Viewport Overlays

Using the Viewport Overlays pop-over settings for the overlays can be configured. There is a switch to turn off all overlays for the 3D View.

The options that are visible in the pop-over depend on the mode that the 3D View is in.

Object Mode

The next options are always present, independent the current mode.

Guides

Grid
Show grid in orthographic side view.
Floor

Show the ground plane.

X/Y/Z
Show the X and/or Y and/or Z axis line.
Scale
The distance between lines in the grid/floor.
Subdivision
The number of subdivisions between grid lines.
Text Info
Show text overlay.
3D Cursor
Show the 3D Cursor overlay.
Annotations
Show the annotation overlay.

Objects

Extra
Show details of objects including empty wires, cameras and other visual guides.
Relationship Lines
Show dashed lines indicating parents or constraint relationships.
Outline Selected
Show an outline highlight around selected objects.
Bones
Show Bones. Disable to only show their motion path.
Motion Paths
Show the motion path overlay.
Origin
Show the object origin of the active object.
Origin (All)
Show the object origin of all objects.

Geometry

Wireframe

Show the face edges overlay.

Wireframe
Adjust the number of wires to display. 1.0 means show all wires.
Face Orientation
Show the face orientation overlay. In the face orientation overlay all faces where the face normal points towards the camera are colored blue. All faces where the face normal points away from the camera are colored red. With this overlay, it is easy to detect the orientation of the face normals.

Motion Tracking

Show the motion tracking overlay.

Camera Path
Show the reconstruction camera path.
Marker Names
Show the names for reconstructed track objects.
Tracks

Change the display of the reconstructed tracks.

  • Plain Axes
  • Arrows
  • Single Arrow
  • Circle
  • Cube
  • Sphere
  • Cone
Size
Change the display size of the recontructed tracks.

Mesh Edit Mode

The next options are available when in Edit Mesh Mode.

Edges

Highlighted selected and partially selected edges.

Only affects vertex and face selection mode (as edges are always highlighted in edge-selection mode).

Faces

Highlight faces using a face overlay that applies to both selected and unselected faces.

Affects all selection modes.

Center

Show face-center points in solid shading modes.

Only affects face-select mode.

Creases
Display edges marked with a crease for the Subdivision Surface Modifier.
Sharp
Display sharp edges, used with the edge split modifier.
Bevel
Display weights created for the Bevel Modifier.
Seams
Display the UV unwrapping seams.
Edge Marks and Face Marks
Used by Freestyle.

Shading

Hidden Wire

Show only front-facing wireframes. This is useful for a re-topology workflow.

Tip

Optimally this could be combined with the X-Ray display setting.

Vertex Groups Weights

Display weights in Edit Mode.

Zero Weights

To display unreferenced and zero weighted areas in black. This helps to identify areas with very low weights that have been painted onto.

None
Vertices are displayed in the usual way.
Active
Show in black vertices with no weights in the active group.
All
The vertex is shown in black if it has zero weight in all groups.

Mesh Analysis

Show the mesh analysis overlay.

See: Mesh Analysis.

Measurement

Numerical measures of the selected elements on screen as part of the text info overlay. The Units can be set in the Scene properties.

Edge Length
Show the length of selected edges.
Edge Angle
Show the angle of selected edges between two faces.
Face Area
Show the area of selected faces.
Face Angle
Show the angle of selected face corners.

Tip

Geometry connected to the selection is shown while transforming, allowing you to move a vertex and see the connected edge lengths for example.

Note

These values respect Global/Local.

Use Global if you want the Object’s scale to be applied to the measurements.

Normals

  • Display vertex normals
  • Display face normals at vertices (split normals)
  • Display face normals
Size
The size to show the selected normals.

Developer

Indices
Display the indices of selected vertices, edges and faces.

Freestyle

Edge Marks
Display Freestyle edge marks, used with the Freestyle renderer.
Face Marks
Display Freestyle face marks, used with the Freestyle renderer.

Sculpt Mode

Mask
Show mask as overlay on object. The opacity of the overlay can be controlled.

Vertex Paint

Opacity
The opacity of the overlay.
Show Wire
Use wireframe display in paint modes.

Weight Paint

Opacity
The opacity of the overlay.
Zero Weights

To display unreferenced and zero weighted areas in black. This helps to identify areas with very low weights that have been painted onto.

None
Vertices are displayed in the usual way.
Active
Show in black vertices with no weights in the active group.
All
The vertex is shown in black if it has zero weight in all groups.
Show Weight Contours
Show contour lines formed by points with the same interpolated weight.
Show Wire
Use wireframe display in paint modes.

Texture Paint

Opacity
The opacity of the overlay.

Pose Mode

Fade Geometry
Show the bones on top and face other geometry to the back. The opacity can be controlled with the slider.

Grease Pencil

Onion Skin
Show ghosts of the keyframes before and after the current frame.
Canvas
Display a grid over Grease Pencil drawing plane. The opacity of the grid can be controlled with a slider.
Fade 3D Objects
Cover all viewport except the active Grease Pencil object with a full color layer to improve visibility while drawing over complex scenes. Include or not other Grease Pencil objects can be toggle and the opacity factor can be controlled with the slider.
Fade Layers
Decrease the opacity of all the layers in the object other than the active one. The opacity factor can be controlled with the slider.
Edit Lines
Show edit lines when editing strokes.
Show Edit Lines only in multiframe
Only show edit lines while in multiframe edition.
Vertex Opacity
Opacity for edit vertices (points).