firefrost-operations-manual/docs/tasks/blender-cinematic-workflow/blender-cheat-sheet.md

# Blender Cinematic Cheat Sheet — Minecraft Edition

**Purpose:** Quick reference for hand-accessible Blender shortcuts  
**Audience:** Michael, Holly, future Firefrost cinematographers  
**Focus:** Minimize dragging, maximize keyboard and N-Panel usage

---

## 🎯 Most Important Keys (Learn These First)

| Key | What It Does |
|-----|--------------|
| **N** | Toggle side panel (your best friend for accessibility) |
| **F3** | Search bar — if you forget any shortcut, press this and type what you want |
| **Home** | Fit everything in view (find your world if you get lost) |
| **Spacebar** | Play/Pause animation |
| **Ctrl + Z** | Undo (the most important key in Blender) |
| **Numpad 0** | Jump into active camera view |

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## 📐 Navigation (Moving Around the 3D View)

### Mouse-Based Navigation

| Action | How To Do It |
|--------|-------------|
| **Rotate view** | Hold **middle mouse button** and drag |
| **Zoom** | **Scroll wheel** up/down |
| **Pan (move sideways)** | Hold **Shift + middle mouse button** and drag |
| **Focus on object** | Select object, press **Numpad . (period)** |

### WASD Walk Mode (Minecraft-Style Navigation)

**This is the most hand-friendly way to navigate:**

1. Press **Shift + `** (the tilde key, usually above Tab)
2. A crosshair appears in the center
3. **W** = Forward, **S** = Backward, **A** = Left, **D** = Right
4. **Q** = Down, **E** = Up
5. **Shift** = Move faster
6. **Left-click** to place the camera there and exit Walk Mode
7. **Right-click** to cancel and return to original position

### Standard View Shortcuts

| Key | View |
|-----|------|
| **Numpad 1** | Front view |
| **Numpad 3** | Side view |
| **Numpad 7** | Top view |
| **Numpad 9** | Opposite view (flip camera 180°) |
| **~ (Tilde)** | Pie menu for all views (mouse-friendly alternative) |

**No numpad on your laptop?** Go to Edit → Preferences → Input → Check "Emulate Numpad". Now regular 1-9 keys work as numpad.

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## 📷 Camera Controls

### Camera Positioning

| Action | How To Do It |
|--------|-------------|
| **Add new camera** | **Shift + A** → Camera |
| **Jump into camera view** | **Numpad 0** |
| **Move camera to your view** | Navigate to where you want the camera, then press **Ctrl + Alt + Numpad 0** |
| **Lock camera to view** | Press **N** → View tab → Check "Camera to View" — now the camera follows as you navigate |

### Camera Movement (After Selecting Camera)

| Action | How To Do It |
|--------|-------------|
| **Move camera** | Press **G** then move mouse, **Left-click** to confirm |
| **Move forward/back only** | Press **G** then **Z** then **Z** (dolly zoom) |
| **Rotate camera** | Press **R** then move mouse, **Left-click** to confirm |
| **Cancel movement** | Press **Escape** or **Right-click** |

---

## 🎬 Animation & Keyframes

### Timeline Control

| Action | How To Do It |
|--------|-------------|
| **Play animation** | **Spacebar** |
| **Go to frame 1** | **Shift + Left Arrow** |
| **Go to end frame** | **Shift + Right Arrow** |
| **Next frame** | **Right Arrow** |
| **Previous frame** | **Left Arrow** |

### Setting Keyframes

**Method 1: Quick keyframe (easiest)**
1. Select camera
2. Move it where you want
3. Press **I** (insert keyframe)
4. Select what to keyframe:
   - **Location** (camera position)
   - **Rotation** (camera angle)
   - **Location & Rotation** (both)

**Method 2: N-Panel keyframe (hand-accessible)**
1. Press **N** to open side panel
2. Go to **Item** tab
3. See Location X, Y, Z and Rotation X, Y, Z values
4. **Hover mouse** over any value (turns yellow when you hover)
5. Press **I** to keyframe just that value
6. Or **right-click** the value → "Insert Keyframe"

### Keyframe Workflow Example

**To create a camera movement:**
1. Go to frame 1 (Shift + Left Arrow)
2. Position camera at start point
3. Press **I** → "Location & Rotation"
4. Go to frame 120 (type 120 in frame number box at bottom)
5. Move camera to end point
6. Press **I** → "Location & Rotation"
7. Press **Spacebar** to watch the camera move smoothly

---

## 🛠️ The N-Panel (Accessibility Powerhouse)

Press **N** to toggle the side panel. This is where you do everything without dragging.

### Item Tab (Selected Object Properties)

- **Location:** X, Y, Z coordinates (click to type exact numbers)
- **Rotation:** X, Y, Z angles (click to type exact numbers)
- **Scale:** X, Y, Z scale (click to type exact numbers)

**Why this matters:** Instead of dragging the camera with your mouse, you can click a location value and type: `10` then press Enter. No dragging required.

### View Tab (View Settings)

- **View Lock:**
  - **Camera to View** — Check this box to make camera follow your navigation
- **Focal Length:** Change camera zoom (lower = wider, higher = closer)
- **Clip Start/End:** How close/far the camera can see

### MCprep Tab (Minecraft Tools)

- **Prep Materials:** One-click fix for all Minecraft textures
- **Mesh Swap:** Upgrade simple blocks to detailed models
- **Spawn Mob:** Add rigged player skins or mobs
- **World Tools:** Additional Minecraft-specific functions

---

## 🎨 Selection & Object Control

### Selecting Objects

| Action | How To Do It |
|--------|-------------|
| **Select object** | **Left-click** on it (turns orange) |
| **Select all** | **A** |
| **Deselect all** | **Alt + A** |
| **Select multiple** | Hold **Shift + Left-click** each object |
| **Box select** | **B** then drag a rectangle |

### Basic Object Operations

| Action | How To Do It |
|--------|-------------|
| **Move (Grab)** | **G** then move mouse, **Left-click** to confirm |
| **Rotate** | **R** then move mouse, **Left-click** to confirm |
| **Scale** | **S** then move mouse, **Left-click** to confirm |
| **Delete** | **X** or **Delete** key → click "Delete" |
| **Duplicate** | **Shift + D** |

**Constraint movement to one axis:**
- Press **G** (or **R** or **S**)
- Then press **X**, **Y**, or **Z**
- Example: **G** then **Z** = move only up/down

---

## 🌅 Rendering

### Viewport Display Modes

At the top-right of the 3D view, there are four circles. Click them to change view:

1. **Wireframe** (leftmost) — See through everything
2. **Solid** — Basic shading, fast
3. **Material Preview** — See textures and basic lighting
4. **Rendered** (rightmost) — Full ray-traced view (slow but beautiful)

**For cinematics, use Rendered view to see final lighting.**

### Rendering a Frame or Animation

| Action | How To Do It |
|--------|-------------|
| **Render current frame** | **F12** |
| **Render animation** | **Ctrl + F12** |
| **Stop rendering** | **Escape** |
| **Save rendered image** | In render window: Image → Save As |

### Quick Render Settings

1. Press **N** in the 3D view
2. No wait, that's the wrong panel
3. Look for tabs on the **right edge** of Blender (vertical tabs)
4. Click the **camera icon** tab (Render Properties)
5. Under "Render Engine," choose:
   - **Eevee:** Fast, good enough for previews
   - **Cycles:** Slow, photorealistic (use this for final cinematics)

---

## 🔧 MCprep Workflow (Minecraft-Specific)

### After Importing a World from Mineways

**Step 1: Select everything**
- Press **A** to select all imported blocks

**Step 2: Prep materials**
- Press **N** → MCprep tab
- Click **"Prep Materials"**
- Wait 5-30 seconds
- Textures are now fixed (glass transparent, torches glow, etc.)

**Step 3: Add entities (optional)**
- Press **N** → MCprep tab
- Click **"Spawn Mob"**
- Choose a player skin or mob
- It spawns at 3D cursor location
- Move it with **G** key

**Step 4: Lighting (if world is too dark)**
- **Shift + A** → Light → Sun
- This adds a directional sun like Minecraft has
- Rotate it to change time of day (**R** key)

---

## 💡 Pro Tips for Firefrost Cinematics

### Smooth Camera Movements

**Problem:** Camera movement looks jerky

**Solution:**
1. Select the camera
2. Press **N** → MCprep tab (or any tab, just open the side panel)
3. At the bottom of screen, find the **timeline** (looks like a graph)
4. **Right-click** on a keyframe diamond
5. Select **"Interpolation Mode"** → **"Bezier"**
6. This makes movement smooth instead of linear

### Focal Length for Cinematic Feel

**Minecraft default FOV is too wide for cinematics:**

1. Select camera
2. Press **N** → Item tab
3. Under "Lens," change **Focal Length** from 35mm to:
   - **50mm** = Normal view (most realistic)
   - **85mm** = Portrait/close-up (like movie dialogue scenes)
   - **24mm** = Wide angle (for grand landscape shots)

### Depth of Field (Blurry Background)

**Makes cinematics look professional:**

1. Select camera
2. Look for **Camera Properties** (camera icon on right side)
3. Under "Depth of Field":
   - Check **"Depth of Field"** to enable
   - Set **"Focus Object"** to what you want in focus (or type distance in "Focus Distance")
   - Increase **"F-Stop"** value (lower = more blur, higher = less blur)
   - **2.8** = very blurry background
   - **8.0** = slightly blurry background

---

## 🆘 Troubleshooting Quick Fixes

| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| **I'm lost in 3D space** | Press **Home** to fit everything in view |
| **Camera disappeared** | Press **Numpad 0** to jump to camera view |
| **Can't select anything** | You might be in Edit Mode — press **Tab** to return to Object Mode |
| **Rendering is black** | Add a light: **Shift + A** → Light → Sun |
| **Camera won't move** | Make sure camera is selected (should be orange outline) |
| **Animation plays too fast** | At bottom of screen, find "End" frame number — increase it (default is 250) |
| **I pressed a key and everything broke** | **Ctrl + Z** to undo, or press **Escape** to cancel current operation |

---

## 🎓 Learning Path Suggestion

**Day 1: Navigation**
- Learn WASD Walk Mode (**Shift + `**)
- Practice navigating around an imported world
- Get comfortable with **Home** and **Numpad 0** keys

**Day 2: Camera Basics**
- Add a camera (**Shift + A**)
- Move it around with **G** and **R** keys
- Enable "Camera to View" and navigate with camera attached

**Day 3: Simple Animation**
- Set two keyframes at different frame numbers
- Press **Spacebar** to watch the movement
- Try changing **Focal Length** between keyframes

**Day 4: Materials & Lighting**
- Import a world from Mineways
- Use MCprep **"Prep Materials"**
- Add a sun light and adjust rotation

**Day 5: First Full Cinematic**
- Record Replay Mod footage for reference
- Export world chunk from Mineways
- Import to Blender, apply MCprep
- Animate camera with 4-5 keyframes
- Render with **F12**

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## 📚 When You Need More Help

**Blender has a built-in search:**
- Press **F3**
- Type what you want to do
- Example: Type "add camera" and Blender finds the command

**Official Blender Manual:**
- https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/

**MCprep Documentation:**
- https://theduckcow.com/dev/blender/mcprep/

**Firefrost Gaming Production Workflow:**
- See `docs/marketing/cinematic-production-workflow.md` for full workflow guide

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💙🔥❄️🌟

**Fire + Frost + Foundation = Where Love Builds Legacy**

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**Created:** March 30, 2026  
**Created By:** Chronicler #48  
**For:** Michael, Holly, future Firefrost cinematographers  
**Print this:** Keep on desk while learning Blender shortcuts