). If bound to the wrong context, the key press will be ignored while drawing.

Navigation Conflicts (Fred’s Personal Keymap)

If you imported Fred’s personal keymap instead of Rex’s, you may experience navigation issues.

Function	Default Blender	Fred’s Override
Zoom	Ctrl + MMB	Ctrl+Shift+LMB
Pan	Shift + MMB	Spacebar or Spacebar+LMB

Fix:

1. Go to Edit → Preferences → Keymap.

2. Search for view3d.zoom — find any entry bound to Ctrl+Shift+Left Mouse and change it to Ctrl+Middle Mouse.

3. Search for view3d.move — find any entry bound to Spacebar or Spacebar+Left Mouse and change it to Shift+Middle Mouse.

4. Save preferences.

Fred’s Tip

“Anything zoom-related that is bound to Ctrl+Shift+Left Mouse (in the ‘Fred’ keybind set) needs to go back to Ctrl+Middle Mouse. Anything view.pan related that is bound to Spacebar or Spacebar+Left Mouse should go back to Shift+Middle Mouse.”

This mainly affects users who imported Fred’s personal keymap instead of Rex’s. If you’re using Rex’s keymap (recommended), this shouldn’t be an issue.

Non-US Keyboard Layouts

• Italian/German layouts: The grave accent (or ~ key) for timeline centering may map to a different physical key. Users report success remapping to Home or bracket keys.

• Ubuntu Studio: The Alt+~ combination may be intercepted by the desktop environment. Disable in System Settings → Keyboard → Shortcuts.

Dual Rotation Binding (Accessibility Feature)

Rex’s keymap binds view rotation to both Middle Mouse and Ctrl+Alt+LMB for tablet/trackpad users. This is intentional and compatible with MMD navigation schemes.

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Workflow Tips

Check Three Things When Something Goes Wrong

When switching tasks, always check these three settings:

1. Layer — Is the correct layer active?

2. Tool — Is it Draw, Fill, or Sculpt?

3. Material — Is the correct material selected?

Drawing Behind: When to Use It

Hold B while drawing to place strokes behind existing artwork on that layer. This is essential when drawing the lower jaw/muzzle area of a side-facing character — the bottom of the muzzle should render behind the top.

Remember: press and hold B before starting your stroke, and release B only after lifting your pen. If you let go of B mid-stroke, the toggle will hang. See Modal Toggles.

Pupils: Draw on the Line Layer with Fill Material

Instead of drawing pupil lines on the line layer and then filling them on a separate fill layer (which means you have to move two objects on two layers later), draw the pupils directly on the line layer using the black fill material (slot 2). This creates a single stroke that has both stroke and fill, making it trivial to move later.

1. Shift 3 → eye line layer.

2. 4 → material menu → select black fill (slot 2).

3. Draw pupil as a single circle.

This technique applies to noses, goatees, eyebrows — anything that’s a simple shape where you’d otherwise have to manage line + fill separately across two layers.

Crossing Strokes to Prevent Fill Gaps

When drawing outlines that will be filled, cross your strokes over at least halfway so they overlap. This prevents gaps that cause “unable to fill” errors. Build this into muscle memory and you’ll rarely need to adjust gap closure settings.

Thicker lines naturally reduce gap issues because the fill tool accounts for stroke thickness.

Material Efficiency

Remember that changing a material in a slot updates every frame using that slot. To change a color globally, edit the material in the slot rather than refilling any frames.

Optimizing File Size

If your file becomes too large due to too many vertices:

1. Select all strokes (or use Multi-Frame Editing) in Edit Mode.

2. Press Ctrl-A or search for “Adaptive” or “Simplify Stroke”

3. Set the threshold (e.g., 0.001) to simplify strokes.

You can optionally switch to another mode after selecting.

Layer Order Matters

Always keep Fill layers UNDER their corresponding Line layers in the Outliner. If fills are above lines, they’ll render on top and obscure your line art.

To reorder:

• Page Up / Page Down (note: Page Down is buggy in 5.2 — move layers individually)

• Right-click layer → Move to Top/Bottom

• Use arrow buttons in the layer properties panel

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Keybinding Next Steps

Once you’ve got your keybinds done, head to AFIS Workflow Guide to learn the daily workflow and practice with the provided scene files.

View the The Violence Tool — Keybind Cheat Sheet - This markdown document is also available as a file in the Grease Pencil channel.

Back to Blender Basics for Animators if you are new to Blender in general.

User Scenarios explains how-tos by user goal, which might be helpful.

Troubleshooting & Known Issues is a collection of symptom-based help. User Scenarios has troubleshooting sorted by goal ‘step’ instead.