Customizing Your Workspace In Blender By Opening And Closing Panels
Hiding and Unhiding Panels
Blender allows users to open and close different panels to customize the interface for their workflow. Hiding panels you don’t frequently use can declutter the viewport and interface. To hide a panel, right click on the edge of the panel and select “Hide Panel” from the menu. This will close the panel so it is no longer visible. To unhide a hidden panel, go to the View menu in the top header and select “Toggle System Console”. This will open a console panel that has an option to unhide panels. Click on the drop down menu and select the name of the panel you want to unhide.
Resizing Panels
In addition to hiding panels, you can also resize panels to take up more or less space as needed. Hover your mouse over the edge separating two panels and your mouse icon will change to indicate you can resize. Click and drag the edge to resize the panels. You can expand one panel while shrinking the neighboring panel this way. Resize panels such as the 3D View or Node Editor to be larger to take advantage of more screen space for your current task.
Moving and Docking Panels
Blender allows completely customized workspaces via moving and docking panels. Docked panels snap together to avoid wasting space. You can dock panels to create unique workspaces tailored to your needs. To move a panel, right click on its header and select “Move Panel”. Then click and drag on the panel header to move it, scroll to change its layer, and snap it back to dock with other panels. Play around with moving and docking panels to create column, row, and grid arrangements.
Saving Custom Panel Setups
Once you have panels arranged, you can save the custom workspace. Do this by clicking “Add Workspace” in the header menu. This saves the current panel layout. To access saved custom workspaces, open the “Workspaces” dropdown menu in the info header. Select the workspace name you saved previously. The panel views will rearrange to that saved setup. Name your custom workspaces by task to easily switch contexts.
Example Panel Customizations
Hiding unused panels
If you primarily sculpt, hide panels unrelated to that task like the Video Sequence Editor. Or if doing UV mapping, hide physics and rendering panels. Minimizing panel views down to only relevant tools makes each task less visually overwhelming.
Grouping related panels
Conversely, consider grouping together panels relevant to one workflow. For animation, dock panels like Dope Sheet, Graph Editor, View Layer Properties, and Tool Shelf. This consolidates the most needed animation tools into one panel column for easier access and context.
Docking panels to secondary monitors
Take advantage of multi-monitor setups by docking auxiliary panels to your second display. This removes any distracting tools from your main viewport, keeping the 3D View maximally clear. Good panel candidates for your secondary screen include Outliner, Properties, Modifiers, Materials, Texture Nodes, and the Timeline.
Customizing Shortcuts for Frequent Operations
In addition to customizing your panel layouts, also consider optimizing your keymap for frequent operations. Blender allows binding tools, modifiers, modes, and functions to different keystrokes. This further accelerates repetitive tasks like adding subdivisions, extruding faces, rendering, etc. Open the Preferences panel, select Keymap, search for the operation, right click and select “Add New” to create a custom hotkey.
Choosing a Theme
Theming controls the interface colors and styles across Blender. Change a bright default theme to a dark one for less eye strain. Select from included premade themes or make custom ones with distinct object, bone, node, verge, and face colors. Switch between interface themes by searching “Theme” in Preferences. Use a unique theme for each project or shot for easier context.
Adding Extensions
Extensions modify and enhance Blender’s built-in tools. They provide additional functionality like panel menus, modeling modifiers, render engines, and more. Click the “+” icon in the interface header and search the extensions catalog. Install extensions directly into your Blender build. Use extensions sparingly to avoid bloating the interface. Focus on tools that solve specific pipeline issues.
