Request: All the major shortcuts tutorial, broken down by type

[Sid Edwards]

One mark of a professional software user of any type is to know the shortcuts in order to be efficient with one’s time. 

So as a request, I’d like CG cookie to make a video of all the major shortcuts of each category or viewer panel, like all the major shader shortcuts, all the major texture shortcuts, all the major lighting shortcuts, all the major physics shortcuts, basically a set of shortcuts for any fundamental aspect of blender.

[Dwayne Savage]

First, I’d like to say thanks to Adrian Bellworthy for the updated hotkeys PDF Located here: https://cgcookie.com/downloads/blender-hotkey-cheat-sheet 

Second, I’d love to see or even help with what you are describing. I think it would be somewhat difficult at least until 5.0. Since Blender developers have said that 4.x my have some reworking of hotkeys and there have been a lot of growing pains on the changes to hotkey thus far. Also there are differences in hotkeys depending on if you’re using Left click select or right click select. I can easily find hotkeys based on context(Editor’s and mode), but it’s more of how to layout the information. I’ve thought about following Peggy Walters’ layout over at deviantart.com( https://www.deviantart.com/peggywalters/art/Blender-Shortcuts-for-Beginners-911923693), but that may be to much. 

[Sid Edwards]

That’s a nice PDF, I appreciate that as a quick reference.

But, to truly learn these shortcuts, you need a video, a visual connection that shows precisely what the shortcut is for, and then to practice it yourself too in your own work. So, The PDF is a good start, and the next step is videos. 

[Martin Bergwerf]

HI Sid,

That sounds great, but one of the problems then is, that Blender’s Shortcuts change a lot (almost each Version has some different ones), so for which Blender Version should that video be made? And for LCS or RCS? For Emulate Middle Mouse Button? Etcetera.

Also, the best way to learn the shortcuts, is by using them. Know where to find them (the Search Menu is really great!) and look at them, then you’ll automatically learn the ones you used most fastest.

[Omar Domenech]

I agree with everyone else. A video is not the way to go, because of the natural constraints Blender has. The way to learn the hotkeys is to use them a lot and probably most of them you’ll forget anyways, because it’s just too much. I’ll say it again, Blender is a huge beast, to conquer all its aspects it’s next to impossible. So don’t worry about it, the more you practice the more things will just stick in your mind, so just practice a lot. 

[Dwayne Savage]

That’s true I only use a little over 120 of the thousands…. That’s Right thousands of hotkeys. Then again a lot of them are repeated in the different editors like G to grab and move. It moves objects. It move video strips, animation strips(actions), etc. 

[Sid Edwards]

The reason I’m requesting this is because you can be using blender for years and still not know shortcuts that are relevant to what you do. If it needs to be smaller 3 minute videos, that’s fine with me too. Not all shortcuts change between every update, often only a smaller percentage of shortcuts relevant to your work do, so by the time one or two of your desired shortcuts change, you can easily look it up, and further, 99% of all other shortcuts remain the same, hence it’s a worthwhile investment for some number of years.

Will the videos need to get updated from time to time? Sure, but if you want to use blender professionally, being efficient with your time is an important step that the blender community should be on top of.

[Adrian Bellworthy]

WOAH!! 
A 3 minute video to demonstrate visually all the shortcuts? How many videos would it take to cover just those in the pdf?
Do you know the shortcuts, G, R and S? Grab, Rotate and Scale.
That’s all your get in a 3 minute video, and that’s without mentioning the various pivot point selections changing the behaviour.
Watching a video of shortcuts still doesn’t cement the knowledge in your memory, only one thing will do that, practice.
Watch any video/lesson/course and follow along, you’ll pick up the most common shortcuts fairly quickly if you stick with it.

[Sid Edwards]

No…a 3 minute video for each category. Each category should have different dedicated contributors just like the CORE courses, so as not to over-burden any particular individual.

The thing about practice is that you don’t know specifically *what* to practice without guidance most of the time. These videos are that guidance, and such guidance is also why this website exists. 

[Omar Domenech]

One thing that makes all the difference is when you see just how much time and energy goes on into creating a single course. When you sit down to watch the videos, they make you feel as if teachers just turn on their microphone and starts talking as they’re using Blender and if the video is 5 minutes long, then the investment on making the video was 5 minutes of their time. Producing a course is a staggering amount of time, man power, capital and energy, so you really really really really have to carefully pick the topic you want to cover, there are no easy productions.

[Adrian Bellworthy]

You ask what to practice, there are hundreds, thousands of Blender courses/tutorials. Take your pick and practice.
If you struggle to choose from so much choice, decide what you are interested in learning most, hard surface modeling, sculpting, animation, etc., etc., and believe me you will learn the shortcuts, way quicker than watching a video about shortcuts.

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