---
title: ZbrushShortcuts
created: 2012-04-20 17:17
updated: 2012-04-20 17:20
revision: 2
author: Auriea
summary: " The following list of Shortcuts and Mouse Actions is arranged by category. For a list arranged by palette see [[ZBrush4R2 Shortcuts by . . ."
---

The following list of Shortcuts and Mouse Actions is arranged by category. For a list arranged by palette see
[[ZBrush4R2 Shortcuts by Palette|ZBrush 4R2 Shortcuts by Palette]].

## General Shortcuts

Open Project -  **Ctrl+O** 
Save Project - **Ctrl+S**

Undo - **Ctrl+Z** 
Redo – **Shift+Ctrl+Z**

Popup selection (on **PC only**)
- Tools – **F1**
- Brushes – **F2**
- Strokes – **F3**
- Alphas – **F4**
- Textures – **F5**
- Materials - **F6** (with cursor **off** canvas area)

Show QuickMenu - **Spacebar or Right Mouse click**
Show/hide floating palettes – **TAB**

Show item description (when Popup Info is switched on) - **Ctrl+cursor over item**
Show alternative item description -  **Ctrl+Alt+cursor over item**

Assign custom hotkey – **Ctrl+Alt+click on item** (store hotkeys in Preferences> Hotkeys submenu)

Projection Master – **G**

## Lightbox and Spotlight

Show/hide Lightbox - **, [comma key]** 
load selected item - **Double-click on Lightbox thumbnail** (texture/alphas will be loaded into Spotlight)
load into Texture or Alpha palette - **Shift+double-click on texture/alpha**

Turn on/off Spotlight - **Shift+Z**
Show/hide Spotlight Dial - **Z**

## Edit mode Navigation

with a 3D mesh in Edit mode -

Free Rotate - **Click & drag Background** 
Move - **Alt+Click & drag Background**
Constrain to 90-degree rotation - **Click+drag, press Shift**
Scale – **Alt+Click, Release Alt, drag Background**
Rotate around Z-axis - **Shift, Click, release Shift, drag**

(For best results turn off **RightClick Navigation** in the **Preferences>Interface** menu.)

#### Right-Click Navigation

(Turn on **RightClick Navigation** in the **Preferences>Interface** menu.)

Move - **Alt+Right-click & drag (can be over the model)**
Scale - **Ctrl+Right-click & drag (can be over the model)**
Rotate - **Right-click & drag (can be over the model)**

## Sculpting and Painting

Draw Size - **S** 
Focal Shift - **O**
RGB Intensity - **I**
Z Intensity – **U**

Increase Draw Size by set units - **]**
Decrease Draw Size by set units - **[**
(set increment in the **Zplugin>Misc Utilities>Brush Increment** slider)

Edit mode on/off - **T**
Draw  - **Q**
Move - **W**
Scale - **E**
Rotate - **R**

Toggle ZAdd and ZSub - **Alt (hold down)** 

### Sculpting Brushes

Show Brush pop-up - **B**

Standard Brush -  **B - S - T**
Smooth Stronger - **B - S - S**
Move Elastic - **B - M - E**
MPolish - **B - M - P**
ClipCurve - **B - C - C**
ClayLine - **B - C - L**

#### Changing the Brush hotkeys (pop-up palette)

Here is what you have to do* 

- Click B to bring up the brush palette.
- Then click the letter that you want to narrow down to, in this example click C.
- With C clicked all you will see is the brushes that start with C. This is when you will see the next letter that selects the brush.
- At this point you can hold CTRL+ALT to change the shortcut to whatever you want by just clicking on the brush and then click your new shortcut.

*NOTE*  Keep in mind that when you do this [[ZBrush]] automatically replaces the shortcut of another brush if you select a shortcut that is already assigned.*

### Color
Select Color under cursor - **C** 
Switch Color - **V** 

### Stroke
Lazy mouse - **L**
Replay Last Stroke - **1** 
Record Stroke - **3**
Replay All Recorded Strokes – **2**

## 3D Models

Save Tool - **Shift+Ctrl+T** 

Fit Mesh to view - **F**

Perspective – **P**
Floor Grid - **Shift+P**

Activate Symmetry - **X** 

Show/hide Polyframe & polygroups - **Shift+F**
Point Selection Mode - **Shift+Ctrl+P** 
Set Pivot Point – **Ctrl+ P**
Clear Pivot Point - **Shift+P** 
Snapshot a version to canvas - **Shift+S**

### SubTools

List all SubTools - **N**
**Alt+click** on SubTool - select that SubTool 
**Shift+Alt+click** on selected SubTool - frame that SubTool (*Note this option can be set in the **Preferences > Draw > Enable Auto Center** slider 0 = off 1 = Alt+click 2 = Shift+Alt+click*)
**Click** on paintbrush icon - toggle Polypaint Colorize
**Shift+click** on paintbrush icon - toggle Polypaint Colorize for all SubTools

### Geometry
Divide - **Ctrl+D** 
Lower Res - **Shift+D**
Higher Res - **D** 
Edge Loop – **Ctrl+E** (partially hidden mesh)


### Dynamesh
Remesh Dynamesh sculpt - in Edit > Draw mode **Ctrl+Drag Background**

### HD Geometry
Toggle in/out of HD Sculpting mode –** A** (cursor over mesh)
Render all HD Geometry – **A** (cursor over background)

### Masking
View Mask - **Ctrl+H**
Invert Mask -** Ctrl+I** 
Clear Mask - **Shift+Ctrl+A**
Mask All – **Ctrl+A**

Select Masking Brush - hold **Ctrl** while selecting brush from popup

Paint mask on object (alphas/strokes can be used) - **Ctrl (hold down)** 
Delete or paint reverse mask – **Ctrl+Alt (hold down)** 
Reverse mask – **Ctrl+Click Background**
Clear Mask – **Ctrl+Click+ drag Background**
Constant-intensity mask - **Ctrl+Click, release Ctrl, drag** (starting off mesh)
Alpha-intensity mask (using MaskPen or MaskRect brush) - **Ctrl+Click & drag**
(select alpha while holding Ctrl)

Blur mask - **Ctrl+Click** on mesh
Sharpen mask - **Ctrl+Alt+Click** on mesh

### Topological Masking
in Move, Scale or Rotate mode - **Ctrl+click+drag the action line** on the model

### Partial Mesh Visibility & Clip Brushes

Select Selection or Clip Brush - hold **Shift+Ctrl** while selecting brush from popup

Show mesh portion – **Shift+Ctrl+Click, release keys & drag** (green selection area)
Hide mesh portion -** Shift+Ctrl+Click, release keys & drag - press Alt** (red selection area)
Move selection or clip area - **press Spacebar without releasing mouse/pen*

Show entire mesh - **Shift+Ctrl+Click Background**
Show only selected Polygroup (on fully visible mesh) - **Shift+Ctrl+Click** 
Hide selected Polygroup (on fully visible mesh) - **Shift+Ctrl+Click twice**
Hide selected Polygroup (on partially visible mesh) - **Shift+Ctrl+Click**
Reverse visibility - **Shift+Ctrl+Click & drag Background**

ClipCurve add soft direction change - **click Alt once**
ClipCurve add sharp direction change - **click Alt twice**
reverse clip area - **Alt (hold down)**

### Stencil
Stencil On - **Alt+H** 
Hide/Show Stencil - **Ctrl+H**
Coin Controller – **Spacebar**


## ZSpheres

Preview Adaptive Skin - **A**

### Draw mode
Add a child ZSphere - **drag ZSphere** 
Delete ZSphere - **Alt+Click ZSphere**
Add a child ZSphere at same size – **Click+drag, press Shift**
Add a child ZSphere and scale Link Spheres – **Click+drag to size new ZSphere, press Ctrl+drag**
Insert ZSphere - **Click Link-Sphere**

with **Tool>Adaptive Skin>Use ClassicSkinning** on* 
Sphere Define magnet/ break mesh - **Alt+Click Link-Sphere**

### Move mode
Move ZSphere - **drag ZSphere** 
Pose (Natural-linked move) - **drag Link-Sphere**
Move Chain – **Alt+drag Link-Sphere**

### Scale mode
Scale Zsphere - **drag ZSphere** 
Inflate/deflate chain – **Alt+drag Link-Sphere**
Scale chain - **drag Link-Sphere**

### Rotate mode
Spin chain - **drag ZSphere** 
Control twist - **Alt+drag Link-Sphere**
Rotate chain - **drag Link-Sphere**

## ZSketch

Activate ZSketch Edit mode - **Shift+A** (with a ZSphere armature in Edit mode)
Preview Unified Skin - **A**

## Canvas and 2.5D

Reverse 2.5D brush effect - **Alt (hold down)** 

Crop And Fill - **Shift+Ctrl+F** 
Grab Texture From Document – **Shift+Ctrl+G**

### Document Layers
Clear Layer - **Ctrl+N** 
Fill Layer - **Ctrl+F**
Bake Layer – **Ctrl+B**

On Layer thumbnail, toggle all layers on/off - **Shift+Click**
Select layer on which clicked pixol resides - **~+Click canvas** (US)  **@+Click canvas** (UK)
Move layer contents up/down/sideways (X & Y)-  **~+drag** (US)  **@+drag** (UK)

### Markers
Place Marker - **M**
Remove Marker – **Ctrl+M**

### Canvas Zoom
Actual Size - **0** [zero]
Antialiased Half Size - **Ctrl+0**
Zoom In - **+** [plus sign]
Zoom Out - **-** [minus sign]

## Timeline

Place a new key frame - **click on the Timeline**

Select an existing key frame - **click on the key frame dot**
Zoom Timeline in/out - **click on selected key frame dot**
Move selected key frame - **click+drag dot to new position** (dragging off end will delete)
Store new data in existing key frame - **Shift+Ctrl+click on the key frame dot**
Delete a key frame - **click+drag dot off the Timeline**

Copy selected key frame - **Shift+click on the Timeline at the point where you want the copy**
Copy multiple key frames - **Shift+click on all the key frames dots to be copied, then Shift+click the Timeline**
at the point where you want the copies

Create Transition key frame - **Ctrl+click on an existing key frame dot**
Create Rigid key frame - **Alt+click on an existing key frame dot**

Go to Previous Camera key frame  - **LEFT ARROW**
Go to Next Camera key frame  - **RIGHT ARROW**

Play the Timeline (will play as a loop) - **Shift+click on the Timeline cursor**
Stop the Timeline playing - **click Esc**
Record Timeline as a Movie - **Shift+Ctrl+click on the Timeline cursor**
(set the cursor to the start first using the LEFT ARROW)

### Movie
Snapshot to Movie– **Ctrl+ Shift+!** (US)  **Shift+Ctrl+PageUp** (UK)

## Render

Best Preview Render (BPR) - **Shift+R**
Render All - **Shift+Ctrl+R** 
Cursor Selective Render – **Ctrl+R**

## Custom UI and Configuration

Move item to custom interface position – **Ctrl+Alt+drag** (when *Enable Customize* is switched on)
Remove item from custom interface position – **Ctrl+Alt+drag to Canvas** (when *Enable Customize* is on)

Store Configuration File - **Shift+Ctrl+I** 
Load User Interface Configuration File -** Ctrl+L** 
Save User Interface Configuration File - **Shift+Ctrl+Alt+I**

## ZScripts
Load ZScript - **Shift+Ctrl+L** 
Reload ZScript - **Ctrl+U**
Show/Hide ZScript window - **H*'


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