3D Cursor

The 3D Cursor is a point in 3D space which can be used for a number of purposes.

Placement

There are a few methods to position the 3D cursor.

Direct Placement with the Mouse

../../_images/editors_3dview_3d-cursor_two-view-positioning.png

Positioning the 3D cursor with two orthogonal views.

Enable the cursor tool. Using RMB in the 3D View will place the 3D cursor directly under your mouse pointer.

The view space is used to control the rotation of the 3D Cursor.

For accuracy you should use two perpendicular orthogonal 3D Views, i.e. any combination of top Numpad7, front Numpad1 and side Numpad3. That way you can control the positioning along two axes in one view and determine depth in the second view.

By default the depth of the geometry under the cursor is used, this can be disabled using the Cursor Surface Project toggle in the Preferences.

See also

The Snap Menu which allows the cursor placement relative to scene objects.

3D Cursor Panel

Reference

Mode:All Modes
Panel:Sidebar region ‣ View ‣ 3D Cursor
../../_images/editors_3dview_3d-cursor_panel.png

The 3D Cursor panel of the Sidebar region.

The 3D cursor can also be positioned and oriented by editing these values:

Location
The location of the 3D Cursor.
Rotation
The rotation of the 3D Cursor.
Rotation Mode
The Rotation mode of the 3D Cursor.

Usage

The 3D Cursor is used as the origin for any added object, can be used and moved with the snap tool, and is an option for the pivot point.