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 Viewport.

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

Axis

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

Shows information such as the View Perspective, playback FPS, current frame number, and the name of the active Collection and Object.

Statistics

Show information about the amount of objects and geometry.

Objects: Number of the selected objects and the total count.
Geometry: Displays information about the current scene depending on the mode and object type. This can be the number of vertices, faces, triangles, or bones.

HDRI Preview

Show two spheres, one glossy and one diffuse, to preview HDRIs used in Material Preview and Rendered shading modes.

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

Displays the mesh’s face edges, similar to Wireframe Shading but displays edges on top of existing shading. The value slider adjusts which edges to display by only showing wires on prominent edges. Lower values hide edges with angles close to 180 degrees while a value of 1 shows all wires.

Opacity: The transparency of the displayed edges; a value of 1 is fully opaque, a value of 0 is fully transparent.

Fade Inactive Geometry: Fade inactive geometry using the viewport background color. The value slider controls the factor of the objects are blended with the background.

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 reconstructed 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 select mode (as edges are always highlighted in edge select 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 retopology 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 Masks as overlays on an object. The opacity of the overlay can be adjusted.
Face Sets: Show Face Sets as overlays on an object. The opacity of the overlay can be adjusted.

Vertex Paint¶

Stencil Mask Opacity: Opacity of the stencil mask overlay in Vertex Paint Mode.
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.

This visualizes weight variations too small to be seen from colors and can be useful for judging the smoothness and consistency of gradients, e.g. when using smoothing tools and brushes.

Show Wire

Use wireframe display in paint modes.

Texture Paint¶

Stencil Mask Opacity: The opacity of the stencil mask overlay in Texture Paint Mode.

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. If Multiframe is enabled Keyframes before and after of the active frame are displayed using onion colors.

Canvas

Display a grid over Grease Pencil drawing plane. The opacity of the grid can be controlled with the slider. When using the Canvas X-Ray option objects are drawn behind the canvas grid.

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.

Fade Objects

Cover all viewport except the active Grease Pencil object with a full color layer to improve visibility while drawing over complex scenes.

Fade Grease Pencil Objects: Include or exclude Grease Pencil objects.

Edit Lines

Show edit lines when editing strokes.

Only in Multiframe

Show edit lines only when using multiframe edition.

Stroke Direction

Toggles the display of the strokes start point (green) and end point (red) to visualize the line direction.

Material Name

Show material name next to the linked stroke.

Vertex Opacity

Opacity for edit vertices (points).

Vertex Paint Opacity