Edit Mode: Part 2

Now let's learn some more tools we can use in edit mode to model our meshes.

Start up Blender and start a new scene. Add a cube mesh if there isn't already one and hit the Tab Key to go into edit mode. Over on the left, in the Tools Panel, you can see all or most of the tools available. This is a good reference if you forget something or don't know the keyboard shortcut. In this lesson, we're going to focus mainly on the tools in the Add category.

Extrude:
The first tool is Extrude. This is a fundamental tool of 3D modeling and basically create a duplicate of the selection that is connected to the original selection. This creates new vertices, edges, and face that you can then move, scale and rotate.

Now you try it out. In Edit Mode, select a face of our cube and then hit the E Key. Then you can move your mouse around and right click to place the extrusion. Like all of our previous modeling techniques, you can constrain an extrusion to a particular axis if you wish to move it right away. (Just press the key corresponding to the desired axis)

Subdivide:
The Subdivide splits the selection into more, smaller equal parts. In 2D space it looks like this:

But we're using 3D meshes so for every face in the object its going to do this. "Why would you want to do this?" you might ask. Well, it creates extra vertices to manipulate, allowing you to make more complex shapes. It is also necessary if you are going to do any kind of sculpting or painting so that there is actually a decent number of vertices to do that with.

As of now there isn't a keyboard shortcut for subdividing, so you'll have to use the button. So in Edit Mode, press A to select all of the cube and click on Subdivide. Immediately you should see, the new vertices added.

Now you can manipulate all these vertices to model your object. Try to model this by pulling out the center vertices of each face:

Loop Cut:
The Loop Cut is a very useful tool. It is a little hard to explain in words but I'll try. Imagine lassoing your object and using the lasso as guidelines for were to put the new vertices. It's going to make a ring of new vertices around the object based on the ones that are already there. You really just need to try it to see how it works...

Add a new cube to the scene and Tab into Edit Mode. Go ahead and deselect everything (A Key). To add a Loop Cut. move your mouse over to the edge of the cube and either click on the button or hit Ctrl + R. This will add the loop cut and you can move the mouse to position it. Right Click to drop it in place.

You can also add the loop cut in the other direction. Move your mouse to the top or bottom of the cube and press Ctrl + R.

Then you can do things with the loop cut like scale it out or rotate or something.

Duplicate:
It's really not that hard. It duplicates the selection and you can move that duplicate free from the other vertices in the object.

Start over with a new cube and in Edit Mode, select one of the faces. Then hit Shift + D or the Duplicate button to create the duplicate. Move the mouse and right click to position it.

Remember that you can duplicate any selection whether it be just vertices, edges, a face or even 20 faces!

Delete:
The last two tools I'll talk about now is the Delete tool which deletes the selection, and the merge tool which will merge together the selected vertices into one.

Perhaps you're modeling away with some new tools you just learned about at Blender Basics 2.5 :) and all of the sudden your hand slips and you hit the impossible combination of E + 23 and the Undo function just won't work. If you ever want to delete some specific vertices, just select those and press the X Key. A pretty confusing window will pop up, asking you if you want to delete vertices, edges, faces or some odd combinations of those.

If you click Vertices, it will delete the vertices selected and therefore everything that the vertices are directly linked to.

If you select Edges, it will delete the selected edges and the faces that they connect but nothing else.

If you select Faces, you will delete just the face, leaving an opening. (Kind of like a box)

To really understand these, you just need to experiment with it and you'll quickly become familiar. And if you get rid of something you don't want, don't fret: there's always Undo (Ctrl + Z).

Merge:
Merge will take the selected vertices and combine them into one based on which option you choose. Use our previous example with the box and select the four vertices around the opening. Now hit the Merge button or Alt + M. A new menu appears asking you how to merge the vertices.

At First will combine them into a vertex at the location of the first vertex you selected.

At Last will do the same except at the location of the last selected vertex.

At Center will take all the vertices and combine them at a point in the center of all of them.

At Cursor will merge them in one vertex at the cursor position.

Collapse will just collapse them into one vertex, similarly to the At Center option.

The vertices of the opening merged at the center.

That's it for this lesson. I talked about a lot of new tools and I encourage you to go try them out. Hoped you learned something, we'll see you next time!